The new Grace Academy girls’ soccer coach, Gretchen Hammel, has one desire for her teams: Love the game.

The former Gretchen Cross was hired recently to take over the program where she starred before becoming the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s first women’s soccer signee.

“I just want my girls to love the game,” she said. “I’ve learned many life-changing things through soccer — hard work, discipline, pride, teamwork and sacrifice. I’ve learned a lot and want my girls to learn; hopefully I can pass some things on to them and hopefully make them stronger women.”

Hammel was part of Grace’s first team in 1991 — as an eighth-grader. She started at wing in the Lady Golden Eagles’ first game and was a five-year starter for them.

She was all-region her senior season and Grace’s first-ever Division I college signee. She made the Southern Conference all-tournament team as a UTC freshman, was a four-time SoCon All-Academic selection and served as Lady Mocs captain her junior and senior seasons. She left as UTC’s all-time top scorer and remains fourth in goals and fifth in points.

Hammel graduated in 2000 with a degree in nutrition. She had stints with the now-folded Women’s Soccer Association and with 180, a traveling team out of Knoxville, and was supposed to join the Boston Breakers of the Women’s Professional Soccer League before injuring her knee in October.

She has assistant coaching experience at Grace and UTC.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do,” she said of being a head coach. “I’ve had a few brief experiences over the years and just have a love for the game and a love for the girls and my relationships with them. I think God led me to do this. It’ll be challenging but fun, and you can’t get much better than that.”

Grace athletic director Les Compton, who was Hammel’s coach in high school, is pleased she has come back to coach at her alma mater.

“I’m excited, knowing that Gretchen already has a personal sense of investment that somebody else couldn’t bring to the table,” he said. “All of the championship teams were built on the foundation of what Gretchen’s teams accomplished. Her teams set the tone for what has been accomplished since then.

“It’s kind of like being a parent. I’m thrilled to see things come full circle.”