By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE — After leading his team to the most successful season — by far — in the history of Riverside’s girls soccer program, Rebels’ coach Stephen Millet resigned from his post Wednesday and has accepted the position of boys soccer coach at Country Day.

“I’ve been offered jobs in the past that I’ve declined, because I’ve always been really happy at Riverside. And that never changed,” said Millet. “But I always knew, in the back of my mind, there was one perfect scenario out there that I wouldn’t be able to pass up.”

That was the Country Day, the school Millet graduated from after a standout soccer career that saw him earn All-State honors three times.

“It’s going home, so to speak,” said Millet. “It was the one job that was a no-brainer for me.”

Millet coached the Country Day boys as an assistant and as a head coach respectively for two years, at ages 21 and 22 respectively.

Millet said with just a year left toward earning a physical education degree, the timing worked out; Millet will also be accepting a position as a full-time teacher at the school.

At Riverside, Millet built the soccer program up after taking over the boys and girls programs in 2008. He held both positions until 2012 before current boys head coach Andrew Wright took over that side of the program this past season.

Under his guidance, the Riverside girls reached unprecedented success.

The Lady Rebels had never posted a winning season or even won a district game prior to his arrival. In 2010, Riverside posted its first district win and first win ever over local rival St. Charles Catholic; in 2011, Riverside won its first ever district championship, going 3-1 in District 9-III.

Following that was the Rebels’ first playoff win. That came over St. Charles on Riverside’s home field.

Millet said the very difficult part of the decision was breaking the news to his team.

“There is a terrible taste in my mouth because I’m leaving a group of juniors that I’ve had since the eighth grade,” he said. “It’s really difficult for me and I’m still struggling with it. We really had a good thing and I feel like I let them down.

“These are my girls and I’m their coach. They love me and I love them, and that’s what makes this very hard. I expect them to have a great season next year, and they know that I expect it out of them.”�