Nelson
Charleston Catholic girls soccer Coach Kevin Nelson with Assistant Coach Amy Mullen. (Courtesy photo)
Charleston Catholic girls soccer Coach Kevin Nelson huddles his team before the state championship game. (Courtesy photo)
CHARLESTON -- Soccer coach and Huddleston Bolen partner Kevin Nelson lead the Charleston Catholic girls soccer team to its second consecutive state title in November.
The soccer team won the 2009 AA-A West Virginia State Championship Nov. 7, finishing the season with an accumulative score of 107-8 against opponents, finishing 20-1-4, with their only loss to Class AAA Parkersburg South.
"We applaud Kevin's on field success, as well as his success in the courtroom," said Tom Gilpin, Chair of the firm's management committee. "Kevin is a hard worker and an excellent motivator."
The team ranked No. 15 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Region 4 rankings, for the first time this season. The Fighting Irish were the defending Class AA-A state champions and ranked No. 11 in Region 4, one of six regions nationally.
Nelson has been the head coach of the girls soccer team for five years and was the assistant coach for three years before that. A co-worker informed him the assistant coach was leaving and urged him to give it a try.
"I coached my son's youth soccer teams before, but it had never occurred to me to coach a high school soccer team until then," Nelson said. "I figured I'd give it a shot."
For three months out of the year, Nelson said he feels like he has two jobs.
"From August until November, I'm really busy," he said. "I'm not home a lot because I'm either coaching or working. But, I really appreciate how so many people put up with me during the season."
Nelson said his partners, clients, family and even some of the judges, go out of their way to help him during soccer season.
"I always try not to schedule trials during September and October, but one time I didn't have a choice," he said. "But, I was lucky. The trial was in Princeton and my team was playing in Bluefield and the judge actually ended the trial early so I could go coach my team. I'm just really thankful for how understanding everyone is."
Although Charleston Catholic is a Class A team, Nelson said they try to play a lot of Triple-A teams during the season.
"We are a small school, but we try to play some Triple-A teams to prepare our team and help them get better," Nelson said.
The soccer team played 10 Class AAA teams in 2008 and then 12 in 2009.
Even though he has lived in Charleston for 26 years, Nelson is a native of Michigan.
"I grew up in a small town in Michigan, but I came to Charleston after I met my wife in law school," he said. "It's nice to live in a community where you see people you know every day."
Nelson said it would not be possible to be a lawyer and a soccer coach if he lived in a bigger city.
"There's no way I could've done this if I lived in a big city," he said. "There wouldn't be enough time to do both."
Nelson specializes in employment law, where he has litigated matters involving trade secrets, discrimination, wrongful discharge, and gained recognition in The Best Lawyers in America, for his work.