Tatum Hancock ’20 Leads Hall-Dale to Undefeated Soccer Season in First Year as High School Coach

Former Lincoln Academy girls soccer star Tatum Hancock did not plan to be a high school soccer coach, but is grateful that it came about.

Hancock, a recent graduate of Saint Joseph’s College of Maine who played varsity at the college for four years, is the head coach of the Hall-Dale Bulldogs girls soccer team, which is undefeated (10-0-4) in her inaugural season at the helm.

Hancock, who graduated from LA in 2020, was a three-time First Team KVAC All-Conference player and named to the Southern Maine Regional All-Star Team after her senior year. She is a first grade teacher at Dresden Elementary School, which is in RSU 2 with Hall-Dale Middle and High School.

“After I finished playing my senior season at Saint Joseph’s, I was starting to miss the game towards the end of the year and I heard about this position opening up in the area I was interested in teaching in,” Hancock said. “I did not have any coaching experience prior to the Hall-Dale position. I had been involved with coaching youth soccer camps for many years, but nothing comparable to coaching a varsity sport.”

Hancock cited Lincoln Academy girls head coach Lauren Ober as one of her mentors that inspired her to try coaching.

“Lauren was someone I played for in middle school and eventually in high school,” said Hancock. “She pushed me as a player for so many years and truly just wanted to see me succeed on and off the field.”

Ober said she knew from when she began coaching Hancock that soccer would be a part of the player’s life forever.

“Not only was she a great athlete breaking records, she was always a student of the game. Tatum would always sit on the bus near the front and we would talk strategy or execution before and after every game,” Ober said. “Coaching comes natural to Tatum, and she has always led by example on and off the field. We keep in touch and it’s exciting to be able to share game strategies and brainstorm ideas with her. I have no doubt that Hall-Dale will go far with her leadership.”