Lady Colonels’ coach readies for first season

On most Friday afternoons in early August, college students are home enjoying what is left of their summer before they return to the hectic school lives filled with numerous cups of coffee and cram sessions the night before an exam.

However, not all Nicholls State University students have the luxury of being lazy during the summer.

Take the Lady Colonels soccer team for instance.

Since taking over as Nicholls’ new soccer coach on July 1, Dylan Harrison has spent his time organizing preseason drills, trainings and practices for his team when they returned to campus.

Now that his team is back, the coach has a two-week time frame to get his team ready before the season opener Aug. 23 against Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Over the summer he’s kept in contact with his team to ensure it is ready for what he calls an “intense” preseason workout. They started things off with an inter-squad scrimmage on Friday.

“It’s going to be two or three times each day,” Harrison said. “Obviously fitness is going to be a big part of that, especially with some of the girls from up north who have to get re-acclimated to the weather. We’re just going to go hard at it and really try to set a team foundation.”

It’s been a long wait for the Lady Colonels, who didn’t know their coach until the state hiring freeze was lifted, but stepping back on the field ensured them that the season is right around the corner.

“Me personally, I’m excited,” the first-year head coach said. “A lot of what we do to prepare for the season is not on the field. We finally start seeing the kids come back in and they are getting excited. It’s beginning to be a reality that we’re getting into our season. It’s the best time of the year.”

“It’s been a long waiting period,” he added. “Hopefully the returning players are excited to come in, meet the new girls and get after it.”

Harrison has a tall order ahead of him. He takes over a program that was 2-16 a year ago and finished a disappointing 0-9 in Southland Conference play.

History hasn’t been much better for the Colonels’ squad either, as the team made their lone conference tournament following the 2003 season.

The 29-year-old Napoleonville native senses a taste of anxiousness among his team, because they are tired of losing and ready for something new, he said.

“I think they’re anxious because they are not exactly sure what to expect,” he said. “But at the same time, there is a sense of almost giddiness of what the possibilities are at this point in the preseason. They had a hard time these last few years so they are really looking for a change and I think they are going to take to it pretty early on.”

Looking at his team’s strong point, Harrison said experience would play a large part in the season. Altogether, 21 of the 25 players on the roster were on the team a year ago, and nearly all of them experienced playing time.

Of those 21, he expects his four seniors – midfielder Jessica Bedford, forward Alicia Gautreau, midfielder/defender Lauren Uffleman and midfielder/defender Tara Walsh – to be the leaders both on and off the field.

With the return of goalkeeper Molly Mersereau (junior), who redshirted last season with a season-ending shoulder injury, Harrison believes he has the right tools in place to turn the Lady Colonels’ fortunes around.

Just as his record as a coach reads 0-0, so do his players’ stats of previous years.

“The one thing we try to teach with a new coach is we all get a clean plate, so we ask the girls to come in and prove themselves right away,” Harrison said. “Some of the older ones like Jessica Bedford are going to be leaders. One player we are excited to have back is our goalkeeper Molly. I know she’s healthy and she’s worked hard this summer, but she is ready to get out there and play.”

“There’s a lot of girls I have coming in and fighting for those 11 positions,” he added. “They are all open positions and the girls realize that.”

Perhaps the toughest challenge Harrison said he faces right now is doing everything in such a short period of time. With a tough non-conference schedule to help prepare for conference, there is little – if any – room for error.

But the coach remains optimistic that his team will accept the challenge, and turn over a new leaf for Nicholls soccer.

“One of the main things for this year is getting players excited again with themselves, teammates and, at the end of the day, Nicholls State University,” he said. “We just want to bring in quality players that not only have the talent, but the right personality to succeed in this type of environment. It starts over the next few weeks, then the next few months and goes into building that program.”

“It’s not just about the team but the whole soccer program,” he added.

NSU Lady Colonels soccer coach Dylan Harrison goes through workouts with his team. In his first year at the helm of the Lady Colonels, Harrison said he is determined to turn the misfortunes of Nicholls soccer around and make them competitive. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER