OUR STAFF

SHELLEY BLUMENTHAL

Head Coach, Varsity

The 2024 season is Coach B's 31st as head coach at Blacksburg High School. He is a retired school counselor and is married to the former Jan Shuler, retired choral director at Blacksburg High School. Outside of Blacksburg soccer coaching, Coach B spent 3 seasons as an assistant coach with the Roanoke College Women's program, is currently a seasonal assistant coach with Roanoke College Men's team, was assistant and goalkeepers coach for the 1995 Roanoke Riverdawgs USL Pro team, and led the Virginia Tech Women's Club team to a third place finish nationally. He holds a B.A. and M.Ed. from the University of Lynchburg and a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech. Coach B's coaching licenses include the Advanced National, National and Level I and II Goalkeeping from United Soccer Coaches.

Coach B played collegiate soccer as a goalkeeper for legendary coach and his mentor Bill Shellenberger at Lynchburg from 1975-1978. These teams reached three NCAA Tournament rounds of 16, won four conference championships, the Virginia State Championship, and the Virginia Collegiate Athletic Association Championship. As a player, Coach B was All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) twice, ODAC Player of the Year, All-State and All-South. During Coach B's senior season (1978) at Lynchburg College, he was voted as Team Captain and the Team MVP. Coach B was inducted into the Lynchburg Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Virginia High School Hall of Fame in 2008. More recently, his 1976 team was recognized by the Lynchburg Sports Hall of Fame as a Team of Distinction and Coach B was selected to the All-Decade team of the 1970's

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ERIK OLSON

Assistant Coach, Varsity

A 2006 graduate of Blacksburg High School, Coach Olson is entering his 14th year with the Blacksburg High School boys soccer program. Throughout his childhood in Southwest Virginia, Coach Olson played club soccer for New River United as well as Roanoke Star and participated in the Olympic Development Program (ODP). As a junior at Blacksburg High School, he was a member of the 2005 state championship team and received Honorable Mention All-District for his performances on the pitch as a senior (State runner-up team). Coach Olson played collegiate soccer from 2006-2009 at Emory & Henry College, where, as a Junior, he was voted Team Captain and was again voted Team Captain and MVP as a Senior. He also was recognized as an All-ODAC Honorable Mention (2009) and a member of the Academic All-Conference team (2009). He also received his Masters Degree in Geography from Virginia Tech.

In addition to his time at Blacksburg High School, Coach Olson is currently a coach with Virginia Untied FC. Prior to moving back to Blacksburg, Coach Olson spent time as the junior varsity Head Coach with Abingdon High School in Abingdon, VA and has coached with Southwest Star (a former Roanoke Star satellite team). Coach Olson holds the National D USSF License.

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Kasey Monaghan

Head Coach, Junior Varsity

Coach Monaghan has a BS in Chemistry and played collegiate soccer at UNC Chapel Hill and Campbell University, where she won two ACC and NCAA championships. She is in Garner Senior High School's Hall of Fame and CASL's Hall of Fame (her youth club team). Coach Monaghan has worked with boys and girls at all levels, from recreation to collegiate (Virginia Tech) and also in the Olympic Development Program (ODP) for the states of North Carolina, New Jersey and Virginia. She holds her Regional NSCAA and National C USSF licenses and most recently served as an assistant coach for the Blacksburg High School girls soccer program for the previous 5 years.

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Travis Eschenmann

Director of Operations, Volunteer Assistant Coach, Varsity

Coach Eschenmann is in his second season with the BHS Boys Soccer Program. Prior to 2023, Coach Eschenmann was the head coach for the BHS Varsity Girls Soccer program for 14 seasons where he accumulated a record of 248-40-11 (85% win percentage). In 2014, Coach Eschenmann was awarded the "Virginia Coach of the Year - Small Public School" by the NSCAA. In 2015, he was named the "East Region Coach of the Year" for TopDrawer Soccer's All-Region Team covering all High Schools in the states of Virginia and Delaware. In 2016, Coach Eschenmann was awarded the "Virginia Coach of the Year - Small Public School" by the NSCAA for the second time. Coach Eschenmann guided the Girls Varsity program to 11 VHSL State Tournament appearances, 10 Final Four appearances and recorded the programs first 3 State Championships.

Coach Eschenmann has been named the River Ridge District Coach of the Year (2010, 2011, 2012 and co-COY in 2013, 2018), Conference 32 Coach of the Year (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017), Region IV Coach of the Year (2011 and 2012), Region 3A West Coach of the Year (2014, 2015, 2016), Region 4D Coach of the Year (2022), and All-Timesland Coach of the Year (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016). He was also selected to coach in the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 VSCHA All-Star games. In 2018, Coach Eschenmann helped launch the inaugural Virginia Soccer Coaches Association (VSCA) Senior Showcase.

Coach Eschenmann has served as a past President and current member of the Board of Directors for New River United, a member of the women's soccer committee of the VHSCA Legislative Council, Executive Committee for the VSCA and a former VHSCA 3A All-State Classification Chair for Girls Soccer. Coach Eschenmann's club coaching experience includes various age groups such as the 2004 Boys, U-18 and U-13 Girls teams for the New River United Soccer Association. He has also served as the Head Coach for the NRU U9 and U10 Boys Academy. In addition to his coaching experience, Coach Eschenmann has spent six years as a certified referee for the VHSL, USSF and PIAA. As a referee, Travis has officiated, rec, club, high school and semi-professional games. Coach Eschenmann holds a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in Curriculum and Instruction.

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GREGORY TROMOTER

Volunteer Assistant Coach, Junior Varsity

Coach Trom is entering his 10th year as a Volunteer Assistant Coach with the Blacksburg High School boys soccer program. Coach has held various roles within his position as an assistant coach but most recently has been primarily involved with the Junior Varsity team.

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GEINDA SMITH

Volunteer Assistant Coach, Varsity

Coach Smith is entering his 1st year as a Volunteer Assistant Coach with the Blacksburg High School boys soccer program and will be primarily involved with the Varsity team. Coach Smith is an alumni of Blacksburg High School where he was a four year starter on the Boys Varsity Team and has one of the most distinguished careers in the programs history. During his career. he was selected as First Team All-District (2011; 2012), First Team All-Region IV (2011); Second Team All Region IV (2012); Second Team All State (2011); First Team All-State (2013); and was a First Team High School All-American in 2013. Coach Geinda was also a member of the Virginia State ODP Team from 2008-2011 and the Region I ODP Team from 2010 - 2011

Post high school career, Coach Geinda played collegiately at DI Colgate University in Hamilton, NY and later transferred and played at Division III Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA

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