James Lofton joined the Ferrum athletic staff as Head Women's Soccer Coach in the summer of 2014. Lofton has built the Panthers into a playoff contender in the USA South Athletic Conference. Stepping into a win-loss record averaging .370, Lofton coached his players to overall winning records of 11-8-0 (.578) and 11-7-2 (.600) in his second and third years on the job (2015 and 2016) – achieving two of the three best finishes for the Panthers since 1998. It’s just the second time the Panthers have had back-to-back winning seasons in the last 18 years.
Recognition for Panther players are beginning to stack up. Under Lofton, the Panthers have seen their first-ever Academic All-American (Morgan Funck in 2015, who also received the President’s Cup as Ferrum’s top athlete-scholar), plus their second-ever USA South Rookie of the Year (Payton Stuart in 2016). Two of Lofton’s players have been selected for All-District, three for All-State, and six for All-Conference.
Lofton credits his team’s growing success to the types of players he recruits – ones who buy into his philosophy that collegiate soccer should not be viewed as merely a game, but as a training ground for a well-lived life rooted in sound values, ethics, self-discipline and concern for others. His players typically achieve as much in the classroom as they do on the field, collectively maintaining GPAs above 3.0.
Lofton previously served as head boys’ soccer coach at Rappahannock County High School, assistant men’s soccer coach at the U.S. Naval Academy, and assistant men’s soccer coach at Shenandoah University. He has also been director of coaching for the Monticello United Soccer Club, where he trained and coached both girls and boys.
He holds NSCAA National and Advanced National Coaching Diplomas and was certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist in 2014 and CrossFit Trainer in 2013. He majored in government, minoring in psychology, at William & Mary (graduating cum laude with a BA). He holds an MEd, with a focus on sports leadership, from Virginia Commonwealth University.
As a collegiate player, Lofton initially was a defender at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, before transferring to William & Mary for his final two seasons. Lofton played in two Sweet 16 NCAA tournaments, first with UNC-G and then with William & Mary.
Lofton brings a deep personal understanding to his mission of identifying promising high school players and recruiting them to the Panthers. As a teenager, he was one of these promising players. He was listed as one of the top 100 high school freshmen to watch by College Soccer News and was one of 78 players named an NSCAA All-American. He played on a nationally ranked club team, Super Y team, ODP team, and D.C. United U-17 squad. He competed in England, France, Spain and Turkey.
Lofton is married to Mary Elizabeth Lofton, a fellow William & Mary graduate, who is pursuing a doctoral degree focused on freshwater ecology at Virginia Tech.
