Kaylyn Toyama takes the ball as a coach

With over 10 years of coaching experience, new head coach Kaylyn Toyama took the helm of the varsity girls soccer team this season, looking to build on the foundations laid by previous head coach Michael Flynn.

Toyama grew up in Sacramento and played for varsity at Cosumnes Oaks High, Cosumnes River College and San Francisco State University, where she graduated in 2015.

“I had a desire to start coaching after college,” Toyama said. “I played club my whole life and then went to [San Francisco] State and … [I] just wanted to stay in the soccer world.”

After serving as a youth soccer summer camp counselor at SF University, Toyama’s first coaching role came at SF Glens, formerly SF Glens Evolution, where she was head coach of various youth teams. From there, she operated around the Bay Area, coaching at Peninsula Youth Soccer Club and Crystal Springs Uplands School before being appointed as assistant varsity coach at Academy of Art University in 2019.

With plenty of experience coaching in the Bay Area, Toyama joined Aragon looking for a new challenge at a higher level, simultaneously reuniting with some players she had previously coached.

“I’ve personally wanted to coach in this area for a long time … I wanted to go to the next level and … have a head coaching position,” Toyama said. “I coached a lot of [Aragon] players when I was younger, so I haven’t seen them for a long time. Coming to Aragon, seeing these players and how they’ve developed, it’s just been unreal to see the young women that they’ve grown into.”

Toyama ingrains a strong team player mindset into every team she coaches and prioritizes dedication and teamwork as core concepts of her coaching ideology. She proactively works towards a more uplifting, supportive environment whilst holding players accountable for their effort and engagement.

“I like her dedication to the team and how she’s always valuing our time, and how she wants the best for us — it’s really encouraging,” said senior Victoria Chen. “[She] … makes sure we do our best … every day, that we show up [and] we’re putting in all our effort.”

Coming to Aragon, Toyama implemented a new set of principles in playing that focused on honor and putting the team first.

“At … Aragon, we came up with three core values: unity, passion and pride … and that’s something that we wanted to focus on throughout the season as [part of our identity],” Toyama said. “For me, the biggest thing is [staying committed to] those core values and keeping [them] at the forefront of how we’re training and … developing as a group.”

Aside from soccer, Toyama aims to take advantage of her position as head coach, to promote important values that can help players become better equipped not just in sports, but also for life as a whole.

“Dedication, commitment and respect, those are the three biggest [virtues in players], at least for me as a coach,” Toyama said. “I try to implement those values [because they] are important in everyday life, not just soccer, and I think any player can benefit from holding true to them. This is just a small part of their life right now … but if I can help them learn a thing or two that they can take with them throughout their life, then I’ll feel like I’ve done my job.”

While Toyama’s coaching philosophy revolves around dedication and teamwork, she believes the most fulfilling aspect of her job lies in watching the players’ growth. As a former player herself, her passion for coaching stems from this concept of mentoring and nurturing players, giving them opportunities to play to their best ability and just enjoying the beautiful game.

“When you really take a step back and reflect after a season and [think about] how far your team has come, or you see a player who maybe wasn’t the best at the beginning of the season, but they’ve improved in certain areas … that’s the most fulfilling [aspect] of coaching for me,” said Toyama. “That [applies] at any level — the U-11s that I’m coaching or the college team at Skyline. It’s just seeing the improvement from the players that I coach, that’s the most rewarding.”