Saturday, January 28, 2006

Lady Eagle soccer coach steps down

Flores resigns after one season

Jessica Dyer News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jdyer@news-bulletin.com

Belen After one year at the helm, Michael Flores has resigned as the head coach of the Belen High School girls soccer team.

Flores, who led the Lady Eagles to a 5-16 record and a state playoff appearance in 2005, said he didn't feel he had enough time to devote to the program.

"It's pretty intense and it takes a lot of time, and that was pretty much my decision," Flores said Friday.

In addition to his job with the Albuquerque Fire Department, Flores and his wife recently purchased their own business and the coach said he needed to redirect his energy toward it.

"I enjoyed coaching in Belen. I had planned on coaching there for a long time and building a program that could compete with anybody in the state. I had the resources and the ability to do it, but, unfortunately, something came along and we bought a business for the family," Flores said.

Following a one-year stint as an assistant with the program, Flores was hired in June of 2005 to replace Nettie Salas. The team had lost several key players to injuries and the previous spring's graduation and was faced with an uphill battle when Belen was moved into District 5-4A --arguably the strongest soccer division in the state.

The Eagles won just one district game and finished the year on a seven-game skid. But, Flores said, the team was on the rise and his decision not to return was a difficult one.

"It was probably one of the hardest things I had to do, especially since the team was going to be so talented and good in the next few years," Flores said. "But, to be fair to them and to (Belen Schools Athletic Coordinator) Robert Chavez and the school, I didn't think I'd be able to put in the time they needed and the time I wanted to."

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