King Philip girls soccer made a run last fall that few saw coming. The Warriors advanced to the state semifinal, marking their first appearance that deep in the tournament since 2017.

With head coach Gary Pichel at the helm, the Warriors want that momentum to carry into this season, even with plenty of work ahead.

"Last year, we went to the state semifinal and bowed out there," he said. "This year, we are looking to keep our momentum going based off of last year's results. We are also trying to develop a new style of aggressive play inside the offensive zone."

The inspiration behind Pichel's coaching philosophy is unique; his coaching philosophy isn't inspired by his own career. Instead, he pointed to two men who never coached a King Philip practice a day in their lives.

"The foundation of my coaching mentality comes directly from two famous coaches that were at the very top of their respective coaching careers," Pichel said. "Anson Dorrance coached women's soccer at UNC and accumulated 934 wins in his illustrious career, along with 22 national titles. Bob Ladouceur coached football for De La Salle High School and held a national record of 151 wins in a row, 20 unbeaten seasons and many state championships."

It is not just the success of these coaches that influenced Pichel. "Both of these coaches had similar philosophies about always outworking their opponent every game and overcoming their weaknesses with a focus on hard work, solving problems with correcting repetition, and dedication throughout the entire year," he explained.

This blueprint, studied by Pichel for years, has carried him through 15 seasons at King Philip and three decades in the sport overall. "I started my coaching career back in 1995 with the Nipmuc Regional boy's JV soccer program," he said. "Two years later I found myself heading up Nipmuc girls varsity soccer. I was head coach until 2007. During that time, we won two Division 2 state championships."

From there, Pichel spent a season as head coach at Hudson Catholic and two years as an assistant at Fitchburg State before landing at King Philip.

Coming into the 2026 season, Pichel's search for the right players has less to do with what they can already do and more to do with what they're willing to work at. "We look for many different qualities in a player," he said. "We start with their training mentality, whether it is the physical aspect or the mental. Players that are driven on their own to improve soccer IQ, improve their positional skills, shots, passing, dribbling, one touch and drive to net."

The same emphasis on constant improvement runs similarly to how Pichel describes the program's culture. "Team culture of togetherness, playing for each other, always improving, and having a good time doing it, is what we try to foster and develop at King Philip," he said. "It is a collaboration of the coaching staff philosophies and unselfish leadership from our captains and the life experiences of our senior players."

With last year's success in mind, Pichel is keeping the goals within reach. "We try to set reasonable expectations and goals for our team," he said. "We talk about them and remind them throughout the season to help them stay focused. Our goals are to play to the best of our abilities as a team by the end of the regular season and to have a shot at winning a league title."

For Pichel, soccer has always been about more than what happens on the field. "I want my players to understand that playing soccer for your high school has certain responsibilities and life lessons that will affect them as they enter the world that awaits them," he said. "Developing a work ethic to increase your knowledge every day to improve your position on your team or in a work environment is critical to advancing on the world stage."

Pichel is a student of the game while being the teacher of a special group of athletes. His unique coaching style goes with his belief in his team that has the Warriors primed for what could be an exciting 2026 season.