Waldorf University Women’s Soccer – Coach Thomas Goodman

In today’s episode, I speak with Coach Goodman from the Waldorf Women’s Program in Iowa. We talk about how he looks for players with something to prove. Coach also shares about the mix of in-person and online classes. Plus, we discuss the importance of the spring season in their team development. Learn more about Waldorf University Women’s Soccer.

Matt: [00:00:00] Hi everybody, and welcome to Discover College Soccer. Today I am lucky enough to be joined by Coach Goodman at Waldorf University in Iowa. Welcome, coach. How’s it going? Doing well, thanks. Uh, like, I like the background. Looks good. Looks, uh, looks like you got That’s our locker room. Yeah. Hey, that’s a, that’s a, that’s a nice looking, uh, n AI locker room.

I’m not, can’t, yeah, we put some, put some work into it for sure. Got the lights 

Coach: and everything and Yeah, pretty as possible. 

Matt: I mean, this, this past summer, my, my daughter went through a lot of ID camps and school visits, and I’ve seen a lot of locker rooms, uh, at all divisions and, and that, that’s, that’s looking sharp.

I, I, I can’t deny that. Thank 

Coach: you. 

Matt: Well, I appreciate you coming on. You know, we, it’s end of August, beginning of your season, uh, you know, kicking it off. So I, I guess the first question I have is. I, you know, I hear from student athletes all the time, like, man, I’m, I’m emailing a note, I can’t get anybody to reply.

And I’m like, well, it’s August, September, October. It’s gonna be tough there in season. Right. So [00:01:00] how do you balance recruiting for the next year, uh, during your current season and, and what. And what’s going on right, right 

Coach: now? Yeah, it’s, it’s insane this time of year. I mean, I, I have about 30 emails a day I respond to with recruits for 2026.

So, um, I’m on it all day long. And then obviously we, our practices are in the evening, so we go six to eight, so I’m not available from like five o’clock to like, you know, nine, 10 o’clock at night. Um, so I try to fit as many Zoom calls and recruit calls and, uh. Conversations during the day. And of course that gets hard when they start going back to high school and are doing their senior year.

And some of ’em are in season and some of ’em aren’t. So trying to find a good time to communicate, you know, so sometimes it’s weekends, of course we’re traveling on Saturdays, um, around the country. So, uh, it gets harder, um, this time of year, but it’s more harder on the coaches, I think, than the players because obviously we’re the ones all over the place.

And, um, I have an assistant coach who also helped out with recruit calls. So if you, if you get a, [00:02:00] um. Call from our assistant coach. It’s just as good as a call from me. We, we talk to each other and everything, so, um, it’s a little bit more, um, personal. When it’s off season, I can respond to every call and every, uh, zoom call.

Matt: Okay. Well, as an n AI program, what is. Kind of your standard timeline, I guess. So you’re obviously recruiting the class of 26 right now. Are you talking to any 20 sevens and being in NAIA since you don’t really have as many restrictions, are you talking to any 20 eights or what kinda, what’s those percentages look like and, and maybe when do you look to wrap up that next class?

Coach: Yeah, so honestly, I will be recruiting 26 is probably until our number’s full. So if, if that’s earlier this year, it kind of depends on the year. Um, sometimes we’re trying to get done in November, December, it’d be nice. Um, but sometimes we’ve gone, I’ve recruited a player up to like a week before season starts, so it.

The season, recruiting season [00:03:00] lasts a long time. Um, but we have a number, our number’s 32, that’s what we’re looking for our roster. So, um, when I hit that number, I’m done. I don’t go past that. I don’t want more people on my team. I don’t like having huge sidelines full of players that don’t get play time.

So, um, we keep it three, two. Um, I get messages from 2020 nines last week. I got a couple, you know, um, I put ’em on my radar, but I’m be really honest with you. So much can happen between that time and, you know, I look at 20 sevens as well, but I just feel like, um, juniors in high school have so much to do and so much to see and haven’t really made a choice on where they want to go.

I really feel like the, you know, I have a lot of friends that coach D one level and you know, they, they tell me they’re doing their 2020 sevens. A lot and they’re already done with the 20 sixes. But you know, in NEI, it’s a little different. And when I was in D three it was a little different as well. I think, you know, we work on the year, on the year pretty much, so, um, I like it that way as well because I feel like the players have a better idea of where they want to go, what they want to do in school and stuff as well.

So. Makes, makes perfect [00:04:00] sense. 

Matt: Well, in terms of recruiting, where is it that you like to go to, to see players? What leagues, what tournaments, what, you know, are you looking international? Are you looking transfer portal? Kind of what makes up the whole, the, the whole, uh, cabinet of things that you’re, you’re looking at.

Coach: All over the place. I mean, that’s, that’s the great thing about recruiting is, you know, we can go everywhere. Um, I love that part about it. And you get meet people from all over the world. Our team is super diverse. I mean, we only have one girl from Iowa and we’re an Iowa school, so that gives you an idea of, you know, how we recruit.

Um, but we aren’t heavy international at Waldorf in particular. We have four internationals right now. Um, and two of ’em are Canadians. I dunno if you really count them as internationals. They feel like they’re not. But, um, you know, we have. Uh, girls from California, Florida, Texas, uh, Maryland, Tennessee, Georgia.

So it’s all over the place. Um, I see them from, uh, going to ID camps. Um, I went to a camp up in Minneapolis a couple weeks ago and met a bunch of people from Canada that were there for visiting [00:05:00] for from rush soccer. Um, and then I went to a surf cup, uh, competition. Um, you know, we always look at ECNL players.

ODP players, I mean, all over the place. So, um, I even look online, um, you know, I’ll look for NCSA, um, I just look for what I’m looking for, the type of player I’m looking for, you know. So if I’m really looking for midfielders and I’m like a. My week is midfielders. I’m looking for a 10. I will reach out to all attends I’ve seen throughout the year, and then I’ll go online NCSA or field level and find some more, more tens just to start a big pool and start looking at video and that kind of stuff as well.

So, um, you can be found anywhere. Um, you know, and I, I, I help coach local high schools as well and try to find players at some of those high school levels as well. So, yeah, all over the place. It’s, that’s the great part about you meet a bunch of new people and see a bunch of new things. Yeah. 

Matt: Well when you’re at these games, wherever they are, or Id cams kind of what makes up that hierarchy of things you’re looking for in a player both on and off the field?

Coach: Uh, well, it’s a little different for me, I think, ’cause [00:06:00] I, I look for players with chips on their shoulders that someone that has something to prove. Um, I feel like with, uh, the NAI, and you know, we’re in the GPAC conference, it’s a tough conference. So, um, to be competitive, we’re gonna need the girls that really wanna push themselves and, uh, work for the team, uh, have a.

A little bit chip on our shoulder, maybe didn’t make the best team, you know, they’re on the second team. So I like that. And then, uh, I always look for the girl who gets first in line. You know, the first one up for a drill or recession. The coach is doing something. Someone who speaks up at halftime, you can tell who the captains and leaders are.

Um, those are the players I look for as well. That to me is like the most important part because, uh, you know, when I played, I got found a couple times when, you know, I made the right pass at the right time. So that, that doesn’t really tell you much about me as a player, but, um, the little things really matter.

And honestly, I also listen to parents, how they act on the sideline. It’s also important to me is, you know, um, if they’re young at the players, other players and stuff, I feel like that kinda respect is also something that’s important to me. So the whole, the whole [00:07:00] picture, um. But those are the main things I look for.

They, they fit in the team. Um, you know, and then when I’m. Talking to them in person. Um, I gotta make sure that, you know, Waldorf is the right fit. You know, we’re a Midwest school. I’m not gonna try to hide it. We’re a small town. We have 4,000 people in our town. Our student population is 500 people. So, you know, it’s cold here.

We have girls from California and Texas who’ve never seen snow. So, you know, I gotta make sure it’s the right fit for them to come here and they enjoy it ’cause um, I’m not gonna try to squeeze them into a system or a school that they don’t want to be at. So, yeah, that’s the kind of thing that I’m looking for when I’m out recruiting.

Matt: Okay, well I’m not gonna hold you to, you know, dollar for dollar hard numbers here, but, uh, cost of attendance is always something, uh, on players’ minds, right? And so talk to me a little bit about how an average player coming into your program. What are they gonna be looking at from maybe an academic scholarship perspective, an athletic scholarship perspective, and kind of how does that fit in with the overall cost of the university?

Coach: Yeah, so we actually offer just a soccer [00:08:00] scholarship, and that includes the academics and soccer all in one. Um, well, LRF does it a little differently. We were a for-profit school like three years ago, so they learned how to. Do their, uh, scholarships a little differently for, you know, now we’re back to where we were before a nonprofit.

So, um, we kept that kind of system in place. So, um, our tuition’s about 25,000 a year, and then our room and board is about 11,000 a year. So that’s the overall cost and scholarships range from 15,500 to about 20. 2000 per year. So it’s actually really reasonable, uh, cost to come to Waldorf. Um, and that’s because of the, we don’t have any debt at our school, which is another nice thing.

Then reason why I picked Waldorf myself coming from a school that closed up in Finlandia. Um, so I learned some lessons myself about, you know, having lots of debt on, on the books and stuff. So, um, so when it comes down to it, you’re gonna get one number from us. And it’s for a soccer scholarship. And that comes off the, that tonal price and that’s your gap, uh, how you feel that gap is anything not from Waldorf.

So, you [00:09:00] know, FAFSA or, um, scholarships or grants from their own high school or whatever. So pretty straightforward. No, that’s 

Matt: great. And, and I think bringing up that little piece of research that I’ve been suggesting to folks, uh, as well, there’s been almost, I think it, at one point it was. Averaging a school closure per week in 2025, or at least being announced.

They may not close that then, but, but announced and, and really researching do they have debt, do they have any, an endowment even that, that can keep them afloat because, uh, higher eds in a tough spot right now with a lot of these, it, these small schools for sure. Yeah. And also 

Coach: Finlandia and you know, they closed.

Process to go through as a player, as a coach, as you know, as faculty and staff. And then, um, you know, I coached at Ena Heights as well and they just announced their closing this year, so it’s tough. You, I didn’t see the senior Ena Heights one coming, you know, you could look up all the stats and stuff and it was like you didn’t see it.

But, you know, [00:10:00] that’s something I looked for as a, as a coach looking for a job. You know, it’s my livelihood is, you know, a stable, uh, community stable school. So, yeah. Um, that’s a big deal nowadays, and some schools are in so much debt, you’re just like. Any day, one little accident and their school’s gonna close.

And that’s a tough thing. And you know, I’ve, unfortunately, a lot of good schools have closed so recently. Yeah, 

Matt: absolutely. Well, well let’s talk a little bit more, uh, about the school. I’m sure there’s some folks not familiar with Waldorf. You’ve, so what kind of, you’ve been at several other schools as you mentioned, so what drew you to Waldorf?

What have you found are some awesome things about Waldorf? Maybe some things you wouldn’t even know by going through the website. 

Coach: So I love it ’cause it’s a small school and a small community and I like that. Um, I went to big schools, you know, I went to Oregon originally as my, for my undergraduate. And I had a class, uh, biology class that was as big as our entire school.

So our, uh, our school is 500 in person students. So you had that really close, uh, tight-knit community. Most classroom sizes are anywhere from 12 to 20, so you get that really personable. Um, about [00:11:00] 85% of our students are athletes, so we’re all in this grind, this athletic grind. So that. Faculty know how to handle athletic students.

But the good part about that is we also have 2000 online students that support our school financially, and it helps our professors have, you know, make, make more income themselves. So it, while it has a small town, small feel here, uh, we have a really good, uh, faculty group because of the larger school size, ’cause of the online presence, which is.

It makes an impact here that you wouldn’t really notice unless you come here. Um, and then our school has a lot of things to do considering it’s a small school. Uh, I’ve been to small schools that do small schools well and some small schools that I’ve done. Small schools bad. And Waldorf is one that does really well with the extra stuff to do, um, to keep the students and, uh, athletes busy and things to do that are actually fun on campus.

And there’s competitions and lots of events going on all the time. They’re, uh, going up to Minneapolis. There’s only two hours away. Um, you know, our town is small. We only have like an a and w Rooter and a small town. But, um, you know, 30 minutes [00:12:00] away we have everything else you need, you know, Chick-fil-A’s and all that kind of stuff.

So I like that too because, you know, you can really focus on the, the school grind and the soccer grind when you have to, and you can just shut off that outside noise. Um, it’s a lot of corn fields around here. You know, we, we go to games and it’s like six hours of driving and the whole way it’s cornfield.

So, you know, that, that I like, that’s peace and calming and it’s, uh, a good way to focus on what you’re doing. Um, so, but if you don’t like that and uh, you know, you’re into big cities, then it’s. This is not the place for you and I’m not gonna try to sell you that. You know, we don’t have frats or, you know, sororities or anything, so we don’t have that kind of stuff.

But it’s definitely a small town safe community. Um, we had, uh, events that go on in the town that are small, that are kind of fun fireworks and. You know, small high school, Friday night lights. It just has this like real good Midwest feel, um, that I enjoy myself personally. And that’s kind of why I wanted to come here myself.

And, um, some players really love that, so they also come here for that. Um, you know, we have some good academic programs as well. I know our criminal justice program, our HP program is fantastic and our [00:13:00] education program’s great. Almost all the women who’ve graduated here and all those programs have got jobs right off.

Right off the bat. So that’s something that I find also very important. I’ve, I’ve taught classes as well, so I kind of know that that’s an important part of, you know, getting an education is being able to get a job right away too. And, um, we have Winnebago in our town, which is, uh, you know, we’re the home of Winnebago, so we have 5,000 employees at, are employee at Winnebago, which is bigger than our town.

So I gives you an idea. There’s hundreds of Winnebagos out there. If I went. You know, a couple blocks away. So, uh, it’s interesting to see all those, you know, vehicles sitting out there all the time. And so it’s a factory town as well, but it’s not like a loud factory or anything. So yeah, it’s a little different town.

Matt: Yeah, no, it sounds very interesting. Well, you mentioned the academic side of things, so I mean, that can always be one of the challenges for, for new students, making that jump from high school to college, really balancing the demands of being a student athlete, both on the field and off. So what, what kind of support systems does a school have in place to help them be successful?

Coach: Yeah, so that was [00:14:00] one of the biggest changes I think I was really focused on is the academic change. When I came here, our GPA of women’s soccer was incredibly low for a women’s soccer program. We were about 2.7, um, last year. We got to 3.4 in my second year. So, um, a lot of that is just to do with. Get getting on the girls to make sure they go to all the classes and stuff, but as a coaching staff.

But, um, our, our program here at Waldorf really has a good program for support. We have free tutoring with an ACE program it’s called. Um, so they have an hour of site tables a week required, um, as a freshman. Um, and then as a soccer program, we require everyone that’s below a 3.0 GPA to come in once a week and meet with the coaching staff on one-on-ones, talk about their schooling.

Um, so that’s, that’s the thing also. Small school side of it really helps because if anyone misses classes or whatever, we, we know right away, the professors don’t hide that. Um, and we find out, we do classroom checks and stuff, so we keep on on them. And it’s, it’s because it’s, it’s hard for people who aren’t [00:15:00] used to managing their time, you know, they have to get up at.

Eight o’clock in the morning for a class, or six o’clock to get to eight o’clock class or whatever. And it’s just tough to do that when you haven’t done it before, uh, independently. So it’s just teaching, coaching, that part of it, and ma maintaining your body, you know, making sure you still eat, making sure you, you know, get all the, uh.

Right nutrition in you while you’re gonna to classes and going to, you know, several soccer practices a day and games and, you know, doing homework when you are gone on Wednesdays and Saturdays. And like this weekend, we’re going to St. Louis for the, the whole weekend. So we leave, uh, Friday morning at like 5:00 AM and we won’t be back until Sunday at like 2:00 AM So, you know, there’s a long period to be gone.

So they gotta manage that on the road. Homework, making sure you’re talking to your professors and getting that homework in. So my background is obviously in education, so I, I find it. Fun to teach and coach these women on how to maintain their days and manage their days as well. So yeah, we were really focused on the academic side for sure.

Matt: Well, that’s good. Well. Talk to me about, [00:16:00] you know, what, what does a typical week look like? You know, imagine you’re in the heart of that conference season. You know, what, what is the game cadence? What are we looking at for practice time, class time, meal time, all that kinda stuff. 

Coach: Yeah. So it’s, it’s tough when the season’s going and I feel like it just goes by way too quick and I’m, I’m a big person for like, let’s reduce the amount of games and, or make our season longer because.

Um, you know, a typical week, and this is in season obviously, so it gives you an idea. A Monday is like the most, uh, important day for actually learning and coaching soccer. So our practice is six to eight on the um, Monday. Um, so that’s like our best day because we’ve just come off our recovery day. Um, and then Tuesday it’s a pre-game because we play on Wednesdays.

So, you know, you don’t wanna go too hard. Um, but you also want to, you’ll practice, get ready for the game. So that’s a Tuesday, six to eight practice again, um, we don’t do any like weight training and stuff on those days. And then Wednesday is our game. So we either we’re traveling or it’s a home game. So, uh, it depends on that.

And then Thursday’s recovery session we do in the [00:17:00] afternoon, um, we do it with our weight training staff or, uh, we do like yoga or something to, you know, cover and then af in the afternoon. We pretty much do video work. We do the, um, review of the game, some pattern passing patterns and stuff. And then Friday’s a pregame.

Okay. And coming back from recovery. So on Friday, it’s kind of like you have a mix of getting ready for a game and, um, preparing from, you know, recovering from the last game. So, you know, Friday’s not the greatest day either to do like full soccer. And then on Saturday we’re traveling again. We’re going to playing a game.

Sundays is a required NEI day off, you know, we give a day off. So it’s always Sundays. Um, so then we’re back on Monday again. So, you know, that’s like the typical routine of like the practices. Obviously they get up in the morning, they. Have their food, breakfast. We have the, our, uh, campus is very small, so you have the dorms are like a block away from the, where the food and library and our classes are.

So you don’t have to get up as early as, like when I was at Oregon, I had to go a mile to class, you know, so here you can get up like right before class starts and like go across the thing and get to [00:18:00] class. So that’s nice. Um, and then obviously, uh, we have. Uh, training facility, uh, for athletic trainers in our main campus.

We also have it in our, uh, field house, which is the indoor sports. And then our soccer, football, outdoor sports complex also has trainers. So, um, they have ability to see a trainer for their own recovery stuff anytime during the day. So that’s another benefit of having multiple trainers on a small campus that have an online thing.

Uh, a lot of our, um. Trainers do, uh, cupping, that’s a really big thing. I, I’m not a big fan of cupping. I don’t like the bruises, but, um, the girls like cupping a lot. So they’ll go in there and do cupping, ice baths, that kind of stuff with the trainers throughout the day, but that’s on their own because obviously the schedules are all over the place depending on what their major is.

So it’s when you find time getting there and do that recovery, um, and then making sure they eat before practice. That’s why I do a practice. Um, AF at six because they have five to six. Uh, the ca the cafeteria is open so they can get in there for that. And also, most classes are also done by six, so that’s why I prefer the late night [00:19:00] instead of super early in the morning.

And I hate getting up in the morning anyway, so. Yeah, that’s a typical week. Okay. In season obviously is insane. For sure, for sure. 

Matt: Well, uh, let’s talk a little bit more about the team. Obviously you mentioned the roster, uh, there two, but talk to me about who, who else fills out that roster? Who else is on your staff?

Maybe some support staff that help out with the team as well. 

Coach: Yeah, so, um, our team started off with 26 this year. Um, we’re still not at the roster, so two years ago we graduated 14 girls and we’ve never really recovered from that, uh, full yet. So we’re, you know, we’re working towards that all the time, trying to get to that 32 number.

Um, and the reason is, is because of things like this year we’re down to 18 girls already, and from injuries, um, eligibility, all that kind of stuff, when it actually gets to the meat of it. We have 18 eligible and healthy girls for like this weekend, for example. So 32 sounds like a big number for maybe a high school team, but when you get to college, that number really dwindles quickly.

Um, you know, we have protocols with like [00:20:00] concussions and stuff that are a little bit harder than high school. They’re out for five days. So, um, that’s why we have a 32 number. Um, our team has struggled the last two years in the gpac. We were, the first time we’ve been in the gpac. We were independent originally.

Um, so the coaches in the past before me were able to pick their schedule and pick teams that were a little bit easier to play or, uh, more home games or whatever. So now we’re in this. GPAC were to really learn how to play in the gpac. Um, there’s some tough teams out there. I think you had some of the coaches on before on this podcast and you know, they can tell you it’s a tough one.

Um, you go through players quite a bit, especially with that Wednesday, Saturday, no hardly any recovery time and you’re playing every game is tough, you know, every. Team is very similar. So we’re trying to find players that, um, are a mixture of like youth coming in from domestic, uh, 17, 18, 19 year olds coming from high school.

And then we’re trying to find some transfers players as well. Um, my assistant coach is. Uh, Veth. She played here at Waldorf two years ago. [00:21:00] Um, and she’s now as the assistant coach. She’s from Texas originally. Uh, she’s a fantastic number 10. Just imagine messy as a female. That’s her. She plays the ball so well.

Fantastic on the ball. Um, great leader and her, uh, coaching personality is opposite of mine. She’s very, uh, aggressive. Makes, pushes the girls hard. And then I’m the more laid back coach. So, uh, you know, that really works well. We’re very yin and yang. So, um, the girls that. I want that kind of like pressure coaching and, you know, e every step I need to know how to do it.

They would go to Beth and if it’s, uh, you know, they want the, uh, free play. Free play, what, you know, I, I’ll give them the tools and I let them use their own tools. That’s the kind of coach I am, so I. Coaching staff wise, that’s the two of us. Um, we have a goalkeeper coach who is a student employee. He’s a man men’s goalkeeper that is, uh, now doing our social media and does Goalkeeping.

Um, I had a, a goalkeeping coach friend of mine come for the first couple weeks to help him coach and learn how to do goalkeeping. Um, so we have a [00:22:00] goalkeeping. Coach on staff. And then we have a, uh, athletic trainer that is specified for soccer. And then we have a weight training staff that is also specified for women’s soccer.

So that’s really good to have like a huge support staff for a small school. Um, you know, we have a really good, uh, athletic training staff too, because we have three athletic trainers and we’re gonna have a fourth soon, and they all. Throughout the day with, uh, the people, and you can pick which one you like, you know, but we have our main one and then they can go pick.

So yeah, good staff. Um, we’re really working on our team. Um, this is my heavy recruit year. It’s 2026 because we graduate about six girls this year. And then, um, we brought in 14. So yeah, it’s a, it’s a big, another big class and we’re very young. Um, we, like we said, we have the. Senior class, then we have this gap from when we lost the 14 girls and had a coaching change.

So that junior gap is pretty big. And then we have a lot of freshmen and sophomores. Okay. So a couple transfers and they’ll help out for sure. So we’re gonna look for a couple of those at the midterm. 

Matt: Okay. Well, you talked a lot about the [00:23:00] schedule in the regular season. Talk to about the, the, the non-traditional season spring.

What, what are you guys doing, uh, at that point? 

Coach: Yeah, so Spring is great. I love it. It’s like my favorite part of the year because we can actually do soccer and focus on the game and how we play. Um, that’s what we’re doing now in preseason obviously, but in spring we can get back to it and actually, uh, do it.

And it’s less stress of the games. We will have two spring games. Um, uh. The thing is, we at Waldorf, we go home at Thanksgiving and come back in January. So that, that’s a big gap, kind of giving that off. Um, and then when we come back, because of the 24 week rule we have as coaches, we can only coach for 24 weeks.

Um, usually the captains run indoor sessions. We have indoor balls and do indoor sessions for about. A couple weeks until February, and then when February comes around, we back into the coaching staff. We do, uh, practices every day again. Um, it’s pretty much six to eight. Um, if we go outside ’cause of the weather, um, if not, we’re inside doing indoor stuff in our, you know, sall stuff and we have the sall balls and do all that indoor stuff.

Um, [00:24:00] it’s a lot less stress because there’s no games every. Every time we can really focus on the academics and learning the soccer, learning how to move the ball and stuff. So I kind of wish it was the, the other way around. We can play, you know, our season in the spring because I feel like we having a fall season to actually work on this sport before you, everyone gets here as freshmen and you know that going through that whole learning about school and everything, you know, we flipped.

It’d be awesome, but we have to do it backwards here. So, I mean backwards in college in general. So it’s, you know, it’s kind of weird. But yeah, spring is awesome. ’cause of that you get to work on the soccer and really focus on the technique and how to be a good athlete and not so stressed about trying to get all your homework in while games are going on and traveling and everything.

So, yeah, spring is my favorite season, I would say. ’cause we will play, you know, obviously two scrimmages, but they don’t count. So it’s, you know, the stress is gone and the people aren’t trying to worry about getting goals and clean sheets and everything as well. So yeah, a lot less stress in Spring. A lot of focus on the game.

Yeah, for sure. 

Matt: [00:25:00] Well, coach, really appreciate your time and, and insight into the program. I’m gonna leave you with one last question, and that is, if you had one piece of advice for any girl going through this college recruiting process right now, what would that be? I. 

Coach: Well, my advice I always give everyone is go somewhere where you wanna be, you know, finding the right fit.

We always talk about it, but we mean it as coaches. Um, don’t go somewhere where just because they’re offering you a contract or it’s a bigger, bigger school, uh, go somewhere where you think you’re gonna fit in. Um, find the, the, your home, your family for four years and that’s the best experience you can get.

Um, hardly any of the girls make your pro, you know, and we’ve had a couple that have done it, and it doesn’t really matter where you are, it’s just. Where, who you are with? Um, for me, uh, my biggest wins are when I get to go to these, uh, women’s weddings and, um, when they have kids and stuff. That’s the biggest win for me.

And I think, you know, all these girls, I see them, you know, 10 years down the road, they’re still best friends with all the girls they played in with, uh, you know, in the college. So yeah, you finding your right [00:26:00] fit is the best thing and most important thing, and that college degree goes a long way. So definitely that’s my advice for everyone.

Matt: Absolutely. Well, coach, really appreciate it. Wish you the best of luck, uh, in this gpa, tough GA conference season, and, uh, hopefully you can just, uh, keep, keep pushing on and, and reaching towards that conference banner. All right, coach. You take care. Thank you.