USL Academy Strength & Goalkeeper Coaches Announced
Lancaster, PA – Lancaster Inferno FC is excited to announce two new additions to the coaching staff of their USL Academy team, set to debut this fall. Chris Weibel joins the staff as the Strength & Conditioning Coach and Kayleigh (Hershey) Snyder as the Goalkeeper Coach. They will join Head Coach Wendell Hannaford to provide additional specialized training to the U19 Girls USL Academy team. Read more about how Lancaster Inferno is providing a new opportunity for elite players in the region.
“Our academy players will benefit from the additional training sessions that both Chris and Kayleigh will provide to the players during the season,” said President/GM Francisco Cleaves. “One of the benefits for all of our players is that our specialized staff can provide more individual attention because they aren’t spread thin throughout the club.”
Inferno’s Director of Performance, Chris Weibel, has been serving as the Strength and Conditioning coach of Lancaster Inferno’s women’s teams since 2014. He has a bachelor’s degree in Physical Fitness from Houghton College, and over 10 years of experience training elite high school, college, and professional athletes. Chris will be providing feedback to the USL Academy players allowing them to improve in the areas needed in order to reach peak performance. With a focus on injury prevention specific to women, Chris will offer appropriate recovery and performance training to keep players healthy and confident in their athletic abilities.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with our USL Academy players and not only train them, but educate them, so they can further their athletic careers,” said Strength & Conditioning Coach Chris Weibel.
Kayleigh (Hershey) Snyder has been on Inferno’s youth coaching staff as their Goalkeeper Coach since the launch of their year round girls travel soccer club in 2022. Kayleigh will offer specialized goalkeeper training for the USL Academy team. A native of Lancaster County, Kayleigh was a standout goalkeeper that helped Donegal High School’s Varsity Soccer Team win back to back State Championships (2009-2010) and become District Finalists. Kayleigh is currently the Goalkeeper Coach for Penn Manor High School Girls Soccer. Kayleigh has a Bachelor of Arts in Sustainable Agriculture and Youth Ministry from Messiah College.
Lancaster Inferno will be holding two tryouts for players ages U15-U19 (2010-2006 birth years) to identify local talent for its U19 Academy team. The tryouts will be held on Friday, March 8th from 6:30 PM-8:00 PM and Thursday, March 28th from 6:00-7:30 PM at Manheim Township Athletic Complex (Weaver Fields).
Check out the club’s USL Academy FAQs page for more information.
About Lancaster Inferno
Founded in 2008, Lancaster Inferno fields a women’s pre-professional soccer team that competes in the USL W League. The First Team roster is composed of players who want to pursue their professional aspirations and features current/post college players and former professionals.
Headquartered in Rock Lititz (Lititz, PA) the Inferno is committed to providing a complete pathway from youth soccer to pre-professional. In addition to the pre-professional team, Inferno fields U20/U23 women’s teams during the summer months, and youth travel teams from the U9-U19 age groups year-round (Lancaster Inferno FC). Lancaster Inferno FC is the only all-girls travel soccer club in Pennsylvania that provides a player pathway from youth to pre-professional.
About the United Soccer League (USL)
The United Soccer League (USL) is the heartbeat of American soccer. Impacting more than 200 communities across the United States, the USL is the first and only soccer organization in the United States to build a youth-to-professional pathway for both men and women within one ecosystem. That structure includes three professional leagues: USL Super League (women), USL Championship (men), and USL League One (men); two pre-professional leagues: USL League Two (men) and the USL W League (women); and two youth platforms: USL Academy and USL Youth.
