In the fall of 2009, Millburn girls soccer head coach and his girls had the North II Group 3 state sectional championship snatched from them. The girls out-played West Morris Mendham in every possible way, but on the scoreboard. After holding a 23-6 shot advantage through two overtimes and dominating possession, Millburn eventually lost in penalty kicks.
“I felt physically sick for a few months just thinking about that game,” Sones said.
That loss served as the back drop for the 2010 fall season, which became a season of redemption for coach Sones and his girls. The Millers not only defeated Mendham in penalty kicks in the second round of the state playoffs this season, but they went on to win the section and captured the program’s first ever Group 3 championship. They finished up at 18-6 and as the undisputed best girls soccer team in Millburn history.
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“More than anything else, it was a vindication for the year before,” Sones said. “For the failure of losing to a Mendham team that we were clearly better than.”
After what could only be described as an upset loss, the Miller girls entered the 2010 season as heavy favorites to win everything, with most of the 2009 team returning. But things did not go well right away, as the team did not cope well with early expectations. Millburn started off at a respectable 3-2, and were 6-4 at one point after suffering back-to-back losses against Villa Walsh and Watchung Hills.
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“The expectations almost killed our season,” Sones said. “I don’t think the girls dealt with it very well. Obviously I take some blame for it as well.”
Coming into the fall as the defending Essex County champs, the Millers entered the season as favorites to repeat. But Livingston, which reached the Group 4 finals and had the state player of the year in Katie Schwindel, had Millburn’s number and edged the girls in the county semis.
“It was a lot easier when the expectations were taken off. We won most of our games by being stronger and fighting,” Sones said. “I think with the expectations off, all of that hard work paid off.”
From through the , the girls put together a fantastic 9-1 stretch, culminating with a comeback victory over Hopewell Valley, 4-2, in the championship game. After the first round laugher over Belleville, the Millers took to the road for the remainder of the postseason and allowed just six goals in the final five games, rallying a from a 2-1 second half deficit against Hopewell.
“Those girls put a lot of work in, they put a lot into this program and into this team,” Sones said. “ I am so happy that they were able to take away the highest possible prize from it, because they put in their blood sweat and tears.”
On the sidelines, Sones can be a bit fiery at times and always has an extremely high level of intensity. He has been described as being hard on his players at times - but obviously the results, conference, county and state titles in the last three seasons, speak for themselves.
“I’m definitely hard on players, but I’m definitely hard on teams. But I’m supportive of players and of teams,” Sones said. “I try to build a mentally resilient team who try and fight during some difficult times and play good soccer during the bad times.”
“Since I’ve known Andy for so long, I know how he coaches and what he wont put up with,” said MHS co-captain Katie Beimfohr. “With teenage girls, there are so many emotions to deal with. But I think that’s why we had so much success, he pushed us to our limits.”
This year’s state championship was the culmination of four years of very hard work. Sones often tells stories about how as freshmen, his team would get pushed around, knocked off of the ball and just beaten badly by better teams. He remembers a team filled with potential, but just not ready to win yet.
“What’s difficult is watching players give everything they have and then not being old enough or strong enough yet,” Sones said. “I remember taking a bunch of freshmen to games and just getting kicked about.”
The Miller coach earned his first coaching badge at the age of 15. He gained valuable coaching experience working for English Premier League clubs, such as Charlton Athletic, West Ham United and Manchester United. He won two regional championships as the head coach of Bedford College and also built a national championship contender at Leicester College, where he got his first experience coaching the women’s game. He also won a European Championship as the head coach of the Leicester City Girls U16 team. Sones was also coach of the Millburn Magic semi-pro team for three years, reaching the playoffs twice.
As the founder of Sonessoccer, where he and a staff of highly qualified coaches offer specialized year-round training for over 60 teams.
Not even two months after winning the Group 3 title, Sones was already looking ahead to this fall’s squad, which has a host of returnees, but are losing some very key pieces. Unlike this past fall, the girls will go into the fall with almost no expectations and barely any pressure. It will be interesting to see what Sones and the girls can do for an encore.
