A little more than a week prior to the United Women’s Soccer season, Flower City 1872 has a new coach.

Adam Schwartz, who guided the Rochester Lady Lancers to a share of the Northeast Division crown last year, stepped down “due to unforeseen circumstances” according to the club.

Rochester, N.Y. area resident Diana Groth, who has international experience as a player and coach, was named the new coach on Wednesday.

Groth is as an assistant coach for the Nazareth College women’s soccer team.

A native of Berlin, Germany, Groth played professionally for five years there and coached youth teams for seven years before moving to the United States. She has worked at several camps and clinics in the Rochester area and is a coach in the Olympic Development Program.

Groth has UEFA-B and USSF-B coaching licenses. She resides in Greece, N.Y.

Flower City 1872 kicks off its season, hosting FC Buffalo in its UWS home opener on Saturday, May 20.

 

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.