Q & A With George Van Linder
8/27/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 27, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - During the 2008 season, first-year head coach George Van Linder will answer questions submitted by fans and media. Check this space every Wednesday for his thoughts on recent and upcoming games, as well as everything else pertaining to Ladyjack soccer. Following is the season's first installment of Q&A With Coach Van Linder.
Q: Fall camp is always an exciting time for a program with a new head coach. What stands out for you about your first few of weeks with your new team?
A: With the team having an entirely new coaching staff and several new faces on the squad, there were lots of laughs the first week or so as players and coaches were getting to know each other. Having the team in seclusion in the Piney Woods of East Texas with no phones, televisions or watches for five days made for many laughable moments.
Q: Having already done this several times in your collegiate coaching career, you've probably developed a good idea of what works and what doesn't, but every team is different. Were there any surprises in this year's camp?
A: This team has a different attitude than many teams I have been with. The biggest surprise is the "self-motivation" exhibited by the team. When these players have to make a choice it is usually the correct one, without any kind of prodding from the coaching staff. For example, we had a freshman with flight problems who did not arrive on campus until 2 a.m. When she pulled up in the parking lot, some players were in the parking lot to meet her, something they did entirely on their own, in the middle of two-a-days. There are continually things like this happening all the time, and when you have players always thinking about the welfare of their teammates first, you know you are on the right path toward a championship team.
Q: SFA opened the season with a very respectable 1-0 loss in an exhibition at Oklahoma. Assess your team's performance in that game and tell the readers what you learned about your players in their first competition.
A: Oklahoma has some very good athletes. I think more than me learning about the team, the team learned about itself. They certainly came away with the feeling that we can be a good team, with the style of play the coaching staff introduced to them. We also had a lot of players who didn't get an incredible amount of playing time in the past step up and do well, and we had some freshmen get a good idea of what college soccer is all about. They also did well, considering. So, it was about as good as a loss can be for us as a team.
Q: As encouraging as the Oklahoma game must have been, last weekend's 5-0 loss at TCU must have seemed like a step backward for you and the players. What was the difference in your team's play from the two games and what lessons do you hope the players take away from that loss?
A: TCU came out on fire, and we were flat, and that is putting it nicely. The result was horrific. Most of the mistakes were just tactical letdowns and not based on heart or effort. Later I was told the team had a player-only meeting. I am not sure what happened, but I like the quote the team left on the board: "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all." Coach Kelli (Partridge) compared that performance to her golfing, where she often asks for a Mulligan. TCU was our Mulligan for the year, and, unlike a round of golf with Kelli, we hope to only need one Mulligan.
Q: With nine starters and 14 lettermen returning from a championship team, it appears, on the surface, that your cupboard is fully stocked. But injuries were an issue for this squad last season and seem to have cut into your returning talent early. How much of an impact has the injury bug had on the season's beginning?
A: The team had a problem with injuries over the past year. However, our athletic trainer (Trey Younger), our strength coach (Brittany Burton), and my assistants and I have worked hard to do everything preventative that we can, and we have done pretty good, so far. Having said that, the leading scorer in SFA soccer history (Amanda Alders), and one of our leaders on defense (Jessica Cotton) were injured and out of our opening game vs. TCU. So, we will never avoid it completely, but I'd like to think it won't make the impact that it did in the past, and we will never use it as an excuse for a bad performance.
Q: Scouting reports are thin on information this early in the season, but what kind of games are expecting out of this week's opponents, Centenary and Houston?
A: Centenary has a bit of a history/rivalry here with SFA. They have a win and are undefeated, so we certainly have a lot of respect for them. Houston, is a team on the rise. Coach (Susan) Bush was a very talented player in college and has done a great job recruiting and moving that program forward. They lost a heartbreaker in overtime to UTSA, so based on those two things and being on the road, we know it will be a close game and one that soccer fans will enjoy watching. We certainly would be thrilled to come away with two wins this weekend.
-- SFA --
• Got a question for SFA soccer head coach George Van Linder? E-mail your query to assistant director of media relations Brian Ross. Be sure to type "SFA Soccer Q&A" in the subject line and include your first name and hometown. Questions will be screened for content, and Coach Van Linder's responses will be posted weekly on Wednesdays, or as his schedule allows.
