Maiden soccer coach steps down

Dennis Ly has stepped down as the head coach of Maiden High School’s boys and girls soccer teams.

Ly, a 1992 Maiden graduate, said he made the move because of “personal reasons.”

“It was in the best interest of the kids that I chose a different profession,” Ly said in a phone conversation Thursday.

Butch Parker, Maiden's assistant athletic director, called the move a “personnel decision.” Parker confirmed Ly is no longer employed by the school system.

Ly also served as Maiden's head JV boys basketball coach and as an in-school suspension coordinator.

He coached the Maiden soccer programs for three years. The boys program saw steady improvement, going from 2-14 his first season in 2009 to 3-5-1 so far this season.

His largest improvement came with the girls’ team, which went from 0-18 his first year to 11-10-1 last season.

Ly’s overall soccer coaching record at Maiden was 24-74-5.

In the interim, Tye Ardrey and Mike Oliver are handling the coaching duties for the boys soccer program, which is currently 3-7-1 overall and 2-4-0 in CVAC play.

Parker said that a search has started for a girls soccer coach for the upcoming spring season.

Neither Maiden Principal Dwayne Finger nor Catawba County Schools Superintendent Glenn Barger could be reached for this story.