Ashley Cabral is the Owner and Director of Training of A.C.E.S. She has coached since 2004 and has experience coaching boys and girls of all skills and ages. Originally starting in North Carolina, she coached for many schools, clubs and programs. She has also worked in a variety of work out clubs and sports complexes. Since being in Colorado, she has coached for Bladium Soccer Association (f.k.a. West Ham International Academy), C&C soccer club, United/Littleton Soccer Club and is now currently coaching with the Colorado Rapids.
When she isn't on the soccer field, she is spending time outdoors, traveling, watching or playing sports, listening to music or eating brunch. Her favorite brand is Adidas. Ashley is a die hard NY Football Giants fan and played adult flag football for several years. She enjoys mentoring young adults to become better people and players. Her favorite motto is, "make a difference," because she wants to positively impact the lives of others.
Background:
Ashley is originally from Connecticut, where she was a 5 sport student-athlete at West Haven High School (Soccer, Basketball, Ice Hockey, Softball, Track & Field), who graduated with honors. After helping her 4x1 track team run a new school record in a meet, and turning down college track offers, she later moved to Greensboro, North Carolina to attend Greensboro College. There she was a 4-year starter of the Women's Soccer Team, captain her senior year and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018. Standing out and starting as a young Freshman, the All-USA South division recognized Ashley as one of the most competitive players in the conference. By her senior year, she was second in the nation for goals and third for points, setting a GC single season record for most goals, points and game-winning goals, with 26 goals scored, 57 total points and 6 game-winning goals in 19 games. She ended her career with 109 points (47 goals, 15 assists), which places her second all-time in the school's record book. After several years of playing competitively (and non-competitively) as an adult, plus numerous injuries and a couple surgeries, she now focuses more of her time on coaching and mentoring youth players.
Coaching Style:
Ashley is known for her enthusiasm as a “teacher”, technical training, and passion for soccer. Her philosophy is to develop an all-around player and improve their individual technical, physical and mental skills. She places a high importance on developing player confidence, creativity and vision. She is committed to her guiding principles: Attitude, Commitment, Effort, Sportsmanship. She uses a positive and motivational approach to coaching. Ashley is a very honest and direct coach, who will always tell you when you're doing well and push you to consistently perform your very best. She will also help you acknowledge what needs to improve, then take the time to explain how to get better. Ashley incorporates different methods of teaching and never likes to run the same practice twice!
Influences:
A.C.E.S. is strongly influenced by COERVER® Coaching Methods, United Soccer Coaches and the National Sports Performance Association. Educational resources are also gained by books, web research and coach to coach learning. Ashley uses her experience and continued education to develop and frequently update the program.