Izzy Dalesandro (isdalesandro@ursinus.edu)
The women’s soccer team at Ursinus got a new head coach in the spring of 2022 after the previous coach stepped down. This year, Coach Jeannine Calhoun has led the team to a 7-6-4 record.
The team had been going through a rough couple of seasons, with a 2021 record of 3-12-2, and a 2019 record of 4-11-2. The team started practicing for its Spring 2022 season five days after Calhoun assumed the position. She expressed that she was “immediately impressed with the culture of the team and how everyone was bought into getting better on the field as players, but also bought into each other.” She explained that teams that play for each other increase their chance of success exponentially. After seeing the team compete throughout the spring, Calhoun came into the Fall 2022 season wanting to focus on defensive and team shape, as well as “creating more dynamic and unpredictable attacking patterns.”
Senior Alice Poindexter gave Coach Calhoun credit for the team’s improvement this season. She explained how getting a new coach “was a big ego boost” after “we all kind of lost hope in the program.” Poindexter stated that “getting a new coach filled us all up with hope again.” Junior Ciara Rago also gave credit to Calhoun for the team’s success. She said that “the drills she has us do are more game-like and better prepare us for games, which is really beneficial, and ultimately why I think we are doing better this season.”
Coach Calhoun said, “We went into the season wanting to expect more and get better every day…and I really believe that we have.” She gives credit to the team for its success thus far in the season. She explained how the team is willing to be coached, own up to mistakes, and the players are willing to ask the right questions. When asked how she thought the season had gone she responded, “superbly.” So superbly, in fact, that this past weekend Women’s Soccer defeated McDaniel for the first time since 2011!