Coaching Bios

Burlington Soccer Club

Staff Bios

Taylor Saxe – Executive Director

Taylor was named Burlington Soccer Club’s first Executive Director in May 2010. In this role, Taylor will be responsible for the day to day operations of the Club, along with working closely with the U10 Academy Director, Assistant Directors and Staff coaches to increase the overall experience of BSC players and members. In addition, Taylor will coach the U18 girl’s premier team and U13 girl’s classic team.

Saxe, a graduate of Elon University, played at Elon from 2003 – 2006. He started club soccer in Dallas, Texas, one of the soccer capitals in the country, learning from the best. After Elon, Taylor played professional for the Carolina Dynamo during the 2006 season in which he helped lead the team to a National Championship. Saxe then continued a professional career at the Charlotte Eagles the following summer as he was developing his coaching career. Taylor has been a 6 year coach within the club, with 2 state championships, 2 teams playing in the Premier division of NCYSA, and 8 players from one team going on to play in college. Taylor is also a coach in North Carolina Olympic Development Program (ODP) . Taylor currently holds a United States Soccer Federation “C” License.

Iannis Vlahos – Academy Director

BSC is very excited to have Giovanni Vlahos take over as the U10 Academy Director for 2011. Coach Vlahos has been coaching within the program for a year. He has coached at the collegiate level for many years and has decided to take a new path with a full time role in a youth club

Coach Vlahos was born in Athens, Greece but grew up in Livorno, Italy, a seaside town in the Tuscany region. He moved to the United States at the age of 15 and attended 71st Senior High School in Fayetteville, NC--where he was a three-time all state soccer player. Vlahos was a scholarship soccer player at Wingate University for two years. He then transferred to the University of North Carolina Wilmington where he graduated in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in communication studies.

Giovanni then played one seasons for a second division team in Corfu Greece. The next year, he played for Panachaiki F.C in Patras which plays in the Greek Second Division. Vlahos (pronounced vla-hose) then returned to The United States and settled in California. He first led the 5 junior varsity program at Mira Costa High School for two years before landing a head coach post at Laguna Beach High School. In two seasons with Laguna Beach, Vlahos’ team went to the Division 2 Southern California High School playoffs. He capped his high school coaching career by earning Pacific Coast League coach of the year honors.

In 2006 Giovanni he returned to Greece as an assistant coach for Ionikos Diavaton, a professional soccer team competing in the Macedonian Football Union. He returned to the U.S. in 2007 and relocated to South Carolina. Vlahos accepted the position of head men’s and women’s soccer coach at the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie. He coached there for one season before launching newly established soccer programs at USC Sumter. Vlahos holds a United States Soccer Federation Class A level coaching license.

Will Clayton – Assistant Director

Will comes to Burlington Soccer Club from Winston Salem Twin City Youth Soccer Association. Clayton played his college soccer at the ACC powerhouse of Wake Forest University. He won a National Championship at Wake Forest in 2007 and has been to 3 College Cups. He also has 2 ACC Championships on his extensive playing career. He is a Raleigh product that has enjoyed his time here in NC. Will has had great success with his club teams at TCYSA, and we look for him to bring an exceptional knowledge of the game to all of our players here at BSC. Will currently holds his Advanced National Diploma.

Taylor Johnson

Taylor has been coaching at Burlington Soccer Club for 4 years. He is a former 4 year letter winner for the UNCG men’s soccer team (2003-2007). During his time at UNCG, the team was ranked #1 in the country and was 3 time NCAA Tournament sweet 16 participants. Taylor is currently the Greensboro Day School head coach for the boy’s varsity soccer team, which won the NCISAA State Championship this past year. Taylor has been voted conference coach of the year twice and was the 2009 North Carolina state coach of the year. Taylor is a fantastic young coach that relates well with the players he coaches.

David Myers

David has been coaching at Burlington Soccer Club for the previous 7 years and has served as the President for several years as well. Myers is currently BSC’s head registrar. He is a former Elon University soccer player from 1991-1993, earning team MVP all three years, all conference all three years, all region for two years and culminating his career with being voted conference player of the

year and NCAA all-american (HM) in 1993. Prior to Elon, Myers learned the game growing up playing youth soccer in New Jersey, where he was a member of the New Jersey ODP team and a Region I pool player.

Shaun Abernathy

Shaun has been coaching at Burlington Soccer Club for 4 years. He is a former Greensboro College player (2000-2003), having played for current Elon head coach Darren Powell. While at Greensboro College, the team won the conference title and advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs each of the four years that Shaun was on the team. Prior to Greensboro College, Shaun was an All-Conference performer for East Burke High School. Shaun currently teaches and coaches the Western Guilford High School soccer teams. The girl’s team won a State Championship in 2005. Shaun is also the former head soccer coach at Kernersville Middle School. He has worked as a goalkeeper instructor for Burke Soccer Association, TCYSA, Jamestown Soccer Club and TASC. He currently holds a United States Soccer Federation “D” license.

Nikki Heilman

Nikki grew up in Leawood, Kansas where she played for the KC Comets and won 4 State Championships in club. She also won 3 state Championships at St. Aquinas High School during her time there. She played collegiate soccer at Elon University where a career ending injury pushed her on to the coaching level of her soccer career. This will be her 2^nd year with Burlington Soccer Club, after coaching a U12 Girls team with great success.

John Pardini

John will join the BSC Staff this year. He currently coaches at Western Alamance High School with an extensive playing and coaching background. During his collegiate experience at Fordham University John Pardini was a M.A.C. Herman Trophy Candidate during his senior year, while serving as Team Captain. He was selected to the First Team All-Atlantic 10 Conference in 2007 and 2008, while also being selected to the NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region in 2006, 2007, and 2008. During his tenure at Fordham, he was selected as Team MVP in 2006 and 2008. He also played for the Long Island Rough Riders, a PDL soccer team in New York in 2010, while coaching 4 youth teams in NY for the VOB Soccer Club.

Tara Raggett

Tara is currently the Graham Middle School girl’s soccer coach and former head coach at Chapel Hill High School, where she coached the team to a #3 national ranking during the 1994 season. Tara has also coached the boy’s and girl’s soccer teams at Orange High School, where she was a finalist for NC state girl’s coach of the year in 1997. Prior to coaching, Tara played collegiately at SUNY Stony Brook in New York, where during her time playing the program moved from Division III to Division I. Tara currently holds the United States Soccer Federation National Youth License.

Edward Khorovoz

Edward is joining the BSC for 2011. He moved to Burlington in 2004 and coached 2 BSC teams in 2005 and has been highly involved with soccer ever since. He has a very extensive playing career having been a part of Lokomotiv Football Club, Odessa Ukraine and also BLASCO football club. He has spent a lot of his career in the overseas world of soccer, which will help bring new and different soccer ideas to the community!