Tiffin University Women’s Soccer – Coach Michael Cracas

On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Michael Cracas from the Tiffin University Women’s Program in Ohio. We talk about his team’s love, care, serve mantra. He describes how his upperclassmen help the underclassmen both on and off the field. Lastly, we discuss how they have a development team that also plays a full 18 game schedule. Learn more about Tiffin women’s soccer.

[00:00:00] Matt: Hi, everybody. Welcome to discover college soccer today. I’m lucky enough to be joined by a coach Cracas from Tiffin University in Ohio coach. Welcome. Thank you for having me. Thanks for being here. You know, I, I grew up in Ohio, so I’m, I’m familiar with Tiffin. My, my wife’s from the Detroit area. So, you know, between where I grew up and where she grew up, uh, you know, w w we, we know that conference in those schools pretty well, so, um, I’m happy to have you on.

[00:00:25] Uh, a nice division two program with it, with a rich tradition. And we’ll get to that in a few minutes, but, um, let’s talk about the recruiting side, right? As a division two school, kind of when, when are you starting to really look at players in terms of, you know, what year in high school are they, when are you hearing from players?

[00:00:43] What’s kind of your timeline, uh, on a typical recruiting. So

[00:00:48] Coach: for us, it’s, you know, it’s a little bit different. I mean, we, our coaching staff got hired last July, so we’re kind of a little bit behind the eight ball, uh, for our 2020, and even the 2023 class. Um, for us, you know, we can’t start talking to, um, the 20, 24 class until, uh, June 15th, but you know, for us, it’s it’s right now, it’s, you know, finalizing that 20, 22 class and, and really starting to kind of get a handle and catch up on our 20, 23 class and start with.

[00:01:16] No, at least, at least verbal offers out to them. But you know, the one thing I will always say, and this is my recommendation to, um, all recruits is, is it’s never too early and it’s never too late. Um, you know, it’s, uh, it is a process and the earlier you start, the easier it is to, to start to have that relationship with the coaching staff and to be able to figure out really what kind of personalities that as a player you’re going to fit and from a coaching stance.

[00:01:46] You know, the more I get to know them, the more I know, you know, the work ethic, the personalities, the, the person that you don’t see on the field and how does that relate to our team? So from that standpoint, you know, from a recruiting standpoint, you know, we’ve got clinics, ID, clinics, uh, And, you know, again, those were open to, you know, fresh with, as your senior.

[00:02:07] So we encourage freshmen to come as well. Um, but, uh, you know, for us, it’s, um, you know, when we start talking to them, it’s really, uh, June 15th going into that junior year is when we can start talking.

[00:02:20] Matt: So that’s, I love the advice it’s never too early, never too late. Um, so how many, how many contacts would you say you get in an average week?

[00:02:30] I know it ebbs and flows with tournaments and there’s a lot of things, but just, just give me a, a typical kind of, you know, w what’s your inbox look like when you’re managing

[00:02:39] Coach: recruiting emails? You know, it’s, it’s, it’s funny as it does. It does change that the year. I mean, Uh, one week where I’ve got, you know, probably 15, 20, and then as you get closer to, uh, you know, a showcase.

[00:02:53] Um, so for example, the, uh, Nike blue chip was, um, this past weekend and. Um, you know, we had probably about 45 to 50, uh, recruits that had reached out to us to, to come watch them play. And that was, that was ranging from, um, individuals that are, you know, in the 2025 class to a couple that were also in the 20, 22 class.

[00:03:15] And so for us, it’s, you know, we’ve got to make sure that. Um, really seeing those kids in the 20, 20 to 2023 and 2024 classes before we’re even starting into 2025. So, um, but I would tell you it’s it’s, you know, for us, it’s, it just depends on the time of year. Um, I think now, you know, we’re starting to see more of the 24th and 25 and we’re probably getting contacts, um, again, probably 15 to 21.

[00:03:44] Matt: Okay, that makes, makes sense. So you mentioned the blue chip, you know, what are some of the tournaments that are, that are on your radar that you have to get to every year? The ones you kind of focus on for cm players?

[00:03:56] Coach: So for us, it’s, um, it kind of starts for us and I’ll kind of take it to. Um, kind of how we decide what tournaments to go to.

[00:04:05] Um, you know, this year was kind of an exploring year for us. I mean, obviously I was at division three for, for 12 years and it’s, it’s, it’s different. Um, you know, now we’re going to, um, we went to the, uh, nationally pro event down at, uh, ESPN zone in, in December. Uh, went back down to Florida, um, for the CNL event, um, in.

[00:04:29] Well, then, then,

[00:04:30] Matt: then we walked past each other. I live two miles from there, so.

[00:04:33] Coach: Okay. Very good. Very good. Yeah, it was so, you know, for us, it’s going to Eastern L events, uh, nationally pro events and then, uh, GA events. So, um, you know, for us this year, we, it really the GA events this year, we were trying to figure out, you know, which ones we could go to.

[00:04:51] Um, which one, which ones would be beneficial to us. Um, and you know, for us, I think that, uh, going to the GA event, we’re actually heading to this, this upcoming weekend down in North Carolina. So it’s, it’s just going to be it’s, you know, for us this year, it’s, it’s figuring out which ones that we’ll go to in the following years, but it’s going to be easy and all events, GA events, and then the nationally pro events.

[00:05:13] So, um, you know, I think next year we’ll end up going to Ohio elite because there are some, um, Uh, Eastern all teams that from Cincinnati, uh, in the Kentucky area that go to that as well.

[00:05:25] Matt: Yeah. Yeah. Some, some good places. So you mentioned clinics and ID camps and things like that. How, how much. Two camps fit into your overall recruiting process.

[00:05:35] Do you go to other schools, camps? Uh, some of those, uh, for-profit ID camps that have college coaches there, like just kind of, what is camp, what is the camp situation look like for your recruiting?

[00:05:47] Coach: So for me, I, I, I would tell you, I think. Based on each coach and what their philosophy is. Um, to me, I want to get kids on our campus, into our ID clinics.

[00:05:57] I think it’s very important. Um, I know that you, you, you know, you hear different things out there, different advice, you know, um, you know, don’t go to ID clinics. The coaches are just trying to earn money, you know, make money. I would tell you the exact opposite. I think going to an ID. You know, from two-folds one you get onto that campus, you can see does that campus kind of fit you, um, at kind of if you’re, you know, younger, but also I think it’s, it gives you that opportunity to see as a player, can I play for this type of coach is their coaching style fit into me as a person?

[00:06:31] And could I see myself playing for an individual like this? I think that’s extremely important. Um, and I think you, you get less kind of. I wouldn’t say issues, but, but, uh, conflicts with players when they do come and they see how you coach and, and they can interact with you in through those ID clinics.

[00:06:50] Um, you know, we run our ID clinics a little bit different. I mean, we run it through kind of like a normal training session for us. So we. Um, kind of, we run two sessions with them. Um, let them obviously play a little bit. They, you know, afternoon’s a little bit bigger than a picture then than the morning, but it’s, it’s more like a training session for us that we’re getting them through kind of teaching them what our system’s going to be.

[00:07:13] Um, kind of instructing in that time as well. So they’re kind of getting that feel of how would it be to play for, you know, our coaching staff here, um, to answer your question, I do go to other, um, uh, ID clinics held by other institutions. We go to bowling green, we go to Kent state. Um, you know, we’re looking to go to Ohio state this summer, excuse me.

[00:07:34] Um, you know, we’ll go to a couple of the, uh, profit ones, but really for us. You know, we’re going to go to the other institutions before we go to the prophet. Yeah,

[00:07:46] Matt: no, that’s great. I just, uh, one of the questions I always get is, you know, are those for-profit ones worth it. And, and again, I think like you said, the answer is, it depends.

[00:07:54] Some are some, aren’t just depends on what you’re, what you’re going to get. Um, so, well, when you’re either at, you know, one of the tournaments or your own ID camps, what is. Your, your, your checklist of the things that you’re looking for in a player, what’s your hierarchy of whether that’s on the field or off the field attributes, uh, when it comes to players, you’re recruiting?

[00:08:16] Coach: No, I think the biggest thing for us and, and it’s something that we’ve we talk a lot about is, um, You know, the character of, of the, of the, of the recruit. Um, you know, it’s kind of weird because I say this in every recruiting seminar, I’ll go talk to, and I’ll even say this at our, um, ID clinics is I want, I want kids to fail.

[00:08:38] Um, and, and it’s kind of weird for me to say that because I want to see how they react. If they’re a goalkeeper, I want to see them give up a goal. How do they react to it? How quick do they bounce back? Do they yell at their team? Or is it more of, Hey, listen, let’s get going. Let’s, let’s organize, let’s figure it out.

[00:08:52] You know, from a field player standpoint, you know, if it’s a forward, you know, if they take an outside back on and they get, you know, the ball gets taken off their foot or they shake a shot, how do they react to that? You know, everybody, you’re actually, you know, in a, in a great manner when they’re having great success, but how do they react when it’s flipped and they’re not playing at their best or they’re having a rough game.

[00:09:13] You know, they just don’t have that track that day. You know, their first touches off their passes off, you know, do, does the work rate drop. Um, so it’s Greg, when we go to a showcase or they’re at a clinic and they’re having their best day, but we also kind of want to see when they struggle and they’re not in that comfort zone, how do they react to it?

[00:09:31] So, um, those are some things that we look for, um, also is how do they treat their teammates? How do they treat their coaches? But when they’re walking off the field, whether it’s at an ID clinic or. Even at showcase, how do they treat their parents? Um, you know, there’s been several times throughout the years that, um, you know, uh, there’ll be walking across the field or there’ll be walking around the field and mom or dad’s there.

[00:09:54] And, and, and they’re not really treating them with respect. And for us, that’s a huge red flag because if you’re not going to treat your parents with. Then how do I know you’re going to treat our coaching staff or even your teammates with respect? And so for us, a lot of times specifically here at Tiffany and what we’re trying to build is we’re trying to build, you know, a close knit family here and to bring somebody in that really isn’t treating their own family with respect.

[00:10:18] It’s something that really, you know, for us, it’s kind of a red flag, so it’s not necessarily all the time of what they do on the field, but it’s how they carry themselves. Um, you know, the one thing that we talk about with our team, um, and our recruits all the time is, um, you know, we have three, three core words that we, that we live by in this program.

[00:10:37] It’s love serve care. And the first one is love and that is being passionate about whatever you. Uh, you know, if you’re going to, if you’re soccer player being passionate about the game of soccer, you know, I shouldn’t have to worry, um, you know what you’re doing in the off season, making sure that you’re staying in shape, getting a touch on the ball.

[00:10:53] You know, if you’re passionate about it, you’re going to do that actually. Um, the serve part, serve others, you know, put the needs of the team ahead of your own, um, be a servant leader. And then the third one is cares. Actually show that you care about people. You know, you’re going to have teammates that are having a rough game there to help them out, or do you try to beat them down?

[00:11:11] Um, so I, you know, I think that even goes into how we recruit as well.

[00:11:16] Matt: No, I think it, I love that. Um, love serving care and it’s so important. Uh, I might have to steal that. Um,

[00:11:26] Coach: so I didn’t, I didn’t bring that up. I can

[00:11:29] Matt: create that. Now the, the, always the uncomfortable, but usually top of mind question on most parents’ minds is dollars and cents.

[00:11:39] So the nice thing is you got some athletic money. There is a division two, but what is the overall financial aid picture? Look like it Tiffin with regards to academic money grants, athletic money, and just the whole picture, just to give folks a sense of what they can expect if they were walking in,

[00:11:55] Coach: you know, I, you know, it’s, you know, we always felt the sticker price.

[00:11:59] So the sticker price for Tiffin is right around 4,100. Uh, give or take a couple hundred dollars there, but you know, I think a lot of it has to deal with what the grades are. You know, if you, if you’ve got somebody who’s got, you know, um, you know, high GPA, you’re looking at probably about $16,000 as an academic scholarship.

[00:12:18] Um, and then from the. Um, based on, you know, honestly how we evaluate players, um, you know, we can, you know, give, give athletic scholarships there from, um, anything to a full ride, to as little as 5,000, um, you know, just based on, on what our evaluation of the, of the, of the individual is. Um, so yeah, so, you know, when we’re.

[00:12:44] Dollars and cents it really all just depends on, um, kind of, uh, at the end of the day, um, if we’re talking to athletic scholarship, how we view that person, uh, for our program, uh, not only today, but you know, a year down the road or two years down the road.

[00:13:01] Matt: Okay. No, I just, I I’ll always ask, cause it’s always, uh, uh, top of my question for folks.

[00:13:08] Um, so, well, let’s shift gears, you know, you mentioned about academics, so let’s talk about the school a little bit. Um, you know, you can click around the website and learn a lot about Tiffin, but, but give me the, the behind the scenes. What’s awesome about Tiffin that maybe I’m not going to find just from, from going to the.

[00:13:25] Coach: You know, I love, you know, I love that question because I get that question a lot during the recruiting process, when we have recruits on campus or they’re at our ID clinic and, you know, they ask the question of know what’s special about TIF. And then I, and I will say this it’s, you know, it’s a medium to small sized school, but it’s a family here.

[00:13:43] And, and I got that sense. The day I came on campus, um, for my interview, You know, walking around campus and, um, end of June, um, not a lot of students are on campus, but you know, the students that I ran into, um, the faculty, the administration, they really honestly care about the person and what their goals are and what they want to accomplish and how they can help them.

[00:14:12] In accomplishing those goals. So whether it’s, you know, you know, a student who’s coming in and they want to get into criminal justice and, and their goal is to, you know, you know, work for the FBI, work for the CIA, you know, how can we get you there? And, and it’s through the internships, it’s through the, the reputation of the, of our certain programs here, um, that allows that.

[00:14:35] But I, I, I’m going to tell you it’s really about, um, You know, it’s, it’s a community that cares about, you know, everyone from, you know, faculty, staff, students, um, and, and making sure that they accomplish what they want to, uh, in their time here. Um, you know, I think from a student standpoint, um, you know, we’ve got great services here, uh, from, you know, free tutoring and in our Murphy center to, uh, we’ve got an app called circle in app that you can go on the app and click on your class.

[00:15:07] Um, it’s online and you can, there’s a tutor on there that can help you with any questions that you have. And I think in today’s day and age, specifically with what we just came through and COVID, I think that’s just a great, you know, another great tool that, you know, we’re providing our students here.

[00:15:21] Yeah, no,

[00:15:22] Matt: that’s, that’s great. Well, you kind of mentioned a little bit about, about the, some of the support mechanisms, but you know, how specifically do your student athletes and women’s soccer. Kind of balance the, their academics and their sport commitments. Uh, and, and, you know, besides what you mentioned, are there other, other things to kind of help them get through that?

[00:15:42] Coach: So I think the one thing that we do, and I will say this, this was established way before I got here. Um, we’ve got a great, uh, Really they, they embody what the student athlete is here. Um, specifically on the women’s soccer side, you know, we had our fall GPA was a 3.46, um, and a lot of it is. You know, again, we go back to the family is, um, you know, our upperclassmen take care of our, our, you know, our first year students in helping them in guiding them when we’re on the road, you know, whether it’s helping tutor them in certain classes or also help guiding them into, you know, how to study when they’re transitioning from a high school student to a college student.

[00:16:27] Um, but our, you know, the one thing that we do have is, um, for all first year, um, Student athletes here, uh, specifically on the women’s soccer side, they’re mandatory have, you know, during the fall they have two hours of study tables that they are required to go to. Um, and that can be anything from, you know, making sure you’re going to see your, uh, you know, uh, professor during office hours to using the Murphy center where there’s free tutoring services.

[00:16:55] Um, so from that standpoint, I think it’s a combination of, you know, what the general, uh, campus provides us, but then also. You know, our, our, our returners helping our first years and, um, guiding them in the right direction.

[00:17:10] Matt: No, that’s, that’s awesome. So if I was a, you know, a student on your soccer team during the season, what is my typical week look like in terms of what I’m doing from waking up till I’m going to bed throughout the week?

[00:17:25] Coach: So we’re talking about in season, um, you know, generally speaking, uh, you know, You know, their, their, uh, classes begin at eight o’clock in the morning. Um, you know, classes are usually done roughly around 1 45. Uh, we do have some classes that go later than that, but we’re probably out in the field by about 2 15, 2 30.

[00:17:49] You know, from a general standpoint, our training sessions last an hour and a half. Um, I think going over that, and again, going back to it, it’s just my philosophy. Um, I think anything over that, you know, specifically in, in the demand that we put foot on our athletes already, uh, you know, we just want to limit that, you know, wear and tear on the body.

[00:18:08] Um, you know, the great addition that we’re going to have to our, uh, Kind of our locker room next years we’ll have a TV and stuff like in there stuff in there that we can actually go right off the training field, into our locker room, watch film right there and not really have to come back to the other side of campus to get into a classroom.

[00:18:27] So, um, from that standpoint, you know, most of our training sessions are from two to 15 to 30, till about four o’clock. Um, and then from there, um, on Mondays there’ll be in the weight room. Um, After training. So they’ll get in the weight room, probably around four 30, quarter to five, uh, for about an hour left.

[00:18:48] Um, and then Tuesday, Wednesdays, um, there’s no lifting on, on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, Wednesdays, the prep day, uh, because we play on Thursdays and Saturdays. So Fridays are going to be a little bit lower than that. Uh, from an intensity standpoint where we’ll probably go about an hour and 15 kind of just figuring out what we need to clean up from the last day.

[00:19:09] And then obviously prepping for Saturday school.

[00:19:12] Matt: Okay, well, let’s talk a little bit about, about the travel. Um, you know, I’m from Ohio, so I, I know how big the state is and, and you have to go, but, uh, talk to me a little bit about, you know, your conference travel you’re out of conference scheduling and what that usually means for students in school and that kind of thing.

[00:19:32] Coach: No. I think our, our, our conference does a good job of, of kind of how they set up our conference, uh, scheduling and, um, making sure that they understand, um, that they’re still students first. Um, for us, uh, we only have three non-conference games. So for an example, this, this upcoming. Uh, we’ll open up an Illinois in Springfield, Illinois.

[00:19:53] So we’ll leave on Wednesday. We’ll play Thursday, Friday. The great thing about Tiffin in the way that they’re structuring it is there’s no classes unless you’re in a lab on Friday, so we’re not missing classes on Fridays and then we’ll play on Saturday. Um, but I mean, in our conference, I mean, you know, really close to us.

[00:20:12] I mean, you’ve got university of Findlay, Ashland, um, both are within an hour. Um, so. There is some travel involved, but, uh, I think we do do a good job of making sure that the students aren’t, aren’t missing too many classes. Um, you know, obviously we do have, uh, you know, two schools, uh, one down in Nashville at, at Trevecca and then Kentucky Wesleyan too, which are a little bit of a distance, but they, they do a great job of partnering that up.

[00:20:40] So, you know, for an example, this fall, we’ll travel to Trevecca on a, on a Wednesday, play them on a Thursday and then head over to Kentucky, Western to play them on a Saturday. So.

[00:20:50] Matt: That makes sense. Yeah, those, uh, I never, when I coached in Indiana, we didn’t play Trevecca, but I had Kentucky Wesleyan every year, so definitely been there.

[00:20:58] Um, so let’s see, I’m trying to decide where I want to take the conversation. Um, well, let’s, let’s talk about the team, I guess. Um, you know, how many, how many players do you do. Well, I guess this is a loaded question. If I say, how many players would you like to have on your roster versus how many the school wants you to have on your roster?

[00:21:20] So what is a typical roster size, uh, at Tiffin?

[00:21:25] Coach: Uh, we have two teams. We have a VAR varsity team and what we call it, developmental team, uh, based on our philosophy, our coaching philosophy on our staff. Uh, we don’t call it a reserve team. We don’t call it a JV team because really truly what we’re trying to do with that second team is develop our players, um, that might need a year.

[00:21:41] Um, whether you know, the games just a little bit too quick for them. Um, or it’s, you know, they just need to develop and refine some certain skills or they’re coming off an injury. So we use our development team for that. But to be honest with you, I mean, on the varsity we’re living. Um, I’ll give you a kind of a range.

[00:21:57] We’re looking at 28 to 32. The reason for the range is depends on how many goalkeepers we’ll carry on the, on the varsity squad. And we’re probably looking at roughly around the same numbers for our development program. So the nice thing about our development program, we do schedule out 18 games for them.

[00:22:14] So they are playing, they’re playing almost up. They’re playing pretty much a full schedule as it, as it is anyways.

[00:22:21] Matt: Oh, that’s, that’s awesome. That’s the most, most developmental games I’ve, I’ve heard of at least at a bit of any of the schools that I’ve talked to. So, so that’s good stuff. Um, well, w what about your staff?

[00:22:32] You know, how, how big is your staff? What roles does everybody play?

[00:22:35] Coach: So, you know, we’re very fortunate enough in our staff that we have, um, you know, got myself and then we’ve got a full. Uh, coach and then we’ll have two GA’s in the fall, and then we have a volunteer coach. So we have five coaches on staff.

[00:22:50] Um, and I think. You know, when you talk about, you know, having a varsity and having development program, um, to me, it goes back to kind of the philosophy of the school and, and that’s having a low for us, you know, a student athlete to coach ratio at the school it’s, uh, you know, faculty to student ratio, but it’s, it’s our ability to help continue to, to develop those, those players.

[00:23:15] Um, not just as players, but as people as well. And so I think with the staff that we have. Um, again, you’re looking at probably a nine to one, 10 to one ratio, um, which is, I will tell you it’s going to be a low it probably one of the lowest in the area. Um, when you’re talking about the student athlete to a coaching ratio.

[00:23:37] So, um, but no, I, you know, for us, it’s. Um, making sure that we’re focusing on our staff and hitting their hot, what their strengths are. Um, you know, we’re actually going to be getting a, uh, beyond pulse has a heart rate monitor that we’re actually gonna be using. So our, one of our gas is going to be. Uh, grabbing that data, analyzing that data and then providing it back to the rest, rest, the rest of the staff after these training session, um, you know, we’ll be able to break down the film a little bit more into detail because of the size staff that we have as well.

[00:24:10] Matt: That’s great. Well, how, how would you describe your style of coaching and your, your team’s style of play, kind of the overall culture of the team?

[00:24:18] Coach: You know, I think that, um, you know, my, my style, my coaching styles has evolved over the last. I’d say five years, it’s going to continue to evolve. I think that, uh, you know, when we talk about being passionate about what we do, it’s got to be constantly evolving.

[00:24:33] You know, you can’t be set in your ways and say, well, this is the way I’ve done it for, you know, 10 years. So this is the way I might continue to do it. I, you know, the game’s evolving. Um, you know, so I think for me, you know, it’s about getting them out and getting them to play. Um, you know, obviously, you know, Seeing is, is much into the big picture as possible.

[00:24:53] Um, we train in smaller areas and then move to the bigger picture. Um, one is because that’s how we want to play. We want to press teams. Um, so if we press teams, we want to be able to play out of a press. Um, we call our style of plays is possession with a purpose and our purpose is to go forward. But if it’s not.

[00:25:11] W we want to do is knock the ball back quickly, look to switch it or, or honestly regroup and rebuild. Um, but, uh, you know, from that standpoint, coaching philosophy is, is continuing to develop our players. Um, making sure that they’re getting. Every opportunity that they want, um, whether it’s in individual work, whether it’s in film, um, and, and making sure that we’re able to, um, allow our players to continue to grow through that individual attention through training and stuff.

[00:25:45] Matt: We’re talking here in the end of spring time. Uh, so what does your kind of off season program typically look like?

[00:25:54] Coach: So, um, you know, so we finished our, our, uh, spring, um, you know, this year and kind of take it from Janet. And then kind of moved through, but, uh, obviously this year being our first spring with the team here, um, you know, we really wanted to allow our players that if they wanted a little bit more individual attention, uh, whether it was film, whether it was a little bit more individual ball work to, to be able to do that.

[00:26:20] So, um, the one thing we focused on this year was getting into the weight room. I’m a big believer in, uh, getting in the weight room, learning how to properly lift, um, because there are a lot of huge benefits to it. And I don’t think that they’re being too. Um, so, I mean, I’ve got my, uh, strength, conditioning certification.

[00:26:37] Um, obviously I’m a big believer in that. So we were in the weight room three days a week. This past January, we were on the ball twice a week. Um, for us, we just told her, told our team, listen, you know, if you guys are telling us you’re passionate about it, then you gotta get your fitness in on your own.

[00:26:52] And so what we did was we said, Hey, you know, this is, this is the part where we talk about being, um, holding yourselves accountable. Um, Good Fitnesses. And when you can. So, uh, once we got close to the games, obviously we increased that time on the ball. Uh, really focusing in, on really kind of, um, introducing the next phase of our style.

[00:27:13] I mean, we got hired in July, uh, you know, this past fall, it was really about getting to know who our players were, um, and, and then trying to implement our system into it. But the spring was allowed. We were able to kind of really. Hone in on what our system is going to be going into the fall. Um, and then putting them honestly into situations where they weren’t comfortable in seeing how they react to that.

[00:27:38] Um, I think it is a huge benefit to making sure that the players are not always comfortable, um, because when they are. It’s easy to, to continue to, to manage through things when they’re uncomfortable, which is what happens in games, how do they react to it? You know, how do we, how do we slow the heart rate down?

[00:27:54] How do we sh how do we slow the breathing down so that they are confident in those situations and they don’t panic. Um, and I thought you saw, you know, for us, we saw tremendous growth throughout the spring. Um, not only in our system. How our players continue to, to develop, um, and their comfortability, uh, with us as coaches and then also on the field, uh, So in now heading into, uh, they’re actually in finals this week.

[00:28:20] Um, so, you know, right now I just actually talked to our, our strength coach and, um, you know, finding out when they’re going to be sending out the workout packets and some are, some are packets, but we had the conversation with our team at the end of spring. And we just said, you know, Hey ladies, we’ve taken giant steps in the right direction where we want to take this program.

[00:28:38] It now comes back to you. And, and if you tell us you are passionate about this, um, You know, you’re going to do the work, you know, this summer, you know, it’s basically four months where they’ve, it’s on them. If they want to continue to develop this program and where it’s going to go. Um, so they will get, you know, they’ll get their finished packet and then they’ll also get their shrinks back.

[00:29:00] And we told them they have to get on a ball and they’ve got to either find a team or try to, you know, get back with, uh, you know, their club team in, in get touches on the ball this summer.

[00:29:12] Matt: Yeah, those, those are always the hardest things, right? When you don’t know where, what they’re doing when they’re away. Um, that is true. That is true. Yeah. Well, Hey, we’ve covered a lot of ground. Uh, appreciate the time I’m gonna leave you one more last question, which is the catch-all what, what, what didn’t we cover?

[00:29:27] What else do you want to talk about? What did we miss? What else is there about the team about Tiffin or anything else you’d you’d like to share

[00:29:32] Coach: with us? You know, I think the biggest thing is, um, and, and I will tell you this, uh, you know, once I start, you know, once this position was over, Um, I started really looking at the history of the women’s soccer program and it’s got a great tradition and that’s what a lot of people don’t understand.

[00:29:50] Um, you know, this is a program that’s won multiple conference championships that has been through the, any, when they were in AI, they were in the sweet 16. And then the next year they went to the NCAA, they were in the NCAA tournament that year. Um, and so for us, it’s, it’s about finding the right pieces and the right individuals that have the correct character and helping us get back there.

[00:30:15] I mean, that’s, our ultimate goal is getting this program back to where it once was. Um, and that’s, that’s really the job and tasks that we have at hand. And, um, you know, it’s, I will say this if, if you get a chance and this is to anybody that’s listening, To look at Tiffin. Uh, it’s a great school. It’s a great community.

[00:30:36] Um, very welcoming, um, it just with open arms and really want to help anybody that, uh, uh, really wants a great education and also a great experience.

[00:30:48] Matt: Awesome. Well, coach, we appreciate the time. Wish you the best of luck. Uh, now you’ll have a full full year under your belt. I’m sure. Uh, you’ll you’ll keep, keep taking that team back to the story tradition.

[00:30:59] So thanks again. And, uh, hopefully we’ll talk again soon.

[00:31:03] Coach: Sounds good. Thanks for having me take care.