By Ryne Turke
Photos/Amy McCombs, Jim Pate and Special to The Source
For Jacey Maul, taking over the Jacksonville High School girls soccer program feels like a full-circle moment.
The former Crimson standout has been named the new head coach, stepping into a program that is coming off its best season in more than a decade. Now, she’s eager to get to work as summer practices begin this week.
“I’m pretty pumped to get started,” Maul said. “I’m ready to jump in and see what this team is capable of.”
Soccer has been a part of Maul’s life since the third grade, and she credits a number of coaches for helping shape both her career and her coaching philosophy.
She points to Joe O’Neil, who gave her confidence and encouragement in her younger years, Craig Albers during her travel soccer days, former Jacksonville coach John Mansholt, whose demanding but inspiring approach helped prepare her for success, and Katie Crumley, who coached both volleyball and soccer at Jacksonville High School.
Maul says she has remained close friends with Crumley since graduating, and having a female coach to look up to helped shape the person and coach she is today.
Maul takes over for Drew Comstock, who stepped away from the program after six seasons. She inherits a team that posted Jacksonville’s first double-digit win season since 2013-14, which also happened to be Maul’s senior year.
She believes Comstock has the program pointed in the right direction.
“Drew put a lot of work into this program,” Maul said. “We have a lot of players that love the game and want to do well. The effort is going to be there, and they’re going to work hard to make things happen.”
As a player, Maul simply did it all. Playing both forward and goalkeeper, she finished her high school career with 85 goals and 35 assists before continuing her career at Fontbonne University in St. Louis, where she scored 19 goals over two seasons.
Despite her offensive numbers, Maul says one position often doesn’t receive the credit it deserves.
“Goalkeeper is something teams take for granted,” she said. “They don’t realize how important it is to have a goalkeeper who can see the field well and help the backline be where they need to be.”
Maul hopes to build on the momentum the program gained last season, but wins aren’t the only thing she’s focused on.
“I’d like for the girls to learn something they can use outside of soccer,” she said. “I want them to benefit from me as a coach in more ways than just being on the field.”
Maul knows the Central State 8 Conference will provide plenty of challenges, but she believes confidence and mindset can go a long way.
“There’s great competition in the CS8, but it’s mind over matter,” she said. “You have to go into each game knowing they’re no different than you. Everybody is out there working just as hard for the same thing.”
Maul will make her head coaching debut next spring as she looks to build on last season’s success and guide the next generation of Crimsons.
