It’s time for an encore.
When the U soccer team takes to the field this fall, it will face the greatest pressure the program has ever seen.
Of course, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, considering the team is coming off the best season in its history.
Prior to Rich Manning’s arrival as head coach last year, the Utes had never qualified for the NCAA Tournament. They had never before defeated archrival BYU. And never before were they considered a national contender.
But in a span of a precious few months, all that changed. The team stunned No. 4 Portland in its season opener and, just a week later, formally announced its presence to the nation with another surprise win over No. 18 Kentucky.
Over in Mountain West play, it’s now the Utes, not the Cougars, who own state bragging rights.
And as for the NCAA Tournament-ah, that’s already old hat by now.
What a difference a coach makes.
Last January, Manning took over as Utah’s coach, replacing Amy Winslow, who had been with the Utes since the inception of the soccer program in 1995.
The former Santa Clara associate head coach turned out to be quite a find. After turning around the Ute soccer program in just one year’s time, Manning was a runaway winner for MWC Coach of the Year honors.
The Utes rolled to a 13-4-3 record during the 2002 campaign, including a 4-1-1 record within the Mountain West. That first victory over BYU remained elusive during the regular season-as the Cougars prevailed 2-1 in an early November meeting.
But the re-energized Utes got them back when it counted, toppling their rivals 3-2 in the opening round of the NCAA Tourney at BYU’s own South Field, in front of a shocked crowd of more than 1,500.
Utah would stumble in the second round, but not before the rest of the conference-and the country-had already begun to take notice of this upstart coach and his upstart soccer team.
“What surprised me [last year] was that the team really took to whatever we wanted to do,” Manning said. “They took to it right away, especially the older players. Usually, you have a transition where people are kind of fighting it, or struggling to understand and adjust to it. [But] they showed a lot of commitment and trust.”
Of course, with success comes a higher profile and greater expectations. But things won’t get any easier in 2003.
The Utes already have some adversity to overcome.
Sophomore defender Katie Battazzo, an integral part of the team’s success last season on her way to all-MWC first-team honors, suffered a knee injury against BYU last season.
Unfortunately, the knee has not healed properly over the summer. Battazzo will be forced to endure another surgery and will miss the entire 2003 season.
To add insult to injury, the team was dealt another blow when incoming freshman Adele Letro, “probably our best recruit,” according to Manning, was declared academically ineligible by the NCAA.
But despite the setbacks and the loss of six seniors, including three all-conference selections, the team doesn’t expect a drop-off in play this season. In fact, anything less than a repeat trip to the NCAAs would be a considerable disappointment.
“I think if you ask the players, they would be really disappointed if we didn’t get back,” Manning said.
But the Utes won’t sneak up on anyone this season, and what remains to be seen is how they can adapt to the spotlight.
“I don’t think it will be tougher [this season],” Manning said. “I think that the players have gained a lot of experience and confidence. Now it’s not such a far-off notion that we want to go to the playoffs, or we want to win games or win the conference.
Those are the things they’ve always said in the past, but now I think they’ve experienced it and they understand more about what it takes. I think they’re hungrier to get back there.”
Once again, the team will rely on a strong veteran core. Seven seniors will highlight this year’s group, including returning all conference selections Missy Dennis and Jen Williams.
“The upperclassman leadership we have is solid,” Manning said. “The experience they got last year did a world of good for them. And I think we have a terrific freshman class, even without Letro. I expect that we will contend for the conference championship.”