New Whitefish Soccer Coach Hopes to Build on Championship Success
Kelly Ordway takes over as head coach of the defending Class A state champions
By Micah Drew
There’s a lot of stress that comes with taking over as a new head coach of an athletic program. There’s even more stress when that program is coming off a championship.
“There’s pressure, sure, on me and on the team, but we can take that pressure and channel it into a high work ethic and success of play,” Whitefish High School girls soccer coach Kelly Ordway said at the start of the season. “Really, this season I’m just focusing on what assets we have this year and what we can do this season. I don’t need to replicate what we did last season, although obviously that’s always the goal.”
Ordway replaced Roland Benedict, who stepped down after a nine-season tenure that culminated with back-to-back appearances in the Class A state final and a championship trophy last year, the program’s first since 2006.
“These players continue to have the champion mentality that Roland carried forward year after year,” Ordway said. “I respect and honor all that’s led to this point, and I want to continue that legacy with my own ideas.”
Ordway began playing soccer at a young age growing up in Arizona. When she was 13, her club team traveled to Scandinavia and went undefeated in 19 games over three weeks. Later in high school, she was on a nationally ranked U19 club team and went on to play collegiately at Pepperdine University, a Division 1 program.
After playing in a women’s league for a few years, Ordway let soccer “out of my life” for nearly a decade. Then her her own kids began playing and she decided to start coaching. She moved from rec youth teams to club teams and spent the last two years coaching regional teams with Glacier Surf Soccer Club. After Benedict announced his departure, several parents of Bulldogs players reached out, asking her to apply for the job.
Since moving to Whitefish after college, the Ordways has had a strong connection to the Bulldogs soccer teams. Her husband played on the first ever boys team in 1992, and at least five family members have played for the Bulldogs over the years.
“We’ve been continuous fans, even where there’s been a rotation without any family members on the teams,” Ordway said. “This was such a great opportunity when it came up.”
Aiding in the transition between coaches is a strong cadre of upper classmen on the Whitefish roster who anchor team’s starting lineup and close-knit culture.
“The seniors provided a really nice foundation during the change, it’s really been cohesive,” Ordway said. “My coaching philosophy puts connection before correction, so meeting with the seniors right away and establishing relationships with them was important to do as soon as I was hired. I want to know what inspires this team, what challenges they see and how we can highlight their strengths.”
Among the 10 seniors on the roster are Delaney Smith and Sadie Olsen, who have combined for seven of the Bulldogs’ 10 goals in their first three games this year.
One of the biggest losses for the Whitefish squad was the graduation of standout keeper Norah Schmidt. However, there are five goalkeepers between the varsity and junior varsity squad, including senior Madi Stanwood and junior Jaqueline Solem.
“It’s a huge gift to have lots of great strength in our keepers,” Ordway said. “Across the board these players have a high level of soccer IQ, a great awareness of who’s around them and good speed of play. My job is to figure out how we can work these great individuals to be even greater together.”
Joining Ordway on the coaching staff this year is assistant coach Cooper Culver and volunteer goalkeeping coach Micah Busey.
“There’s a huge amount of gratitude to those who have given their hearts to the program and brought it up to this point,” Ordway said. “It’s a huge commitment from the players, coaching staff and parents over the years and all those pieces have been so strong up to this point. Our goal is to do what we can to make them even stronger.”
The Bulldogs have started the season with a 2-1 record. Whitefish opens conference play on Sept. 10 against Bigfork (3-0).