Joe Comparato, the coach who’s been in charge of the Lawrence High School girls soccer program for three years, will soon be leading the boys program as well.

Lawrence High announced Comparato’s new responsibilities in a statement on Wednesday morning. He’ll be taking over the program from coach Brandon Daley, who is stepping away after two years as head coach but will still teach at LHS.

“Joe has a tremendous rapport with our student-athletes in our girls soccer program,” LHS athletic director Mike Gillman said in the statement. “Joe will be able to step right in and continue to build on the success of our boys soccer program.”

Both of Lawrence’s soccer programs have been rebuilding over the past few years, and the boys finished the past season 5-11-1 and lost the last seven matches of the season. Since the 2020 season, when LHS finished 9-9, the Lions have won just 11 matches.

Comparato, who is a member of the Kaw Valley and Kansas Premier Soccer League boards and has 15 years of experience in various roles in Lawrence’s soccer community, said he was up for the challenge of another rebuilding project.

“It seems like the right thing at the right time for me,” Comparato said. “I’m at the point where I can devote that kind of stability to the program, and I’m anxious to get started.”

Comparato is expected to meet with new and returning players for a meeting on May 3 at LHS. The LHS girls are currently 0-10 and will search for their first win at Shawnee Mission West on Thursday.