First year head coach Sally Hart (right gray shirt) oversees Washington sophomore Anthony Torres (right black shirt) during a drill at Monday’s practice. Junior Kyle Anderson (orange jersey), freshman Logan Escher, and sophomore Brennan Murphy watch from the far side of the field. Photo by KCII Sport’s Nate Gonner.

It’s commonplace to see a male coaching a girls’ sport, but rarely do you see the shoe on the other foot. This spring, KCII News Director Sally Hart makes her head coaching debut as the leader of the Washington boys’ soccer team.

Hart’s a guest on this week’s PM Sports Page, and says she’s been given a great opportunity to coach the Demon boys’ soccer team. Hart states one of the challenges she expects to face during the season is being underestimated by opposing schools. However, her credentials in the sport are wide ranging. She played the sport in high school, and collegiately at Division III Monmouth College from 2006 to 2007. Hart also held her referee’s license, and was an assistant last season under then head coach Steven Caulk.

Hart joins a select few females in the state of Iowa who are coaching a boys’ varsity sport during this school year. According to Bud Legg, information director with the Iowa High School Athletic Association, he knows of only two other women in Iowa who’ve held a varsity head coaching position in a boys’ sport during the current school year. They include Dina Keahna, who served as the head boys’ basketball coach at Meskwaki Settlement School and Sandy Sabelka, who coached the boys and girls cross country teams at Denver Community Schools.

While it’s uncommon, Hart isn’t the first female hired to coach a boys’ sport at Washington Community Schools. Bryce Smeins, the outgoing Athletic Director of Washington Community Schools, says prior to Hart there was one other female tabbed as a head coach of a boys’ varsity team during his tenure. Smeins said the school hired Hannah Wright to coach the Washington boys’ soccer team during the 2012 season. Wright lasted one season as head coach, going winless in nine games.

Hart and the Washington Demon boys’ soccer team kicks their season off on April 5th, traveling to Louisa County for a non-conference game against the Columbus Wildcats. Hear the interview with Hart on the PM Sports Page, debuting tonight at 6 p.m. on KCII and KCIIRadio.com.