Kevin Hayes is the new head coach for the Union Pines girls' soccer team. He takes over the spot vacated last fall by Chris Hadlock.

Hayes has an extensive soccer background in both refereeing and coaching. In 2004, he gave up coaching to concentrate on being a referee, but then returned to it later that year at the urging of his good friend, Hadlock.

From 2001 through 2004, Hayes was the junior varsity boys' coach at Pinecrest before coming to Union Pines to help Hadlock as an assistant. He was the assistant head coach and trainer of the 2007 Viking boys' soccer squad in the fall under Jeremy Blake.

This year will be Hayes' first as head coach at Union Pines. He is excited to be a part of the Viking girls' program and looks forward to a very successful season.

"We have a very talented team with a large (13) group of sophomores that have played together on a traveling club for many years," he said.

"Our non-conference schedule will be very tough, but I am sure that it will prepare us for a very deep state playoff run."

Hayes moved to the Sandhills in 1985 from Greensboro. He has been married to his wife, Susan, for 22 years, and they have two children: Brian, a Union Pines junior and boys' soccer player, and 14-year-old daughter, Mallory.

He has coached in the Sandhills for 10 years now.

"I began as a recreation father/coach with Brian when he was 6 years old," the elder Hayes said.

Hayes holds a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) coaching license, which he has had for six years. Currently, he is a USSF state referee candidate, as well as a certified assignor of the Sandhills Youth Soccer League, where he is in charge of training and scheduling all referees in Moore County.

Hayes is also a USSF referee instructor candidate and has been an NCAA college soccer referee for five years and a high school referee for eight years. In 2006, he was selected to officiate for a girls' state championship match.

The 2008 Vike girls are already off to a solid start this pre-season. The team went 2-1 in scrimmage matches last weekend at the Mount Olive Jamboree held in Mount Olive.

The girls lost their first match 1-0 to Gray's Creek, because of a defensive mistake, only to rally by defeating Pinecrest 1-0 and then South View 1-0.

"We had a great showing at Mt. Olive College," said Hayes. "We are still working through a few positions but the team looked really strong."

The Vikes travel to South View High School this Saturday for the Kicking For Cancer Jamboree with three scrimmages slated versus Cape Fear, Hoke County and Ashley High from Wilmington.

"It should be another great day of soccer," Hayes said.