Kelly leaves lasting legacy after 28 years guiding Goshen soccer

Goshen boys’ soccer coach Mike Kelly continued a winning tradition over 28 years, earning 394 wins, 15 Section 9 championships, and 19 OCIAA divisional titles. However, as Kelly prepares to retire, he said the relationships he has built with his players mean the most to him. Over nearly three decades, Kelly has proudly watched his players grow into men, start families, and build lives of their own, while keeping in touch. That affection is mutual. “We all knew that this moment was coming, but I wanted Coach Kelly to stick around long enough to coach my boys,” said John Dombrowski, who played on Kelly’s first team as a freshman in 1999. “He is just a legend, and he has a connection with everyone. It will be weird not having him around, and it is kind of sad that he is retiring. But these things happen, and I am just grateful that I had Coach Kelly in my life.” Kelly, 58, who will retire as a Goshen High School social studies teacher in June, is just the fourth coach in 50 years of the s