Shaping Players for the Pitch and Beyond

 

For Patrick Turner ’03, coaching soccer at Duchesne is about more than building a winning program.

It is about building something players want to come back to.

Turner, a Duchesne graduate and longtime head soccer coach, has helped lead both the boys and girls soccer programs to major milestones over the years. In 2023, he earned his 100th win with the boys varsity soccer program, adding to the 100-win milestone he had already reached with the girls varsity program in 2021. He has also been part of six soccer state championships at Duchesne since joining the coaching staff.

But when Turner talks about coaching, the conversation does not begin with records or championships. It begins with relationships.

Some of those relationships started long before he was a coach.

Turner’s father was an active sports parent during Turner’s time at Duchesne. Turner’s sister graduated in 2000, and his parents were involved as athletic boosters, helping wherever they could. In the spring of Turner’s freshman year, his father was asked to help coach JV girls soccer when the program was short-staffed.

Though he coached only one season, his connection to Duchesne athletics continued. Turner said his father remained a regular supporter of Duchesne sports even after Turner graduated in 2003. When Turner returned to Duchesne as a coach, his father attended as many games as he could until health issues prevented him from being there.

That legacy is still visible inside Duchesne. After his father passed away, donations made in his memory were directed to Duchesne Athletic Boosters. Those gifts, along with the support of the boosters and the Duchesne community, helped create the turf space upstairs in the mezzanine, which is dedicated to him.

Turner said his father would have loved seeing the space used by Duchesne athletes, and he would be just as excited about future athletic upgrades.

“He’d be ecstatic,” Turner said. “I assure you, he’d be up here watching the construction from day one to the first game.”

That sense of family, memory, and commitment to Duchesne has shaped the way Turner sees his own role as a coach. For him, the program is not just something students pass through for four years. It is something that can stay with them long after graduation.

That is especially clear in his coaching staff.

Several of Turner’s assistant coaches are former players or Duchesne alumni who have returned to the program. Turner said that has always been part of the idea: to involve people who understand the program because they have lived it themselves.

He mentioned coaches like Nick Spiess ’12, who has been part of the staff for years while also balancing work as a firefighter-paramedic and life as a young father. Turner also talked about former players such as Jimmy Choinka ’17, the only freshman on Turner’s first boys varsity team, who later returned to coach with him.

"Pat came in to coach at Duchesne while I was senior," said  Spiess. "The first thing he told us was, 'If you guys need anything at all, even outside of soccer, I’m here for you. I was in your shoes not long ago.' That showed me instantly that Duchesne soccer is more than a soccer program, but a family as well."

“It’s just exciting to see these young players grow into adults,” Turner said. “The connections you make can last a lifetime.”

That idea of lasting connection is central to Turner’s coaching style. While he wants his players to grow as soccer players, he also wants them to leave the program with something they can use beyond the field.

When asked what he tries to instill in his players besides soccer skills, Turner’s answer came quickly.

“I’d say the biggest one is mental toughness,” he said.

Turner said that is probably the first thing many of his current and former players would identify as a major part of his program. He tries to put players in situations where they are pushed out of their comfort zones. At times, that means raising the intensity of a practice session to see how players respond.

For Turner, those moments are not just about preparing for a postseason game or a championship run. They are about preparing students for life.

"Coach Turner not only pushes me to my full soccer potential, but is also a role model for me," said senior Lucas Brockmeyer. "He is well respected by all the players and it is an honor to play for one of the best high

school soccer coaches in the history of the state."

That mental toughness becomes especially important in high-pressure moments. Turner has coached in plenty of big games, but he said coaches still feel the nerves and excitement too. Their job is to help players manage those emotions.

He said teams have to know when it is time to be switched on, but they also need moments when they can stay loose. Over the years, Turner has noticed that successful teams often have players who help keep the group relaxed in pressure situations. Some may be standout players, while others help the team in equally important ways.

“I think that’s kind of one of the secrets to the success,” Turner said.

The most recent girls soccer season offered a clear example of the kind of growth Turner values. The team was young, with only two seniors, but Turner began to see younger players already stepping into leadership roles.

Even though the season ended short of the team’s ultimate goal, Turner believes the group made important strides mentally. With so many young players returning, he sees a foundation the team can continue to build on.

Faith also plays a role in the way Turner leads.

“I go home and I pray for the team every day,” Turner said. “I pray for my family. I pray for the team, our health and chances at success that the Lord gives us.”

He encourages players to focus on what they can control and not become overwhelmed by what they cannot. If players are carrying worries they cannot bring to a coach, Turner said prayer can often times help them find peace.

That balance of toughness, faith, hard work and relationships traces back to Turner’s own time as a Duchesne student.

He remembers all of his coaches having a positive impact, but he specifically mentioned his JV coach, Mark Delaney. Turner said Delaney knew how to relate to younger players and helped create a team culture built around fair play, hard work and togetherness.

“It was a very blue collar mentality when we’re on the field, but a kind of a brotherhood outside of it,” Turner said.

Turner said some of those teammates are still among his closest friends nearly 30 years later. That, to him, says a lot about the kind of experience Duchesne soccer gave him.

Now, he hopes the athletes he has coached can say the same thing years from now.

The wins, championships and milestones are part of Turner’s story. But they are not the whole story. His larger goal is to build a program where players are challenged, supported and connected to something that lasts beyond their final game.

For Turner, that may be the real measure of Duchesne soccer: not just what players accomplish while they are here, but what they carry with them when they leave.