Allie Amado signs fer soccer letter of intent surrounded by family and coaches. Front Row – left to right: David Amado, CHS head soccer coach and grandfather; Jodi Amado, mother; Allie Amado; Anna Amado, sister; and Carlos Amado, father. Back Row, left to right – Travis O’Kelley, Coffee COunty Middle School coach; Lee Xixis, CHS assistant soccer coach, Matt Manning and Chris Louk, former travel soccer coaches for Allie.
“I think I ended up where I am supposed to be” said Coffee County CHS senior Allie Amado on Wednesday as she signed her letter of intent to play college soccer at Bryan College. Surrounded by family, teammates and friends, Amado signed with the Dayton, TN liberal arts college in a ceremony held in the CHS library. “When I visited there, it felt like home” said Amado. “I loved the team and the coach.”
The Lions of Bryan are coached by Kwame Appiah who just completed his first year at the head of the program. Bryan competes in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Lions finished their fall season in November with a final record of 7-10-1. Amado is the first commitment and signee for Appiah as expects her to compete in the midfield this coming fall. Amado expects to major in Biology with the ultimate goal of attending medical school.
Allie’s coach, and grandfather, David Amado was quick to praise Appiah noting that the Lions appear to be a team on the rise. When asked about the strengths of Allie’s game, David was quick to point out her game knowledge and ability to distribute the ball. He expects Allie to excel at Bryan because of “her work ethic, her desire and her love for the game.”
