Kristy Kane experienced a double dose of heartbreak.
The first jolt was the cancellation of the spring sports season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The unprecedented ending deprived Kane the necessary grace she desired in saying goodbye to her girls soccer players at Aurora Central Catholic.
“I am not getting to leave in the way I pictured it,” Kane said. “I thought I’d have one last year of coaching and then I would get to tell people face-to- face about this new opportunity.”
In June, Kane will become the new principal at St. Laurence, the historically all-boys school that introduced its first coeducational class for the 2017-18 academic year following the closure of Queen of Peace.
She’s only the third lay principal and first woman to hold the position at the Catholic school founded in Burbank in 1961.
Kane leaves behind a superb eight-year coaching career at Aurora high schools.
She went 34-10-2 in two years and captured consecutive regional championships at Rosary in 2012 and 2013.
After earning her master’s degree in instructional leadership at Loyola University, Kane became the assistant principal and dean of instruction at Aurora Central Catholic.
Her teams with the Chargers won sectional championships in 2015 and 2018. She went 69-46-8 in six years and also won three regional titles.
Kane posted a career record of 103-56-10.
“This has been very bittersweet,” Kane said. “Amy Flores, a senior midfielder, missed her whole junior year with an injury. I was so excited to have her coming back. Now, she is going to miss her senior year. My heart just hurts for her.”
Kane’s departure only intensified the personal anguish for many players, according to junior midfielder Alexa Orozco.
“Coach Kane has always been more than just a coach for us,” Orozco said. “She has always inspired us and motivated us to be the best version of ourselves.
“Although I am sad she will not be coaching my senior year, I am really happy for her.”
Soccer has been a central part of Kane’s identity. She was a midfielder at Benet and studied English at the University of Illinois, where she participated in intramural leagues.
“I started playing soccer as a kid,” she said. “I realized at a very early age it was important to bring to my coaching, in addition to being competitive and having success — I always wanted my players to have fun and have some balance.”
Her passion for coaching, Catholic education and building a strong academic curriculum were underscored by the 100-mile commute she made to ACC from the southwest Chicago neighborhood of Mount Greenwood.
Her husband Joe is a Chicago police sergeant required to live in the city. Kane also previously taught and coached at Mount Assisi.
She was selected for her new job at St. Laurence from a field of 24 finalists.
Giving up coaching is not going to be easy.
“I have really enjoyed coaching these young women,” Kane said. “You have those games where you are on this peak because you have played well, then there is a valley after you lose, but they come back the next day and work so hard.
“They make me laugh. I am going to miss them.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.