BUFFALO TWP — Brittni Grenninger’s life has revolved around soccer.

She was a standout player for the Karns City girls soccer team, leaving the school with 194 career goals.

She moved on to play four seasons at Division I St. Francis University.

Even during the time she spent living in Florida, she played in the Women’s Premiere Soccer League for the Florida Sol and also in one of the biggest adult leagues in the country.

In December, she moved back home to be closer to her family and went to work as a project manager at IDL Worldwide in East Butler.

She thought her days of living and breathing soccer were all but over.

Then she found out about the girls soccer coaching vacancy at Freeport and applied.

Wednesday night, she was approved as the girls soccer coach of the Yellowjackets.

“I’m really excited about coaching in the WPIAL,” Grenninger said.

Freeport is coming off a 10-8-1 overall record and a 9-4-1 section mark in 2013. The Yellowjackets finished third in the section and lost in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs.

Freeport hasn’t won a WPIAL playoff game since 2008 when it beat St. Joseph in a preliminary round match.

Grenninger, 25, replaces Maura Allen, who spent just one season as the Freeport coach.

The girls soccer program at the school has had a lot of coaching turnover in the past decade and Grenninger is hoping to end that revolving door.

“There’s definitely potential there,” Grenninger said. “Being so close to Butler and Pittsburgh, there are a lot of girls who play club. What they need is a coach who is going to stay, some stability.”

Grenninger is hoping to form a junior high program, something Freeport has lacked.

Grenninger is also hoping to play catch-up after being hired late in the offseason.

Fall sports begin in a little more than a month.

“I’m coming in a little late in the ballgame,” Grenninger said. “I need to get a sense of the players and what they can do, what our strengths are. We’re in a real competitive section with Mars, but I have 40 or some girls signed up. There is a pool of talent there. We have seven seniors coming back, which is beneficial, especially with a new coach.”

Grenninger doesn’t have to look far for coaching advice. Her father, Jim, is the head boys soccer coach at Karns City.

Brittni Grenninger also has some coaching experience. She was an assistant coach for the 10- and 11-and-Under Northern Crew Soccer Club teams in 2009 and also helped coach the Karns City boys team in 2010.

Grenninger believes she can relate to her players because of her age and her active soccer career.

“I’ve been there before, on multiple levels,” Grenninger said. “I’ve been in every conceivable situation, and I think I will be able to connect with them. Plus, being a young woman helps. I think there is a definite element to that.”