NATCHEZ — Cathedral School hired one of its own to coach the girls’ soccer team this season.

Former player Kate Ellard will take over for the Lady Green Wave as the new head coach.

“I went to high school (at Cathedral), played soccer there, and I love Cathedral,” Ellard said. “It’s family, it’s comfortable, and it’s my first year teaching and coaching, and I feel like I have support.”

Ellard, who was hired in June, played at Cathedral from 2004 to 2006 under former girls’ coach David Gaudé.

The Cathedral position will be Ellard’s first coaching job, but she said having the help of coaches like new boys’ head coach Dennis Hogue and local youth soccer director Donovan Silva will help ease the growing pains.

“(Having Hogue and Silva around) is comforting with this being my first go-round,” Ellard said. “I don’t really know what to expect and I know I’ve got good help with Dennis and Donovan.”

Ellard said Gaudé would also be around to help out when needed.

“Coach David hasn’t dropped out, he’ll be around to help me a little,” she said.

Ellard said having those coaches around would help advance her knowledge of the game, as well as knowledge of her players.

“I’m hoping to learn a lot too,” she said. “Dennis and Donovan have heads full of awesome soccer knowledge. I’m hoping to pick their brains, and learn from them as well as learn from the girls and just kind of grow as a coach, a teacher and a person.”

Ellard said she will be teaching seventh- and eighth-grade grammar at Cathedral. She will also be taking online classes with the University of Louisiana at Monroe and working at the St. Catherine Creek Wildlife Refuge as a teacher.

She said managing her full plate will be tough, but she will be able to handle it.

“It’s stressful, but I’m the kind of person that can’t just sit around and do nothing,” she said.

Ellard received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Mississippi State University in May 2010.

She started her college career at Delta State University, where she played soccer. After one season, she transferred to Mississippi State to focus on her degree, she said.

Ellard said she is looking forward to both coaching and teaching, and she hopes to be able to excel in both at Cathedral.

“I’m kind of charting new waters, I don’t know what to expect,” she said. “I love teaching and I love Cathedral.

“I don’t see why I would not coach, and I plan on staying there for a while. My main focus is the students.”

Ellard said the girls’ program at Cathedral has improved a lot since she was there, and she is impressed with the amount of volunteer help the team receives from people like Silva.

She said she has seen the current crop of Cathedral players play some, but she has great familiarity with one senior on the roster.

“I’m excited because I know the seniors this year, and my little sister, Marty Ellard, is a senior this year,” she said.

“My goal is to win district,” she said. “But I really want to get the girls in good shape, because you can’t really play good soccer without being in shape.”

She said she hopes to get her players together later this summer for conditioning workouts to start preparing for the winter soccer season.