South Carolina State University Women’s Soccer – Coach Andrew Richardson

In today’s episode, I speak with Coach Richardson from the SC State Women’s Program in Orangeburg. We talk about how it is tough to recruit as a new coach being a hire late in the process. Coach also shares about the massive investment the school has made on campus. Plus, we discuss his approach to the team’s principles of play. Learn more about South Carolina State University Women’s Soccer.

Matt: [00:00:00] Hi everybody. Welcome to Discover College Soccer. Today I am lucky enough to be joined by Coach Richardson at South Carolina State. Welcome coach. How are you today? 

Coach: Doing well, Matt. I appreciate you having me. 

Matt: Yeah, I’m excited to have you. I think you, you, you might be the, uh, the newest Division one women’s soccer coach, uh, on the, on the market these days, uh, having just gotten a gig up there.

So congratulations. Uh, it’s, it’s rough ’cause it’s. The end of May. Uh, so gimme a, gimme a sense of, of of what you walked into. Where are you guys at? Are, I mean, do you still try to put a couple class of 25 people, uh, on the roster or, or are you just focused on 20 sixes? What’s that look like right now? 

Coach: No, you, you kind of hit the nail on the head.

You know, this was a April hire, um, and it’s, uh, you know, for everyone that knows college soccer. April is, is not the exact, well, I wouldn’t think anyone’s gonna call that the perfect time to be working on that year’s recruiting class. Um, but you know, things are, um, things [00:01:00] are different. I think the landscape is different now than it was two years ago, three years ago, 10 years ago.

Um, so there are some avenues for us as we’re still trying to put together those last few pieces, um, for that 2025 class. Um, but I think the thing that’s most important for us is we don’t want to. Neglect our long-term goals for, for our short term. And so our focus right now is, you know, first and foremost to get this team ready for the fall.

Um, but we also are trying to institute our recruiting model for those future classes. So at one time, we’re kind of trying to finalize 25. Identify 20 sixes, offer 20 sixes, really try to get that class close to being done as well. Um, and then we’re really getting close to, you know, really identifying those 20 sevens, uh, for us to get ready to move forward on.

So, um, it’s, it’s feeling like we’re operating in two years at once. Um, but at the same time it was, it’s part of the job. And, um, you know, we feel good about where we’re gonna be. 

Matt: So I, I mean, I, I usually [00:02:00] ask this, uh, of all my guests, but I’m asking a different way here just because of your situation. So does that put the transfer portal in play specifically right now with a little bit more importance than maybe it will in the 20 sixes, or how do you look at the portal these days?

Coach: Uh, yeah, this year’s model’s probably going to be varied. Um, you know, very different in what we’ll, we’ll do moving forward. We didn’t really have a choice. It has to be transfers, it has to be heavy internationals. It has to be, you know, really taking a hard look at any and every possible 25 that’s left. I mean, I, I.

I have probably seen more film and highlights and full match tapes of transfers and high school and club games over the last month than I have in my life. Um, but that’s, that’s the reality of the situation. You know, most of the 20 fives that we believe can play at this level and be a part of what we’re building, they’re gone.

You know, they’ve, they’ve [00:03:00] been committed for a year. They’ve been signed since November or, or in the spring period. Um, so for us it was a heavy look into the portal trying to find. Really the right fit. Because even with the transfer portal, a lot of those players have, have already made their, their, their decisions and, and found their new home.

So for us, it’s really doing our homework, um, and most importantly for us trying to find the players that we think are. What we need right now, but also gonna be what we need moving forward. You know, I think retention is something we want to build, um, our foundation in. And so finding the right pieces to come in, be able to, um, you know, assimilate to our culture and the, and the university and our community, um, and also be good soccer players, uh, is important.

But we also wanna make sure that. We’re setting ourselves up for not just success, but how we want to operate moving forward. So, heavy transfer portal, heavy internationals right now, moving forward. Um, you know, we’re gonna spend a lot of time. You [00:04:00] know, focusing and dedicating our attention to, you know, high school prospects and particularly high school prospects in state South Carolina for, you know, those that don’t know, uh, produces a good amount of, of high quality players and, you know, so many of them are leaving the state.

And so we want to put up a border around the Palmetto State and try to keep those players at home and, and hopefully home for them means, uh, South Carolina State. 

Matt: That’s a good segue to the next question. So with that being said. Where let’s, we’ll take 25 out of the mix for now. ’cause obviously it’s a, it’s a different kind of thing, but Right.

Where, where do you see yourself spending a lot of time on the recruiting trail? What tournaments, uh, are you high school games? What, like, where’s your focus gonna be? Where do you plan on visiting and, and where can players figure out they’re gonna see that sweatshirt on the sidelines? 

Coach: Yeah. Uh, that’s a, that’s a good question.

And I think for us. Uh, honestly, stepping into the Bergen where it was, [00:05:00] we cannot afford to leave any stone unturned. Um, so, you know, as soon as you know, this weekend, you know, I’ll drive up the road and head to, um, head to ECNL. Greensboro, I’ll, I’ll be on the road, um, throughout the summer between the ECNL events, the GA events, the, um, you know, the regional League events.

Um. DPL any any delineation, delineation of, of letters that somebody has decided as a league, uh, will be there. Um, and then, you know, one of the things that we’re gonna pay a lot of attention to is also, uh, how we’re able to identify in state prospects. So whether that be the South Carolina High School League and, and independent school league championships or, or league matches, um, to, you know, the.

You know, our ID camps that we’ll host on campus, um, you know, we want to do what we can to keep our in-state players, um, being able to perform in-state where we have eyes on them. And then [00:06:00] as we start to build our recruiting model and, and identify players that we want, I. There will not be a limit to where we go.

We’ll start with what everybody says. We’ll go to the, the, the nl, the rl, the GA’s. Um, but really from there it’s also just trying to find whatever prospects we think are gonna be the right fit and, and getting to them. 

Matt: Okay. Well, with all of that being said, kind of what makes up that hierarchy of things you’re looking for in a player, both on and off the field.

Coach: That’s, that’s a great question, and I think that’s a question that I, I look for players to ask whenever we talk on the phone, get them in meetings, um, get ’em on campus. Um, you know, I think the first things first is, is finding someone that we believe is gonna be a culture fit. You know, it’s a really unique community here.

It’s a great institution. Um, you know, since 1898. We want to find people that are going to be able to enjoy their experience and set themselves up for success. Um, the one thing I’ve been consistent with, I would say, well, one of a few things I’ve been [00:07:00] consistent with is telling our recruits or our potential recruits, you know, I, I’m looking for self-starters.

I’m not looking for people that I’m gonna have to chase behind. I’m looking for people who are motivated to be, um, strong in the classroom, strong in the community, um, but also dedicating themselves to staying fit, to staying strong, to, to wanting to, to train as much as they want to, um, as long as they’re focusing on their development.

Uh, from a soccer standpoint, uh, we looking for, for technical players who bring, uh, a level of athleticism to the game that we can, um, compete at the division one level. So pace is important, fitness is important, strength is important. Um, but more importantly, just having some qualities to your game that sets you apart.

Um, and then from a, from a tactical standpoint, I’m looking for problem solvers. I’m looking for people who can identify a situation as it’s happening in game in training. Uh, recognize what the best decision is to make and make it. Um, so being able to recognize what the right thing is to do, [00:08:00] being able to execute that, and then being able to do that at the speed and tempo that we’re gonna want, uh, is, is really what we look for first.

Um, and then from there, it’s, it’s. We’re really trying to find best available players and then we fit our needs as far as positional. Um, but there are some situations where we know, Hey, in our 26 class, I need someone who can go score the ball. I need someone who can, you know, build out of the back, who can make saves, who can do whatever the qualities are, um, based off of our staff’s, you know, positional profiles, um, that, that kind of meet those, those previous three criteria.

Matt: Okay. Awesome. Well, let’s talk a little bit more, uh, about the school. Um, obviously you’ve only been there a short time, but, but you, you’re from South Carolina, you’ve been there a long time. So what is that, drew you to the program that drew you to the school? What are some of the things you found out in your short time there that are that, that are pretty cool about the school that we might not know even by going through the website?

Coach: Yeah, I, I, I think, um, [00:09:00] one, Google searches are probably not good to us as far as the program at the moment. This has been a program that’s, we, we are not shying away from the fact that we believe in the rebuild that we’re starting. Um, we are a historically black college, uh, located in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

So we’re about 40, 45 minutes east of Columbia, which is in the, you know, capitalist of the state, dead, middle of the state. And then we’re about 50 minutes or so from the coast. So we’re about 50, 55 minutes from Charleston. Um, all interstate that takes you straight from Columbia, straight to the coast. Um, but again, being that, being an HBCU and being the only division one HBCU in our state.

That is, uh, probably not the fairest way to describe it, because this is a pretty diverse campus. Um, there’s a lot of international flavor to our campus. There’s a lot of different, you know, ethnic groups and races on our campus. Um, and, and I think our athletic department is a microcosm of what the school looks like.

Um, it’s a, it’s an incredibly [00:10:00] strong academic profile with our institution, um, with a, a rapidly changing campus. Um, a week ago from Friday, uh, we broke ground and started phase one of our $210 million campus infrastructure project. Which will touch athletics, it’ll touch student housing, it’ll touch academic buildings.

Um, because the school which has a very robust engineering and STEM program, um, has seen the benefits of what that previous $25 million project that went towards, um, academic buildings has been able to do for our institution. And so. It’s pretty simple. I think when you invest in something, people gravitate towards it and we’ve recognized, hey, if we invest in more, it only is going to enhance what we’re able to provide.

So, um, it’s a program, a school that offers, uh, a graduate program and a variety of degrees, you know, over 50 undergraduate degrees, um, is, is well connected with, you know, placing students for, for graduate schools, [00:11:00] um, and, and job placement. And it’s a, a very unique campus environment where, um, everything here is important, you know, from, from Greek life, uh, to, to Saturdays in the fall, whether it be with women’s soccer or football.

Um, I, I think this is a place that, that I. Attracts the right people. Um, and those people come in here and have a lifelong connection to it. Like you mentioned, I’m from Columbia. My grandfather is an alum of South Carolina State. Uh, so I’ve known of, of of state for really my entire life. Um, but now being here, I see what the draw has been.

I see why the alums that are in Columbia and you know, around the world take such pride in that Bulldog logo. Because we, we stand behind a, a mission that, um, you know, really reflects what we want our graduates to be able to, to take with them into the world. 

Matt: Okay. Well, I, this is, uh, you know, may maybe hard [00:12:00] to, to ask you since you haven’t been through a, a season yet, but I’m sure, uh.

They’ve least told you what you got there. But you know, for, for a lot of incoming students, the transition to being, especially a division one athlete can be, it can be challenging to make sure you’re successful both on the field and off. So what kind of support systems are there to really help the players make, you know, make sure they’re getting good grades, but also that they’re, they’re fit and healthy and playing well on the field?

Coach: No, that’s, that’s fantastic. That’s a great question. And I think that’s, that’s our sell right now. Um, you know, we are, we’re incredibly fortunate here from, from. From a full, uh, landscape of what a student athlete will experience at South Carolina State, I think we offer a tremendous amount. So that starts obviously in the classroom.

Uh, we have a robust, um, academic support staff here. So we have our associate, or I’m sorry, assistant ad over academics and student affairs, who is our direct sports contact. Um, but we also have three [00:13:00] to four other academic advisors who support all of our student athletes. When our freshmen come in, um, they’re required an amount of, of hours, um, that they have to do, whether that be with study hall or, you know, additional opportunities to meet with professors.

Um, you know, they’re really set up on a path for success in the classroom. So. Um, they can, they can basically graduate out of that with their academic performance, which a lot of our under upperclassmen have done on our team. I think, I believe all of our upperclassmen have, have had the opportunity where they can opt out of, of study hall hours.

Um, but they still take advantage of it. One of the things that we’re gonna institute this year is that program within our team, uh, where we’re very, um, together we really have that team feel. And so we’ll, we’re partnering a lot of our upperclassmen with our incoming players, whether they’re freshmen or transfers, just to assist with, um, you know, managing that workload on a campus like ours.

And at that division one level. Um, as we kind of transition out of academics though, [00:14:00] uh, we’re, we’re fortunate we have full-time athletics trainers on staff. We have five on staff here. We have, uh, one dedicated to, well, we split one full-time athletic trainer with women’s soccer and softball, and so they’re in opposite seasons.

It works out perfect for us. They’re at all of our trainings matches. Um, and then obviously we have more. On Match Day, we, we utilize a company called Prisma Health, um, which is, you know, one of the leading, uh, medical providers in South Carolina. We have two team doctors that see all of our players, whether that be for concussions, for, you know, heaven forbid, uh, we have to have surgeries or anything like that.

We’ve got everything right here and we’ve got everything really at the. You know, waiting for them if need be. Um, to go along with making sure. We try not to get to that point by, by making sure we’re strong all year long. So we have, uh, dedicated strength and conditioning staff. Actually was meeting with our, our head, head or our, excuse me, our director of strength and conditioning this past week, just to, you know, check on our, our progress of our players over the summer.

Uh, making [00:15:00] sure that they’re as strong as they can be. Uh, we do lift in season. Um, but those are really more maintenance lifts. You know, we want to make sure that, you know, we are able to stay fit, stay healthy, um, try to alleviate some of the issues. When I think of. You know, soft tissue injuries, those kinds of things.

Um, so we lift twice a week. Those are short, quick maintenance lifts. And then as we head into the off season, we get into our, our heavier lifts. We’re really trying to get stronger, prepare our bodies for the next year, um, and those types of things, um, with our staff. Um, I’m really fortunate this year we’ll have, uh, three assistant coaches, one who’s here full-time, two, um, that are gonna be in either part-time or volunteer roles.

And they really do a tremendous job of setting, setting our program up for success and, and have clear and defined roles, whether that be working with us on our analytics, um, you know, self scout, opposition scout, uh, developing our, our training plans and programs. Um, setting up IDPs for individual players as we prepare for the season.

Uh, [00:16:00] we’ll also have two student managers, uh, one of whom was a, a, a former player in our program who is, uh, completing some extra degree, you know, requirements as they. You know, look to grab that master’s degree. Um, and then we have actually an undergraduate student, uh, who is a, a former college soccer player, transitioned to our school.

Um, and, and our school doesn’t offer men’s soccer. So the best opportunity was, was to join our, our staff as a student assistant manager, however you wanna see it. And for me, that’s helpful because. He’s a kid who played for me in the past, so he knows exactly what I’m looking for as I come in. And it’s one more voice that we’ll be able to kind of echo, you know, the principles that we want.

Um, you know, on campus we’re fortunate, you know, we’ve got fantastic food options as we wanna make sure that they start to understand on their own how to fuel properly as an athlete at this level. Um, and, and our facilities help with that. You know, we have a dedicated natural grass training field, um, and then we play in a 22,000 seat stadium that is artificial turf.

Um, but it gives us [00:17:00] the ability to train, uh, for whatever we may be preparing for on the weekend or for in that next match. If we’re gonna play on a natural grass surface, we can train on that, be prepared for that. If we’re gonna be on turf or we’re gonna be at home, obviously we can get in our venue and make it, um, you know, cater to what we need.

Um, in that moment and, and we feel really strongly about the experience we’re able to create for not just our incoming freshmen and our transfers, but these young women, the entirety of their career. Because we want to be able, we want them to be able to see their growth from the time they start with me as an 18-year-old, uh, to the time they, they, they graduate.

Um. We feel strongly that we’re able to provide a lot, uh, in a, in a variety of areas. 

Matt: Okay. Well, let’s fast forward to October, you know, heart of the season. What do you see as that typical week looking like in terms of when are you gonna practice winter classes, meals, games, et cetera for you guys? 

Coach: Very, very, very good question.

Um, [00:18:00] obviously we’re, we’re gonna be in a schedule where we’re typically playing twice a. Is usually gonna fall on a, on a Wednesday or Thursday. Um, those weekend games on Saturdays or Sundays, um, typically. You know, starting from the beginning of the week, you know, we’ll train in the, in the evenings on Mondays, um, just to be able to, one, especially in the south, and I know you, you’re familiar with it, uh, that, that heat, especially on turf, can be, uh, a little difficult.

So Mondays we wanna make sure we start the week off while academically, um, classes start as early as, as 8:00 AM here. Our players will go, go through their class schedule, they’ll do, um, lunch, um, usually meet with their academic advisors on Mondays and hit study hall hours before we go to training.

Tuesday. We start to transition that session into, um, earlier afternoon because we’ll either start the session or finish the session with, um, film just to kind of prepare for the next opponent. And then if Wednesday’s our match day, you know, we [00:19:00] meet four hours beforehand, uh, to kind of begin our game day routine.

So. We’ll do team meals as a group four hours beforehand. Uh, go straight from that into kind of our preliminary talks for the match. You know, recapping what the scouting report said the day before. Take a look at film just to go over, um, some final details. I. Straight away into meeting with our strength staff and, um, our trainers to make sure everything is, uh, taken care of.

Every tape is on where it needs to be. Every roller has been used appropriately, um, going into matches. Uh, Thursday is typically going to be our lightest day of the week, um, physically just because that will be our region session. Um, that’s our lift day, um, that’s our opportunity for film. And then Friday.

Depending on where our match is, Saturday or Sunday, maybe a travel day, uh, maybe a walkthrough day as we kind of prepare for, for that weekend’s game. And then if we play Saturdays, we’re off Sundays. Uh, if we play Sundays, we’ll actually take Friday off and then come back in on [00:20:00] Saturday for that, that prep session, um, as we go.

But again, they’re getting into lifts, they’re getting in, um, at least two, two meetings or, or visits academically. Um, and then obviously we, you know, on game days. From, from eating beforehand, which kind of kicks everything off till, um, you know, wherever we finish post game, uh, whether that’s another team meal or, or that’s heading straight away into, you know, prep for the next day.

Um, it’s, it’s a pretty consistent calendar. So evening, morning, evening, morning training sessions, and then, uh, plan wherever the calendar has us. All 

Matt: right. Well, what about you? Uh, talk to us about your, your coaching style and the style of play you you’re looking to implement there. 

Coach: Yeah, the, the, the style is, is important.

I’ve always been a person that, that thinks more in terms of principles as, as opposed to style. Just because I think every roster changes, um, you know, what your, what your players are able to bring to the table, what their strengths are. Um, always vary, but our principles [00:21:00] remain the same. Uh, we want be a team that uses the ball, uh, to create scoring and, uh, scoring opportunities.

By, you know, maneuvering our opponents, disorganizing them, and creating, creating overloads as often as we can. So, you know, I love getting the ball in the wide spaces for numerical overloads. Um, I love being able to disorganize teams as we build, whether that be building out of the back, um, you know, using rotations through our midfield.

Um, trying to penetrate as often as we can, whether that be on the dribble, um, or, or being able to, to exploit spaces in behind. Um, but, but it’s really just trying to create a, a, an advantage in every possible space, whether that be qualitative, just trying to find the matchup where we feel like we can win one V one, um, using an extra number to create two V ones, three V twos, four V threes.

Um, and then being dynamic enough as a group tactically sound enough as a group, uh, to be able to, to use the ball, switch the point of attack, and, and, and try to see how quickly we [00:22:00] can get to goal. That’s, that’s the big thing looking at this team in the past. Um, there’s been moments on film where they had good spells of the ball.

There’ve been moments where they were able to build out effectively to break a press, um, to counter press. If we lost the ball and be compact defensively. The one thing we need to do is be able to, um, be more dynamic consistently. To create scoring opportunities. Um, this is a game where, you know, I’m a firm believer that the game can be played many different ways, but, you know, I’m the first one to tell you I wanted to be a team that scores goals.

Um, and that’s also a team that’s hard to break down and, and give up opportunities. So, um, I would say the simplest way to put it is we use the ball to disorganize our opponents, create overloads, um, create advantages, um, and, and isolate spaces where we can create scoring opportunities. 

Matt: I love it. Well, coach, really appreciate the time.

Um, gonna leave you with one last question and that is, if you had one piece of advice for anybody going through the [00:23:00] college recruiting process right now, what would that be? 

Coach: Your journey is? Your journey. Um, I think social media has made it hard. A lot of, a lot of prospects right now who get on Instagram and they see this friend who just committed, uh, this friend who went on this visit.

I, I don’t think this is a, a, a quantity game in regards to finding a collegiate fit. You know, the player that has 30 phone calls on June 15th can’t attend all 30 schools despite what the transfer portal says. Um, ultimately you’re trying to find your best fit. And so number one, do your homework and your research on yourself to figure out what you are truly looking for in a college.

Um, am I gonna be in a place where I’m happy? Am I gonna be in a place where if I blew my knee out day one, I’m still happy there? Um, is the coach gonna play a style that I want to believe in? [00:24:00] Um, I think players can spend more time looking at rosters as well to understand, Hey, I’m a center back. You brought in two center backs last year and you’ve got three center backs that are returning.

Is there an opportunity for me to compete and compete for time? Um, but I honestly, I think the biggest thing is just do your homework on your, on your institutions. Um, you only need to find the right fit, not as many fits as you possibly can. Um, and don’t be deterred by seeing how other people’s experience or journey’s going, um, and, and truly make it your own and, and, and prepare yourself as you possibly can be for the game because.

I don’t care what club or high school you may be coming from, it’s going to be a different experience for you. You just want to have as much information about what you’re getting into the moment you get there, um, as you possibly can. 

Matt: Love it. Well, coach, wish you nothing but the best, and, uh, if you get to any of the events down here in Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch.

Hey, uh, gimme a shout so we can get together. All right. 

Coach: I will be there. I will be there. I’ll make sure to do that, Matt. I appreciate it. 

Matt: [00:25:00] All right. Thank you.