Penobscot Valley is extremely pleased to announce the hiring of their new Girl's Varsity Head Soccer Coach, Lana Cummings!
Coach Cummings has been a mainstay around the Lady Howler team over the past decade and a half. From 2011-2019 she was an assistant coach for Penobscot Valley, then filled the same role during the 2022-2025 seasons. The amount of success she has helped oversee during those years is unprecedented. In those 13 years, PVHS has an overall regular season record of 162-13-7! They have finished in the top 3 in Heal Points in 11 of those 13 years, with the other two years finishing in 4th and 5th respectively. She has been a part of 5 Northern Maine Championship teams and 3 Gold Ball teams.
During the 2019-2022 seasons, her primary soccer focus was on the school's middle school team and the chance to coach her daughter. Her first and third year during that stretch, she led the Lady Cougars to two League Championships, and didn't lose a single game. The middle season of 2020 saw the Fall junior high season canceled due to Covid, with no games taking place. Undeterred, Lana volunteered to run a co-ed intramural program for the middle school students that year...a move that no doubt had a lasting effect on the success of the programs moving forward, as the kids didn't have a complete "lost year". Most of those girls involved in her intramural program ended up becoming multi-year State Champions down the road!
Over the years Coach Cummings has done a great job of juggling her soccer and family life (husband Bruce and their four kids Lila, Blake, Bode, and Briggs). Former players can attest to this, as it was always common to have at least a few of her kids on the sidelines with her during all practices and games...even when they weren't even old enough to walk. Lana is a Science Teacher at PVHS, and also the 2026 Senior Class Advisor.
Having Lana take over will hopefully make this a smooth transition for the program. The players already know her as a coach and what she expects out of them, and Coach Cummings knows the returning player's strengths and personalities...a positive familiarity that can't be overstated! Please join me in congratulating Coach Lana Cummings on her new role, and wish her the best of luck with the Lady Howler Soccer Program!