Coaches

VARSITY HEAD COACH

The 2026 season will mark Coach Griess’ thirteenth season as the Head Varsity Coach at Andover High School and her seventeenth season overall with the Huskies. Under her tutelage, her team has won its first-ever NWSC Conference Championship, participated in six Section Championship games, earned back-to-back Section 7AA Championship titles and State Tournament appearances ('16-'17), a Section 7AAA Championship title and State Tournament appearance in 2023 and won a 3rd place finish in State in both 2016 and 2023; the highest finishes of any Andover Girls' Soccer teams.  Coach Griess has also been named the Section 7AA Coach of the Year 4 years in a row ('16-'19) and was voted MN State High School Soccer Coaches Association (MSHSSCA) Class AA Coach of the Year in 2018.  After transitioning to three classes in Minnesota, Coach Griess was named Section 7AAA Coach of the year, MSHSSCA Class AAA Coach of the Year, and United Soccer Coaches State Coach of the Year for Minnesota large public schools in 2022.

Previously, Coach Griess spent four years as an Assistant Varsity Coach for the program and helped lead the team to back-to-back section championship games and their first- ever Section 7AA Championship and State Tournament appearance in 2013.

Prior to Andover, Griess spent 15 years coaching at various levels including Loras College of Iowa and Mid-Pacific Institute in Honolulu, HI. Coach Griess has also coached club teams in the North Metro and took her Arsenal FC team to back- to-back League Championships and State Tournament appearances. Griess currently holds a US Soccer D License, USSF National E License and Coerver Youth Diploma.

Griess played high school soccer in California and went on to play Division I soccer at The Colorado College where her team made two NCAA Final Four appearances. She continues to play soccer in coed and women's leagues. She also runs the Andover Community Center youth indoor soccer program and employs many of our current and former players who lovingly call them "The Littles".

Coach Griess is a math teacher at Andover High School and lives in Andover with her husband, Aaron, and has four kids Madison, McClain, Makena, and MacIntyre. 

If you would like to contact Coach Griess, please e-mail her at andovergirlssoccer@gmail.com

SEASON RECAP:

2025 was a challenging season where we took on the reining State Champs in the first two weeks.  Each day we learned and improved. We beat our long time rival, Centennial, mid-season and capped off our season with a win over crosstown rival Anoka for Senior Night! 

Overall it was a fun season where the ladies worked hard, fought, struggled, laughed, learned and overall made some lasting memories. We wish all the seniors the best as they venture off into the real world and we hope they come back to visit!

Addie Dobratz ('26), Payton McKnight ('26), and Macy Waks ('28) earned All-Conference honors and Abby Grant ('26), Cayla Nybakken ('26), Elliana Lange ('27), and Brooklyn Meyer ('28) were recognized with All-Conference Honorable Mention awards.

For the sixth year in a row the AGS program earned an MSHSSCA Academic Award. This year it was a silver plate for maintaining a GPA of 3.67; missing the gold cut off by just .08. Payton McKnight earned the MSHSSCA Academic Excellence Award for the second year in a row with the team's highest GPA of 4.19

This season we look forward to continuing to watch several of our players as they extend  their athletic careers at the collegiate level. Hopefully you can check out a game and cheer them on!

• Arayah Baker '23 - Bethany Lutheran College

• Addie Baumhauer '24 - Minnesota State University - Mankato

• Addie Dobratz '26 -  Minnesota State University - Mankato

• Alicia Hoffman '24 - Minnesota State University - Mankato

• Brenna Hudson '24 - Minnesota State University - Mankato

• Mack Jones  '25 - (hockey) - University of Wisconsin

• Ava Kowalchyk '25  -  Augustana University

• Cece Kostick '24 - Marian University

• Payton McKnight '26 - University of North Dakota

• Lydia Nordquist '24 - Northern State University

• Chloe Pallow '23 - University of Minnesota - Duluth

• Elizabeth Posner '26 - Indiana University Kokomo

• Elizabeth Schmidt '24 - University of Sioux Falls

• Dayna Stocke '24 - Bemidji State University

• Chloe Voss '23 - Northern State University

VARSITY ASSISTANT COACH

Pryce Sebambulidde returns to the Huskies in 2026 for his third season as a coach for Andover high school. Born and raised in Uganda, East Africa, Sebambulidde grew up playing football, inspired by his oldest brother Ronnie. Watching his two uncles, Jimmy Muguwa and Charles Jaggwe coach in the Uganda Super League and with the Uganda National team, Cranes, he became a student of the game and turned to coaching. 

2026 will mark Coach Sebambulidde's 11th year coaching both football and basketball. He has previously spent time coaching club with Great Rivers Soccer and Force Soccer Club and has high school experience with North St Paul, Park Center, and Osseo Senior high. He is currently coaching at BoReal FC. He is a NCAA BCS certified basketball coach and also holds his USA gold license.

When not coaching youth sports, Pryce is a recording musical artist by profession and records and performs internationally as Blaq Fuego. Coach Sebambulidde is a big advocate for women's sports around the world and will soon have a new football team in Uganda and Tanzania early next year. Pryce currently lives in Dayton with his wife Kathryn and daughter Izadora. 

Coach Sebambulidde can be reached at pryce1212@mail.com

"Above all things love is the answer. Nothing exists in the universe without love."

GOALKEEPER COACH

Alyson "Aly" Cole is returning for her third season as a goalkeeper coach with the Huskies in 2026. Aly grew up in Andover and is an AGS alumna (2018). Cole helped lead the Huskies to back-to-back State Tournament appearances ('16-'17) and a third place finish in State in 2016. Aly served as a co-captain her senior year for the Huskies. She played her entire club career with North Metro.

Cole continued her soccer career at North Dakota State University, where she tied the school's D1 era record for single game saves (15). She also received Summit League Defensive Player of the Week. While at NDSU, Cole served as a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Aly graduated from NDSU in 2022 with her Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Aly and her wife, Ellie, reside in Maple Grove. She works for an automation technology company in Maple Grove as a Mechanical Engineer.

Coach Cole can be reached at: alysoncole68@gmail.com

JUNIOR VARSITY HEAD COACH

Dan Cowan is entering his fourteenth year as a coach in the Andover High School Girls Soccer Program. Coach Cowan brings with him 31 years of coaching experience and an unmatched familiarity with soccer in the North Metro area.  He played youth soccer for Blaine and North Metro and high school soccer at Spring Lake Park.  Staying true to his roots, he later began coaching youth soccer in Blaine and with the North Metro Soccer Club.

Coach Cowan works at Andover High School and lives in Andover with his wife, Barb, and has three kids, Brandon, Mariah, and Hannah.  He also helps coach girls basketball and is the Head Girls Varsity Golf coach at Andover High School.  He has also spent 23 years as a volunteer firefighter in Andover.

Coach Cowan can be contacted at (612) 270-0922 or via e-mail at dancowan71@gmail.com

B SQUAD HEAD COACH

Sara Henrikson is entering her seventh year as a coach at Andover High School. Previously, Coach Henrikson was at St. Michael-Albertville High School for 7 years, where she taught Art and coached the 9A and JVII teams.  She was named the Section 8AA Assistant Coach of the Year (2019) and has coaching experience with Spring Lake Park High School (1 year) and Centennial High School (3 years). Coach Henrikson grew up in Blaine, and played for the Andover Invaders and Twin Cities Fire, and played high school soccer at Spring Lake Park. 

Coach Henrikson lives in Andover with her husband, Cal and her little boy, Auggie! She is also an Art Teacher at Andover High School.

Coach Henrikson can be contacted at sarajhitchcock@gmail.com

C SQUAD HEAD COACH

2026 will be Chris Johnston's sixth year as a coach for the Huskies. Previously, Coach Johnston was a head JV coach and assistant varsity coach in Fairmont, Minnesota for four seasons. Prior to that, he spent two years coaching the Fairmont middle school team. Coach Johnston has over 25 seasons of coaching experience.

Coach Johnston is an attorney and started coaching while in law school. He has continued to coach soccer ever since. He is excited to help the Andover soccer program again this year. Chris lives in Coon Rapids with his wife, Melissa, baby girl, Aurora, and their two puppies, Hamilton and Coral. 

Coach Chris can be contacted at (515) 441-9296 or via e-mail at chrisjohnstonpd@gmail.com