Aug. 19, 2010
Head Coach Ronnie Woodard begins her 10th season with the Vanderbilt women’s soccer team on Friday night as the Commodores take on UAB in Birmingham. On the eve of the regular season, Woodard talked with David Rutz about the team’s 2010 prospects.
On the veteran presence on the team this year
Any time that you have a large group of players that have played together for four years, you have to raise your expectations as a coach, because you add in the experience factor. They’ve been in the SEC for three seasons now and played against very challenging competition, so there shouldn’t be a shocking game for them. They should have experienced just about everything they could, at every different level throughout their four years. Some are positive results, some are negative; we learn from the negative ones and we build on the positive ones. You expect that to be your foundation.
On what Vanderbilt showed her in battling back in last week’s exhibition, a 2-2 draw against Belmont
I thought it showed a tremendous amount of character. I thought that it was a gut check for all of us. We had to find a way to equalize the score. We had to find a way to get ourselves back into that game, and I thought the girls showed great team core values of hard work and dedication and determination to fight back to tie that score up so late in the game. The important part to remember is it is not easy coming back from a 2-0 deficit to anyone. It is hard to come back, and that is a true testament to what these girls are willing to do this year.
On the freshmen to look out for in 2010
I think they’re really going enjoy watching Claire Romaine play. I think that she is a very talented and gifted soccer player that’s going to make an immediate impact on our program, both in the midfield and in the back. I think the next one to look out for is going to be Duggan Hahn. I think Duggan Hahn has come in and had a fantastic preseason. She was incredibly fit, passed all of her fitness tests on the first day — led our team in every fitness category and she is just improving every single time we step on the field, so I think you’re going to look for those two to make really big impacts this year.
On assistant coaches Derek Greene and Sebastian Vecchio
They bring a newfound energy and excitement in the program, and it’s always great to have different voices and it’s always great to have different opinions and new passion that’s brought into these girls. I think that the three of us have found a very nice coaching relationship and balance, and I think the girls have adjusted well to it. I think they’re really enjoying the preseason so far, as much as you can, with preseason training. As you know, it’s difficult. I think they’re really enjoying the feedback that they’re getting from all the different staff members, so the additions of those two are really great for our program, great for our team and great for me as a coach.
On the challenges UAB presents tomorrow for Vanderbilt
We’re not at full speed, which is going to cause us to go a little bit deeper in our roster and play some players, get them some more experience. We still have a few injured that are not joining us and playing, so we’re going to play a lot of players, and we’re expecting UAB to really be energetic and scrappy and very dynamic on the attack. They have an All-Conference player coming back last year who they feel very confident in, and then they have an All-Conference forward. So they’re going to be solid in the back and we’re going to have a difficult time and we’re going to have to be really good to break them down to score goals. They’re very dangerous and dynamic in their attack. They’ve got a quality player on both sides, the defense and the offense, and they’re proving to be very dangerous. Any time you’re playing against a team in the opening game on their own field, you’ve got to bring your “A” game, especially with UAB. UAB has always brought such a quality program to the NCAA, and always plays a competitive schedule, so playing at a very high level at a very fast pace is something they’re very used to. So I don’t think we’re going to surprise them. I think UAB’s going to be completely ready for us and welcome us to their field, and we’re going to have to bring our best game. Every time we step on the field, that’s our goal this year, is to bring our best game and make sure that we do the best that we can do and take care of us first.
On how being a mother has helped her as a coach
It’ll be a year next week, which is surreal for me, it’s gone by so quickly. I think Thomas has brought two major factors to me. One, I think he’s brought patience, and two, I think he’s brought perspective. I think being a mom, I’ve been able to balance my life a lot better for my team and for my family and I think that knowing what my priorities are have been really solidified with Thomas joining our family. Also, the fact that raising a newborn all throughout the year and going through your first year of life is a learning experience, and the first thing you learn is patience and better communication skills, and I think that those key parts of parenting are going to help make me a better coach for this team this year. (Laughing) I definitely have been a lot more calm this preseason than I ever have been.
