Suffolk University Women’s Soccer – Coach Ellie McDougall
On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Ellie McDougall from the Suffolk University Women’s Program in Boston. We talk about how she recruits players who demonstrate a high work rate. She describes the school’s unique location in downtown Boston and the opportunities that provides. Lastly, we discuss how her coaching style focuses on instilling confidence in her players. Learn more about Suffolk University Women’s Soccer.
[00:00:00] Matt: Hi, everybody. Welcome to discover college soccer today. I’m lucky enough to be joined by Coach McDougall from Suffolk university. How are you coach?
[00:00:07] Coach: I’m good. Thanks for having me today, Matt.
[00:00:09] Matt: Ah, thanks for being here while you are in, uh, the fun position of, of getting ready for your first full season at the helm over there.
[00:00:17] Yep. Yep. Um, which is always, always a fun, exciting place to be. Well, let, so. We’ll talk about this, uh, kind of in two different ways, we’re gonna talk about recruiting. So you can kind of lean on some of your past experience as well as how you approach this particular season and how you’re approaching the job moving forward.
[00:00:33] But when do you like to really start looking at players, talking to players and, and kind of starting to make those
[00:00:40] Coach: lists? Yeah, and I, uh, and an ideal world, usually around the summer before their junior year to fall of their junior year, that’s usually, uh, about when we. Getting contacted from, from players.
[00:00:54] Uh, and that’s when I start really looking at players, uh, especially being at division three, that’s usually around the, the target timeline that we’re, um, looking at. So, um, we’ll get a couple outliers where, you know, it dips into their senior year, but ideally I like to start, uh, right before their junior year into the fall of their junior year and then go from there and,
[00:01:16] Matt: And, you know, if a player’s reaching out, what kind of things do you like to see?
[00:01:21] That first communication.
[00:01:23] Coach: Yeah, I think, um, I would like to see a huge film. If, if there’s a highlight tape and I can get an idea of the type of player you are and, and position wise and things like that. Um, I love that, especially now in this day and age, I think it’s huge. Um, You know, GPA, um, you know, major as, as what you’re interested in, cuz you know, I’d like to see, you know, if we don’t have that, maybe this isn’t the direction or school for you.
[00:01:47] So having an idea of what you’re interested in, but uh, yeah. Film major, uh, GPA, uh, a little bit of knowledge about what S is and who we are is nice too. And, and so, yeah, that’s it.
[00:02:01] Matt: OK. Now in terms of your. Going out and seeing players, uh, on, on the recruiting trail. What are some of the camp miss, uh, events, tournaments that you like to, to try to always go.
[00:02:13] Coach: Yeah, I think showcases and tournaments are probably our biggest recruiting pool that we use. Um, PDA down in New Jersey is a big one. Um, Disney showcases are great. Um, and the ECNL showcase is good. Those are usually down in the Carolinas. They’re out in Texas. Um, uh, I like to hit, you know, all over the country.
[00:02:35] I like to hopefully bring in players. From around the country here to Boston. So, um, but yeah, the bigger, the showcase, um, and big tournaments, the more people we can see and, and teams we can hit, uh, the better. So,
[00:02:48] Matt: And what about camps? Do you have your own camps? Do you work other camps, your staff work, other camps?
[00:02:54] How do those fit in? Yeah,
[00:02:55] Coach: so, um, this summer we actually have a camp coming up, little plug, August 13th, we have our ID clinic, so that’s good. We got a couple more weeks of registration and then, and then we’ll get that. Um, and then usually, yeah, I’ll coach a couple camps this summer. I’ve been a little more focused on getting my feet wet and getting the job, but, uh, yeah.
[00:03:16] A couple camps to reach out for me to work and things like that. So, um, and then if I can send any staff too, as well, and hopefully they can, you know, get paid as well, too. So I think camps are a big piece. As well.
[00:03:28] Matt: So whether it’s, you know, if you’re looking at a player, whether at a, at a tournament or a camp or anything like that, what’s kind of your specific hierarchy of what you’re looking for in a player, whether that’s on the field or off the field.
[00:03:39] Coach: Yeah, I think for me, the biggest piece, um, is work rate, um, you know, talent can only take you so far. The work rate is huge. I, I tell my, you know, tried to talk to my current players, you know, about having shocking effort, you know, if I should be like, Show up to a field and be like, wow, that girl’s effort is, is crazy.
[00:03:59] You know, making the, the plays that, that help your team, whether it’s getting back, uh, when you’re on you, you’re an attacking player and you’re getting back to help defend in the last couple minutes, whether it’s you’re a defender and you’re going up and helping the attack, if you need to go making the, making the tackles, making the block shots.
[00:04:16] So the little things that push your team over the edge. So that that effort piece is, is one thing that I look at, um, And then yeah, the, the, the talent and, and the technical piece, and, and also how, how a player interacts with their teammates and coaches. I think relationships for us here at Suffolk are huge and, and how you interact with the people around you and treat, you know, your family and, and the coaches and, and your teammates is, is a big, big part of what we do.
[00:04:43] So I think those are some things that I really look for when I go to a field. So, no, that’s great.
[00:04:49] Matt: Um, do. You look at, and this is gonna be a little bit of a broader question, but how do transfers of international players and junior college, uh, fit into your equation? Uh, if, if they do
[00:05:05] Coach: it all. Yeah, so they do, I mean, any, I look, you know, talent.
[00:05:09] If you are a. Competitive and you worked, uh, and you’re talented and you, uh, will, you know, will look at you. It doesn’t matter whether you’re international or, uh, a transfer or junior college. Um, we’re interested. So if, you know, I’ve got a couple people that are looking to transfer for their fifth year of eligibility, um, that were talks with, you know, I’ve had a couple talk to a couple international students.
[00:05:34] Uh, um, a junior college student coming to walk on and try out this preseason. So we’re definitely open to it. Uh, and we’re excited about it. I actually played on a team when I was a senior. I think we had 14 international players. And they’re some of my best friends in the whole world. So I think that that adds and enhances the player’s experience and I’m extremely open to it.
[00:05:57] So, oh, that’s great.
[00:05:59] Matt: Um, well the, the one question that’s always on every parent’s mind is, uh, you know, financial, financial questions. Um, so obviously division three with no athletic money, but what is the, what is the overall kind of tuition, academic scholarship? You know, financial aid picture look like at Suffolk for an average incoming player,
[00:06:25] Coach: right?
[00:06:26] Yeah. So we’re, um, being in downtown Boston, we’re probably one of the cheaper private institutions in the Boston area, which is a really nice perk. Um, especially when going to school in the city like that. Um, we do, uh, like you said, we don’t have athletic scholarships, so it’s all based on merit. So basically.
[00:06:47] The higher the GPA, the better Sat scores, the better, um, you know, the application that you have, the more likely that you’re gonna get more merit money. So we range from. This is going off of last year numbers, about five to 22,000 merit scholarships. Uh that’s before financial aid. Um, so yeah, you’re looking at a pretty good discount, especially if you’re a good student.
[00:07:10] That’s why we look for good students, cuz it, it, it really helps out, um, Knocking down those numbers. Um, and you know, we know college isn’t cheap these days, so we try to do everything that we can to, to, to give the students, uh, the potential student athletes, the best opportunity they can.
[00:07:26] Matt: No, that’s awesome.
[00:07:27] Yeah. Um, well, let’s talk a little bit more about the school. Uh, you know, folks may not be familiar with Suffolk. It’s not, uh, B you or BC, but it is right there in Boston. So besides what I can find on the website, give me some of the awesome things that you’ve learned and that you’ve discovered in your first, uh, you know, Months there at the school.
[00:07:45] Coach: Yeah. I mean, uh, well, one fun fact. We are the only institution in downtown Boston. So everyone is a little in a different neighborhood, but we are the epitome of the institutions in downtown Boston. So that’s really cool. We’re right at the foot of Beacon Hill, right across the street from the state courthouse.
[00:08:04] Um, You know, walk steps away from the Boston commons. So we’re, we’re in the real heart of it. Uh, so when you’re talking about post-grad opportunities, internship opportunities, you, quite frankly, don’t have to walk more than a couple blocks, help medical centers right down the street. Uh, the TD garden is a five minute walk, so it really is in the heart of everything and it, and it.
[00:08:27] It’s a good opportunity for students and student athletes to, to not only have fun and go and experience things, but also, you know, the jobs and internships are great. Uh, another thing that’s really cool that I recently learned is we’re the, we have the fifth largest proportion of international students here at Suffolk.
[00:08:46] Yeah. In, in the entire United States of all college institutions. So I thought that that was a really, really cool thing. So we, and we have a campus out in Madrid. So it’s, uh, yeah, we really encourage the international population. It’s cool. And then, and it’s, it’s a, it’s a great way for, you know, students to meet people from all walks of.
[00:09:05] It’s something we’re really proud of.
[00:09:07] Matt: Oh, that’s great. Well, you know, obviously the student comes first in student athletes. So specifically at Suffolk, how do, uh, the soccer players there really balance their studies and their sport commitments and what kind of support mechanisms are there in place to help them on that journey?
[00:09:25] Coach: Yeah, I mean, before I got here, they’ve been doing a really great job. Uh, I think this is. Including this year, this is the fifth year in a row that they’ve had the United soccer coaches team academic award, um, which is above a three, three, I believe. And so we’re really, really proud of that. They, and they balance that really well.
[00:09:42] Um, I personally like to get involved and with a, you know, Having biweekly, uh, individual meetings during the season and then in our spring season as well, just to see how they’re doing, um, academically, uh, and making sure that they’re right. And then we’re actually looking to hire a new associate athletic director who will be, you know, doing programming and academic support, um, and other things as well.
[00:10:07] But that’s one main focus. So we do a really, really good job of it and staying on top of it. Another thing we’re proud of here too. Good.
[00:10:15] Matt: Good. Well, what you know, can you give me, I know this is gonna be your first time, uh, there this fall, but can you give me an idea of what that typical week during the season’s gonna look like in terms of when’s practice time, when’s class time, what are, which kinda your game cadence and, and that kind of thing.
[00:10:31] Coach: Yep. So, um, Usually. So if we have a, let’s say we’ll have a game on a Saturday, uh, we’ll start practice on, uh, on Monday. Uh, we practice in the morning, um, and usually around 10 and noon or at eight to 10, depending on the year, uh, and schedules and things like that. So we get that, that practice, uh, we’ll go Monday.
[00:10:53] Through Friday, uh, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, we’ll usually be a little more heavy with a little more playing, uh, and, and getting to moving around a little bit. And then Thursday, Friday will be probably a little more tactic oriented in terms of, you know, our opponent, who we’re playing against, how we wanna set up and do things.
[00:11:10] Um, and then, and, you know, we’ll, we’ll incorporate some film. Thursday and Friday, whether, you know, it’s reviewing us and then the opponent, and then on Saturday it’s game day. So that’s usually you repeat that for the next 10 weeks. And, um, and it, it, we enjoy it and, but, uh, yeah, it’s eating soccer practice, going to class, doing it all over again.
[00:11:34] Matt: All right. Uh, well, let’s talk a little bit more about the team. Um, you know, do you have a set roster size that you’re trying to hit each, each year that you like to carry.
[00:11:42] Coach: Yeah, I like, uh, I think 28 to 33 probably is a good size, um, roster, anything I think above that, you know, I wanna give each kid the individual attention and feedback.
[00:11:55] Um, and so having a staff helps, but I think, you know, once we get over that 34 mark, it starts for you. You know, the experience deteriorates a little bit. And I like to, you know, have a tight knit team and, and be able to give them that individual feedback and, and, you know, Hey, how you doing type things. And when you get over that certain amount, it might at least for me, personally, as a lot of people try to give the proper feedback to, and, and the attention to when they need it.
[00:12:25] So. Yeah. Around 28 to 34.
[00:12:28] Matt: Okay. And then have you been able to put a staff together or, or do you have, what, what a, what, what, yeah, so we staff, is there, what other support staff does the athletic department
[00:12:37] Coach: have, et cetera. Yeah. So on staff currently with us, uh, we’re in the process of hiring the assistant.
[00:12:43] Um, but right now we have a goalkeeper coach. Uh, he’s been great. He’s been with the team forever. He works in our budgeting department. He’s an awesome guy, Steven Steve hill. Um, he’s working with our goalkeepers. Then we have. A couple of volunteer coaches, uh, helping out form a player, um, on the team and she just graduated.
[00:13:01] And then we have a former player of mine who works in the Boston area who was intrigued to help out. And so I asked her and she’s like, yeah, sure. Um, and then we have we’re in the process of hiring another assistant as well. So, um, looking to have a, a, a healthy size staff to, you know, um, really get eyes on everybody and get you.
[00:13:21] Proper feedback really enhances that experience. And then in terms of the, um, athletic department, as I mentioned before, you know, we have a really great, you know, athletic director, he was a former coach, so he understands it and he, um, you know, can relate to the coaches as well. And, and, and he goes to all the games.
[00:13:40] We have, you know, a couple of associate ad’s full athletic training staff. Um, but I think we’re looking to hire a new associate ad. Who’s gonna be. In charge of programming, um, in terms of, for student athletes only, uh, mental health, diversity and inclusion, leadership development, um, so academic interest.
[00:14:02] So, uh, a lot of good things are trending upward here. So we’re excited about it.
[00:14:08] Matt: Oh, that sounds great. Um, well, how would you, you know, kind of describe your style of coaching and, and the style of play that you’re hoping your team to have this season.
[00:14:18] Coach: Yeah. Um, I think for me, I, as a coach, as a goal is to instill confidence in my players, um, and to go out and empower them, uh, you know, ultimately coaches don’t win the games the players do, uh, they’re on the field.
[00:14:31] So I wanna put them in the right spots and give them the right tools to make. The right decisions. Um, so, you know, making, not over complicating things and making it as clear as possible for the players. So when they step out in the field, they understand what they need to do and, and they feel confident to go make those decisions.
[00:14:53] And. You know themselves, they’re ultimately the ones that are on the field and they see things that maybe I can’t cuz I’m on the sideline, um, and encourage them, you know, mistakes are gonna happen and that’s okay. Um, as long as you, that work rate is there and that piece is there. Um, Um, I’m alright with it.
[00:15:12] So the confidence in empowering the players to go out there and make those decisions.
[00:15:17] Matt: I like it. Well, you know, we, you, you started, I guess in March, so you had maybe a little bit of that off season program, uh, potentially with your returning players. So what do you see that kind of off season program looking like?
[00:15:31] Uh, when you know, it’s not
[00:15:33] Coach: the fall. Yeah. So we, uh, at division three, you’re allowed. Um, I believe it’s 15 training sessions in a, in a, in a GA a scrimmage day. So what we did this past spring that worked really well for us was we had three training days. So Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and then two lift days.
[00:15:51] Uh, and then you had the weekend off and then you, we did that for five weeks and then we scrimmaged at the end. Um, so that’s usually what a typical spring off season will look like. Uh, before that, um, we try to get them, we give them lifting programs that they can do. Hope, you know, around three times a week, and then hopefully that we can, we can get them in the gym plans and foots all as well.
[00:16:12] Um, but yeah, that’s what a typical, typical off season looks like. It’s too short, but it’s well, you know, it’s, it’s, it’s a lot of fun, so yeah.
[00:16:20] Matt: Well, that’s good. Well, you know, you’ve given us a lot of good info about the program and the team and everything. And I always like to end these the same way, which is what.
[00:16:28] Should people know, uh, whether it’s about the team, the school soccer, the recruiting process, what didn’t we cover? Anything else you’d like to add? This is your, your chance for, for, for whatever you wanna say.
[00:16:41] Coach: yeah, I think, I think that, you know, we’re trending upwards. I think this is an athletic department that truly, truly cares about their athletes.
[00:16:47] They’re investing in athletics. Um, all, you know, almost four years ago, we had almost all part-time coaches and now they’re all full-time, um, they’re hiring new, you know, new support staff, um, you know, teams and coaches are getting better at recruiting. And so I think it’s trending upwards. And I think if you come here, you know, and players.
[00:17:07] They’re gonna be heard and they’re gonna be understood and they’re gonna be taken care of. And they’re, you know, it’s a program in a, in a department that is on the upward trending so
[00:17:18] Matt: Well, we hope that upward trend continues and, and wish you nothing but success. And your first year at the helm. And we really appreciate the time talking to us today.
[00:17:26] Thanks, Matt.
[00:17:27] Coach: It’s been a pleasure.
[00:17:28] Matt: Thank you.
