Soccer has been a part of Kelly Ingersoll’s life as a player and a coach since his youth.
He may not be the eight year-old that raced around soccer fields in Oklahoma any longer, but the game, and his love of it, never left him.
Now the long-time senior minister at the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Macomb, Ingersoll returns to the sport, taking the reins of the Macomb High boys soccer program.
Ingersoll was approved for the position by the Macomb Community School District 185 Board of Education in its June meeting.
Ingersoll and his wife Anne arrived in Macomb in August of 2012.
“It’s just a way to give back to the community that in 13 years has given a lot to us,” said Ingersoll. “I have a particular skill set, I think, in organizing boys to play soccer. It’s been something that I’ve done fairly successfully.”
“I’m not bridging barriers. I’m not winning championships,” he added. “But I have something to offer and there seems to be a need.”
The Bombers finished 3-16-1 last season and have a record of 17-52-4 since 2021.
“It feels a little bit like we’re rebuilding here,” said Ingersoll.
“I think they can do better. We have some talented players I’m excited to see,” he added. “I don’t think we have to wait to see the fruits of their labors. I think we’ll see some really good things happen this fall.”
“I think we’ll be better.
That’s what we keep talking about. How do we get better?”
While he started playing soccer at age eight, he also played tackle football in kindergarten.
He continued to play soccer during his youth, but when he reached high school, there were no soccer programs, so he played football.
After high school, Ingersoll attended Phillips University in Enid, Okla.
He was part of a soccer rec league there as a sophomore before the school formed a collegiate squad that was a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). He served as captain for the Haymakers during his final two years at Phillips.
While at seminary, he coached the JV boys team at Danville, Ind. for two years. The JV squad had never won a match, losing by an average of 5-6 goals per match.
The team greatly improved, but remained winless his first season. In his second year though, the squad won its first match of the year on the way to a successful season.
During his travels, he later landed at Kansas City and Crista Rey High School.
He worked with boys and girls in rec league play before he was told the school had a benefactor that wanted to pay for the soccer program.
He would be named the school’s first head coach for both programs where he remained for three years.
The boys won four matches their first season, but had winning records thereafter, while the girls had winning seasons all three years.
Ingersoll noted that the year after he left, the boys team was undefeated in the regular season.
Stepping into the role at MHS, Ingersoll is keeping things basic.
“We’re trying to lay a foundation for a new culture,” he said. “To do things differently that have never been done before, including summer workouts and conditioning.”
That includes taking advantage of the contact days allowed by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).
“I’m looking forward to us just getting back to basics,” said Ingersoll. “The boys that are coming to the contact days are working hard.”
“I’m very pleased with their work ethic and I’m very pleased with their attitude,” he added. “I’m pleased with the progress we’ve made this summer.”
Ingersoll noted that players are making the most of the contact days, working on drills, skills work and conditioning.
He also said that those days are also giving players the chance to increase their soccer IQ, grow their enjoyment of the game and getting to know each other.
“The boys are really great. Interacting with them and building those relationships, I think it’s going to be great,” said Ingersoll. “Watching the boys improve on their own individually and seeing what we can do as a team.”
“I don’t know what our record will be,” he added. “But I’m hoping that we will be competitive, even against those teams that are going to out-class us.”
“I’d love to go in and win every game that we’re supposed to win, whatever that means,” said Ingersoll. “And then go win one or two that we’re not supposed to win and think about how good that can feel walking off the field.”
The Macomb High girls soccer team won its firstever regional title last spring, something Ingersoll stated that could provide a spark for the boys team this fall.
“I think it’s always good when another team does well,” he said. “It can be something that we can be challenged by or learn from.”
The last MHS boys soccer team to win a regional title came in 2013. Macomb edged host Peoria Christian 2-1 in the regional final before losing to eventual sectional champion Somonauk 5-2 in the sectional semifinals at Mendota.
The last regional title game appearance for the Bombers came in 2017, when they lost to Peoria Christian 5-2.
