Husband-and-wife coaching team Victor and Julie Lancheros are stepping down from their co-coaching duties of the Sequim High School’s girls’ varsity and junior varsity squads.

SHS athletic director Dave Ditlefsen announced the Lancheros’ first-year assistant, Brittany Murdach, also a Sequim High science teacher, as their successor.

Over three years, the Lancheros duo led the varsity squad to districts their first year and an overall record of 15-26-5.

Victor said they are quitting as coaches to spend more time with family because they anticipate much more traveling.

“Soccer requires a lot of attention and I feel like I’m neglecting my own kids after being so devoted to soccer,” he said. “Life is too short to not be spending time with family.”

This will be Murdach’s first position as a head coach, she said, but she has played since fifth grade and played four years as a midfielder and striker at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania.

“I’ve always known I wanted to do this someday,” Murdach said. “I had a really positive experience in high school and I had an absolute blast working with the girls this year.”

Looking at this year’s team going forward, Murdach said the team is very coachable with quite a bit of individual talent.

“The goal is to collect that talent and have them really come together and play as a team,” she said.

“With the skill that we have and their eagerness and if you show them what to do, they’ll work hard at it.”

Some of her goals include building a foundation for the program and focusing on fitness.

“Obviously, I’d like to improve our record and I do think if we can build a program with a good set of principles, the wins will eventually come,” she said.

“One of my main focuses is fitness. I have a whole training packet for them in the summertime. The idea is that they are touching the ball as much as they can in the summertime. When they come Aug. 24, they are ready to go.

Murdach hopes many of the girls will participate in a camp prior to the preseason at Peninsula College.

Lancheros’ efforts

While the Lancheros only have been coaching the girls teams for three years, Victor and Julie’s coaching duties go back years with long stints leading recreational soccer teams, the high school JV boys and more.

With coaching the girls, Victor said he knew they had a good heart for the game.

“The proudest times for me was seeing them jumping all over the place after a win,” he said. “I wish we could have had more wins but too many things come into play to have that though.”

One particular moment that stands out to Victor was defeating Port Angeles on their home turf in the last game of the season in 2012 to make districts.

“It was a good game and the players played hard,” he said.

The couple also is proud of how the girls represented Sequim on and off the soccer field.

“We did our best to show them a love of the game and the youth,” Victor said. “They wanted to win and be successful. They played with character, which is very important to me. Give it all you got — win or lose.”

The couple will remain working in Sequim School District.

Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.