Lake Worth ISD made a change this past summer to hire Robert Alvarez as boys and girls high school soccer coach. This will be his first season as head coach for both girls and boys as he switches his assistant football coach title for head boys and girls soccer coach
Alvarez has 12 years’ experience coaching and teaching while being a lifelong soccer fan. He is the math department head for Lake Worth High School where he teaches financial math and algebra II.
“Of all the sports, I think soccer has the greatest ability for a smaller team to beat the bigger teams. The flow of the game is one of the hardest aspects. No timeouts to adjust or slow things down,” Alvarez said.
The Northshore native has had multiple positions from kicking coach and assistant boys soccer coach at Abilene Cooper. He served time as an assistant coach before becoming the head coach of the Abilene Cooper girls team. Later, Alvarez led the Abilene Wylie girls team for two years before settling in Lake Worth for the past five years as the girls head soccer coach. When looking for a new field to coach in, Alvarez wasn’t sure what he was looking for but Lake Worth “just felt right.”
The experienced girls soccer coach has a unique distinction in his resume as his coaching time started after retiring from the Marine Corps as a gunnery sergeant. While in the Corps he played football and soccer.
“The Marine Corps is a unique organization. The biggest thing I think I have carried over, besides all the leadership you learn, is that you can if you want to. My wife would say everything I do is shaped by my service, but I think that is the main thing. Learn to love the suck.” Alvarez said.
The girls team (5-1) has been off to a great start after the first game of the season that resulted in a 4-0 loss to North Crowley. Since Jan. 3 it has not allowed any opponent to score a goal in its five-game winning streak.
“One surprise about coaching the girls this year is their ability to see what I see before I say something or ask them. For the boys it is their ability to adapt and their willingness to learn,” Alvarez said.
The larger and young boys team have had some struggles to start the winter season with a 2-4-1 record (1-20-25). Lake Worth has only scored one goal in the combined four losses.
Family is key for Alvarez and he stresses it to his players. The retired Marine has four sons himself and his family-oriented approach comes from his military background and devotion to his own family.
“I can boil my coaching philosophy down to attitude and effort and being a family” Alvarez said.
There is some difference in the way he approaches both teams but generally Alvarez tries to coach them all the same and drive in his message of family.
Despite the difference in starts to the two teams’ seasons, the standard to which they are held along with the goals stay the same. First is to have a winning record; second is to make the playoffs and third is to make it to the third round in the playoffs.
“I hope they all know that I want them to be happy and I want what is best for them. I push because I see what they can be on the field and in life,” Alvarez said.