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Women's soccer coach?

Postby Pony4Life » Thu Jan 23, 2003 4:52 pm

When is the school going to get its act together and hire a women's soccer coach? The program is in danger of falling back significantly. Already there are two players -- GK Erin McLeod and D Sasha Andrews -- who are taking next year off to play for the Canadian National Team, and there's a rumor going around that they won't be back, that they've gotten their release from SMU. Losing them would be a crushing blow.

The logical choice would be to get Mark Francis as the next coach. All-America player at SMU, coached Highland Park, knows every soccer family in the area. But he's making nearly twice as much at Kansas as Van Linder made here last year. Is SMU going to step up and get a real coach? The volleyball team, of all things, has two fulltime assistants and a graduate assistant, while Van Linder had to kick and scream for one assistant coach.

We all know it's not one of the big 2 (football and men's basketball), but soccer is a significant sport in the Dallas area, and has more local fans in Dallas than any other sport outside of the Big 2. The men's and women's programs are among the most successful at SMU and need to be supported accordingly. If the school tries to low-ball the salary on the job, we'll get what we pay for in the caliber of the next coach. Pay the new coach and allocate the necessary money to set up a support staff. The program deserves it - like the men, they've been to the Final Four. How long will it be until volleyball can say that?
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Re: Women's soccer coach?

Postby PX » Thu Jan 23, 2003 6:38 pm

I didnt realize Mark was making that much at Kansas. I've been talking up his name around here a bit, obviously he would or should have been a top candidate. I really thought we should have hired him during our last coaching search, no disrespect to George who did a fine job here. Doubtful, though that we will get him to acccept that kind of salary and budget cut to return. When Van Linder was hired, it took months. I remember getting seriously worried, because it was almost time for practice to start in August.
So, I wont be surprised if this hire takes more than awhile, and the program pays the price in terms of lost potential success.
Tara Comfort mentioned to me that she was somehow involved in the search. If I see her tonight at the basketball game, I'll ask her.
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Re: Women's soccer coach?

Postby PonyPride » Fri Jan 24, 2003 1:12 pm

Here's an opinion column from this week's Park Cities People newspaper:



Van Linder departure the wrong direction for SMU
By Phil Stephens

Maybe you missed it during the holiday rush at the end of 2002.

George Van Linder resigned as SMU head women’s soccer coach and took the same position at Baylor University. If you are still yawning at that news, be assured that many young women around Dallas and the state are intensely interested.
SMU has staked a very public claim in support of its men and women’s soccer programs, going so far as to bid and win the NCAA national championship College Cups for both women (in 2001 and 2002) and men in 2001. How the SMU athletic department responds to losing Van Linder to the Bears and finding his replacement will be a much better barometer of the school’s real support for the sport. The Mustangs have made some nice strides under Van Linder’s watch, but SMU must act decisively and quickly to avoid a major backslide. The athletic department has already stumbled out of the blocks in a sluggish effort at replacement.

Van Linder was announced as the Baylor coach in a Dec. 27 press conference. That was on a Friday. Once SMU officials advertise the position as open, they can not bring in a coach to interview for at least 15 days.

The coaching position was not officially opened until the middle of January. The school cannot bring in candidates for the opening until Jan. 31, according to Carlton Cooper, who is heading up the search committee. Van Linder’s four-year stay in Dallas was very much a success story. His teams won the Western Athletic Conference women’s soccer championships four straight seasons, rolling up a 24-3-2 cumulative mark in WAC games. His overall record with SMU was 59-21-10 (.711). Van Linder’s watch included three NCAA playoff bids and three final national rankings in the top 25. The question is why would Van Linder leave SMU and go to Waco?

Sure, he loved Dallas and his SMU players, but Baylor put more money (virtually doubling his salary) and support (two full-time assistants) on the table, while SMU athletic director Jim Copeland was willing to wave goodbye and wish him the best of luck.

How should SMU address the departing coach’s concerns about salary and overall budget? Not by throwing more money at it, according to Copeland.

“I’m comfortable that the budget we have for women’s soccer, salary included, as well as operations, will enable us to continue to win at the same level and maybe take a step up,” Copeland said.

Women’s college soccer has been booming and growing. Just to stay competitive for the best athletes, the now-departed Van Linder knew the SMU program needed upgrading, but was unable to get it from the SMU athletic department.

“Two years ago, we needed a goalkeeper coach, as did the men’s program,” Van Linder said. “We pitched the idea to the SMU athletic department of splitting the cost of the goalie coach between our department budgets and sharing him.”

The SMU coaches thought the athletic department was responsive to the idea. Instead, Van Linder said he and Hyndman personally paid for the goalkeeping assistance, at a personal cost of $10,000 each.

Cooper said that Hyndman would be a voting member of that committee and Copeland said they would lean heavily on his soccer and coaching expertise. Copeland, of course, has the final say. But past coaching searches became bogged down in committee opinionating and political input from local soccer sources.
Despite assurances of continued success by Copeland, future soccer players will be casting a discerning eye toward how SMU supports its programs behind the scenes. They are the ones who will judge whether the school is moving forward or stuck in neutral.
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Re: Women's soccer coach?

Postby PK » Sat Jan 25, 2003 7:52 pm

Unfortunately, SMU does not enjoy the extra cash flow from conference bowl games that the likes of Baylor and Kansas do. The reality is that until our "revenue" sports start bringing in more revenue and the SMU fans start increasing ther finacial support through Mustang Club membership, SMU is going to have a hard time giving our "non-revenue" sports the support they really need and deserve.
SMU's first president, Robert S. Hyer, selected Harvard Crimson and Yale Blue as SMU's colors to symbolize SMU's high academic standards. We are one of the few Universities to have school colors with real meaning...and we just blow them off.
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Re: Women's soccer coach?

Postby Ponymon » Sun Jan 26, 2003 11:26 am

I increased my membership up to Peruna ($1,000) this year (to show support for Bennett). Maybe some current members should consider doing the same!
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Re: Women's soccer coach?

Postby PonyTales » Fri Jan 31, 2003 8:05 pm

Are we ever going to hire a coach? Is there even a hiring process underway? Is the athletic department aware how good our soccer teams are, and how many soccer families there are in the community?

What effect is this having on recruiting?
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Re: Women's soccer coach?

Postby PX » Sun Feb 02, 2003 2:32 am

I spoke to someone involved with the search this evening, and he said that interviews should begin sometime next week. He wasnt real forthcoming with the information, wouldnt mention any names. Not much info, really, but its all I've been able to find out, so I thought I would pass this along.
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Re: Women's soccer coach?

Postby ClassOf81 » Mon Feb 03, 2003 12:09 pm

Thanks, PX. Let's just hope they get someone in that office before the first game, huh?
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Re: Women's soccer coach?

Postby FloridaMustang » Mon Feb 10, 2003 6:00 am

Keep us updated! Image
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Re: Women's soccer coach?

Postby WildHorse » Sun Feb 23, 2003 11:38 pm

Two months and counting without a coach....
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock ....

Mark Francis should be hired, no two ways about it.
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock ....

The men already have begun playing for the spring. Will the women even have spring workouts?
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock ....








[This message has been edited by WildHorse (edited 02-23-2003).]
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Re: Women's soccer coach?

Postby PX » Mon Feb 24, 2003 12:10 am

People on the search committee say that a new coach could be named next week. They wont tell me any possible names, apparently this is all a closely guarded secret.
I can tell you, though, that Mark Francis was never a candidate.
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Re: Women's soccer coach?

Postby FloridaMustang » Mon Feb 24, 2003 8:35 pm

Ugh...it's about time already...
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Re: Women's soccer coach?

Postby WildHorse » Mon Mar 03, 2003 12:27 pm

Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock ....

The women's team needs to know its plan for next year, and get some spring workouts in. HIRE A COACH ALREADY!
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