January is already rush-hour busy for Katie Schoepfer.

Schoepfer, a Waterford High School graduate hired as the U.S. Under-15 Girls' National Team soccer head coach in November, is in the process of familiarizing herself with her new job and moving from Massachusetts to Chicago.

"I'm kind of in limbo right now," Schoepfer said of her living situation during a phone conversation on Wednesday. "I'm still in the process of getting out there and moving and all that."

Her new position is the next step in her impressive journey from youth player in Waterford, to All-American high school and standout college player at Penn State, to a successful career in the youth and collegiate coaching ranks.

Soccer continues to be a driving force in her life.

"I can't complain," Schoepfer said. "I've had some really good role models and really good people who've helped guide me in the right direction and teach me a lot of things. It's me just chasing dreams and trying to make those people who really had a big impact on my life, make them proud, trying to keep my name relevant in the soccer world as long as I can."

Schoepfer, 33, has accomplished some of her dreams, including rising through the coaching ranks to an elite national team level.

Her intensive background with the national team, first as a player in the U.S. Youth National Team pool from U17 to U23 and then as an assistant coach with the U16, U17 and U20 national teams, made her a strong candidate for a head coaching position. She also played professionally with the Boston Breakers.

She passed the lengthy interview process with flying colors.

"I thought I had a good shot because I had the inside knowledge of how a camp runs and the expectations of what you're supposed to do just because I've been able to learn from so many great coaches," Schoepfer said.

"Any time there is an opening with U.S. Soccer, you know they're going to be looking for the best of the best and they want high standards and high-quality coaches. My goal in that arena was to put myself out there as best I could and really present who I am. It's going to be an amazing opportunity for me to learn."

She's looking forward to working with the U15 age group, which is sort of the ground floor of the national program.

It's a "cool level," Schoepfer says, because of the positive influence a coach can have on young players and all the things you can teach them about playing for the national team, both on and off the field.

"What we need to teach them is the style of play and the lingo and the expectations and the culture," Schoepfer said. "With the 15s, you're really setting the base for the launching pad of their career."

She says she still has a lot to learn.

Since being hired, she's been researching her age group pool. She's watched videos and talked to coaches and the staff's talent evaluators.

Schoepfer will see her players for the first time at camp later this month in southern California. The U15 team also will assemble for another camp in March. Then, in the first week in August, they'll compete in the CONCACAF championship at a site to be determined.

"It's going to be awesome," Schoepfer said of the CONCACAF. "For a lot of those girls, it will be their first time playing in an international game."

The goal for the U15 age level is different from older groups.

Success is also measured differently.

It's not about starring on the U15 level. It's about developing players that will eventually play for the national team in the World Cup or Olympics.

"At the youngest age group, it's more about spreading your net as wide as you can and trying to identify kids and see the special qualities that they have and really expose as many talented players to our style of play and our philosophy and see who takes it and runs with it.

"... It's cool to be able to be a part of the U15 national team, but the ultimate goal for me to see success is to see as many kids as you can go through our system because that means we're recognizing the right talent and seeing the kids that are going to succeed and excel and getting them up to the full national team."

Schoepfer never set out to be national team coach when entering the profession. Her journey just took her down this path. She embraced every opportunity along the way.

Now one of her goals is to have the same impact on her U15 players as her soccer coaches had on her.

"I've had some real impactful coaches in my life and people who helped me become a better version of myself, challenged me and pushed me but still supported me," she said. "My goal is to give back to as many people as possible and create an environment where soccer is the vehicle that I use to teach life lessons and help these girls understand that there's going to be a lot of things that you're going to go through, but you can weather that storm.

"At the end of the day, I would hope the goal for most female coaches is to help create young, strong, confident females that are able to carry themselves into the world. We need more of it, especially in sports where it's male-dominated industry, especially on the coaching side."

g.keefe@theday.com