Alrighty, everyone, welcoming to the Grizzly Den here on the SDH Network. That's what we're calling it. It's says show going to be weekly talking about everything. Georgia Gwinnette Soccer. I'm Madison Cruz. Join with me. Is head coach of the men's soccer program, Steve to Chew. Steve, how have you been good?
Good? Preseason's done? So those double days are over and now it's into the season starting and so just looking forward to that and loving the opportunity to work with these guys.
Let's go ahead talk about that that matchup as well. You guys started the season. That actually was yesterday. You guys got the two nil win over Campbellsville. Talk about that matchup. What impressed you the most, especially your guys coming out strong and getting your first one of the season.
Well, we've got just four returning starters from last year's team, so a lot of new guys, a lot of transfers, so they're at least accustom to college soccer. But to understand our system, our core values are just the intricacies of the way we want things done, the way they've come together. Good first game, we still got a long way to go. We're gonna look a lot better and a week, a month, three months down the road. But yeah, anytime you can go on the road and get a win, you'll take it.
With the roster, with how much turnover there is and only having four returners, having a lot of like just new players coming into the squad, it's great that they're accustomed to the soccer game, but how difficult hasn't been to get them bought into the system you guys are trying to do. But also as well, you know how important was it to have the preseason and all those scrimmages as well to allow them to get acclimated before this match.
Yeah, it's that's the challenge with coaching, is is it's more the psychology, the psychological getting them all on the same page, because they're all good, very good players. But as opposed to other sports like our baseball team, softball team, they get a whole semester to work on implementing culture, on getting their playing style in place. We have seventeen days from the first time we met until yesterday. So but but you ask, how difficult is it that starts
in the recruiting process. You kind of tell them who you are, this is what we're about, this is what we're going to do, and that's when they start to buy in. And that's when they start to understand things. And through the communication throughout the you know, the rest of the academic year into this summer, they have a
bit of an understanding what's going on. So it's not the first time they hear it when they step foot on campus, but you know, roles in the team, starter, sub bench player, to get that all figured out, to understand what I can do to improve to help this team. That's kind of where we are right now. Still I think we've got a good handle on who the top sixteen seventeen guys are, but you know that always changes, and that's kind of where the team is right now.
Get ourselves some areas we've got to improve on. But if it's we just played game one, so we can't expect perfection today.
It's just got to keep working. Especially but with that recruitment process, What are some of the things that you do to help sell players in on coming to Georgia Guinnett. I mean, I know one thing for me, if I was an athlete coming for the facilities would be number one for me for sure.
Yeah, but you're gonna mat You'll find great places that have great facilities, and maybe the culture isn't good. You'll find places that have terrible facilities. But it's about the people absolutely, and I think that's the first thing we sell as the people and what makes this place great. It's not the buildings, it's not the field. It's the people in the locker room. It's the coaching staff, it's the support staff, in the athletic office, it's the athletic director,
it's the administration. Now, having said that, we sell location. For these guys who are coming from overseas, it's a direct flight to Atlanta. There you are. It's everything you want in Lawrenceville is within walking distance of campus. We're what thirty to forty five minutes from downtown, so you know, you can go check out a Milandi United game. My guys, a lot of them love the Hawks and so they'll get down to catch a Hawks games. Some of them
go and get a they'll see a Falcons game. But what I say about Georgia Gwinnette is I think I've got one of the best non powerful jobs in the country, based on facilities, based on the university based on the people, because the question is asked, why have you been there fourteen years now? We've had unbelievable success in my time here, but the answer is where am I going to go
where it's any better? It's we've got one of the best jobs, one of the best programs to sell, and so that's what we sell.
I love that because I think the one thing that's alwaystood out to me with Georgia Gunette is just I think just how close knit everyone is with everything. And I'm really looking forward to just being a part of it this season and getting the chance to call some of those matches because it's always such a treat whenever I get to come up there as well, because what you guys have done up there with not more program, with the women's program, and just with everything I'll do
with Georgia Guinnette is is unbelievable. And this also the calling card for anyone who hasn't come to a game. You got a lot of them this season. You got to come out to a couple of the women's that it will be fun. Let's talk about that matchup coming up as well against Brasia. That's going to be Saturday at tomorrow. Actually, the women will be kicking off their season tomorrow. You guys will be having your second game
of the season. What are some things that stand out to you from Bracia, but also what are some things you want to see from your team to improve upon from the last matchup?
The game last night against Dalton. I don't I don't think they ended till like eleven thirty. Because of a lightning delay, we didn't get to see much of it until this morning. They're a very organized team, new coach, a bit of a younger team, so they've got that fire, that passion they try to play. What we're going to have to do is just be effective with the ball. Got to keep it simple, keep the ball moving, and then get it to the get it to the big men.
And when I say big men are two starting number nine's are both you know, six, two sixty three, they're they're monsters. And so we have an advantage over most teams with regards to that. So I want to see us be a little bit cleaner getting into the final third and getting more chances created. We got the ball in there yesterday. I just thought we overplayed a little too much and didn't get the shots off like we wanted. But if we can come out of there again with
a clean sheet, that's the most important thing. So clean sheet, score one more score at least one goal, and I'll be a happy man.
Let's go back to talking about a lot of the players that you recruited, a lot of the new players here too. I want to switch it over to maybe the four returners as well. How important have they been, especially in helping establish the culture with some of the new guys being those veteran fases that have been there already and having them be such an integral part this season and helping getting everyone together.
Yeah, it's well, it's not four returners, it's four starters from last year. So there's about twelve guys, twelve to twelve to thirteen guys and then about fourteen to fifteen new guys. But to your point there, they understand culture, they understand what we're about. But with a new assistant
this year, so new players. Steve McGinnis, my former system of nine years, got the Cocher University head coaching job, and so we brought in Tom Bentham from Dalton State and we're kind of trying to tweak some things with what we do with more of an emphasis on values and things like that, so they understand what they're getting into. And so for the new guys, even for them, it's been a bit of a change, and so it's been more about the coaches just making sure that we're very
precise and deliberate about what we are emphasizing. So everything goes back to our four core values, which is love, excellence, respect, and responsibility. So pregame talks, training sessions. If things aren't right, you know, are you living up to the standard. So the new guys are kind of obviously it's it's brand new to them, but even to some of the returners, and that's been the thing I've asked them. I'm like, what do you guys think? And they love it. They
just feel the clarity. It's simplified the old handbook that we used to give out and all coaches do. It's probably that thick and you didn't know what was important. We've simplified it down to like two pages, so that's all they're thinking about. And then the football side of things, it's make it simple, get back to basics and work on that. And we're just trying to want them to think. You want the players just to react and to just go do what they're capable of. When you have to
think is when you get in trouble. And I think that's kind of where we are a little bit right now with the two scrimmages we had last night's game. They're getting it, but they're still Once we can get them on autopilot and go, then that's when they're going to be their most deadly.
It's something listen and playing rec soccer. It's something my friend will scream to me sometimes too when I'm playing up top. She'd be like, just don't think.
It's like, just go.
And that's exactly what it is with all of that too, I mean like it brings up the idea of I think something that I love talking about with the game is like the mentality side and how important it is to the match. A lot of people don't talk about it. They don't think it's like, oh, it's whatever, you know, you're just kicking a ball. It's like there's so much more that goes into it. When you do have those situations where you're trying to instill in them, hey, don't
overthink it, don't try to do too much. Just keep it simple. How has that been Trying to just like relay that to them and not allow them to overthink and get stressed out in those moments.
When I figure it out, I'm going to write a book and I'll make millions. It's it's just patients. It's just patients with them understand Showing them on film what they've done right, what they've done wrong, Uh, showing it on the on the blackboard, you know, x's and o's, so they can understand, just another understand idea of what they're supposed to do, and then when they do it right, just praise them. You know last night with with some of the goals that were scored, the shots that were taking,
you know, you saw good things out of that. It's in training when you see something right, you're you're just hey, that's exactly what we want well done. You know, like right now the Nines, if they could just quicker touch shot, that would be perfect. But it's there. I'm not going to coach them on that. They know what to do. They're just thinking they want to get that first goal.
They're they're starting to put the pressure on themselves. And I was like, come, on we got It's a long season, guys, I need you, You're gonna it's gonna come.
So yeah, last one for you, coach, and it's one just or viewers as well who maybe aren't familiar with your style and the way that Georgia Gwinnett does play. What what are some things you want people to take away from when they do watch you guys on the field. What what you would you say is the personality of this team? It's a loaded question. It's a loaded question.
No, we want to be You're going to come out and you're going to see a very organized, discipline, defensive group. You're going to see teams that are going to cheer for the for winning the first and second ball, for the for the hustle play, for the getting stuck in out of tackle. I mean, everybody knows when a goal scorer, that's when you cheer. So what you're going to hopefully see is just a team that embraces and enjoys winning the physical battles, but also a team that can play
some pretty good football. A team that can get it down, move it around, play play through the lines. We can attack and beat you in different ways. We can go right through your heart, through the middle. We can get balls out wide. We've got athletes who whipping crosses. Yesterday, that's what it was. The first goal came from a wing back, got it, got the ball, beat his man around the corner, whips across in shortest guy in the
field scores a header. Unbelievable second goal. Great pressure, We counterpressed, won the ball back. The striker attacks the near post, plays a little diagonal ball back and one of the eights comes on and hits it. First time goal. And so you're going to see a team that is organized, disciplined, feisty. I love having that streak about you. I don't mind getting stuck eminal defender, so I'd rather kick people and score goals. That's what I love. And so hopefully that
team has that bit of bite about him. But the fact that when you come out, when we're on the ball, we can play, and that's what we've been known for as a ball playing team. It's just one of the focuses this year has been to get us back to just stingy. It's how many clean sheets can we get now? That's what we've been preaching, and we got our first last night. So really happy with that, but yeah, that's what you're going to see out of us.
Well, coach, thank you so much for taking the time and joining us here on the Grizzly.
Then the Grizzly love it, We love it.
Up next on the Grizzly Then I had the chance to catch up with head coach of the women's program for Georgia Gleennett and head coach Mike Giuliano. So that's coming up next. We're getting ready for the upcoming twenty twenty five season for the for you guys, and I want to ask too, how is preseason been for you guys getting ready?
Well, it's it's uh, it's exciting and strange and wonderful all in the same way. Because this is my first team here in my nine years here where we have as many new players as we have returning players. Wow, And anytime that happens, you both have the thrill of possibility and the fear of of you.
Know, team meltdown breakdown.
So so far has been very very good, and you know, we're trying some new things on the pitch and so far it's gone well. But of course we haven't played anyone outside of friendlyes and so we'll find out tomorrow night and we'll see see if you're ready.
Yeah, it's a it's a quick turnaround for you guys. But let's talk about that new squad, you know, like for you finding the balance with then bringing in some of those new guys and then bringing in some of the older turners. How has it been like bringing all them together not only on the pitch, but also letting them get to know each other off of.
It as well.
Yeah, you know, we're you know, like most coaches were big into culture and trying to find ways to to have fun. That we start every every training session with the player joke of the day. I never want them to criticize me for my bad dad jokes because their jokes of the day.
Are twice as bad as mine are.
But anyway, so I think team culture's gone as well as I could have possibly dreamed. Uh. And I think at this point, going to the season, I would say that we we know we're deeper than ever. This is by far the deepest team I've ever had. If you were to watch tomorrow night, I think you'll see us play more players than we ever have before. And that's a good problem to have when you're when you're when your whole DNA is to be high pressure, full court press, to use a basketball term.
Uh.
In terms of how we play the game, it's it's it's very valuable to have you know that many plays, you players you can trust. You know we have we have three Division one transfers in. We have two players to start for their countries national teams that have joined us. So I think, I think for sure we're better. Offensively, we're deeper.
Uh.
Defensively, we lost what I think is the best, the best center back in the country. She's now playing in that whole crazy Division one. You can have a six year of eligibility if you come from an AI She's now playing for Florida International right now. And and we also lost I think the best goalkeeper in the country.
So defensively we'll see. But offensively so you know, we're perfect. We're a perfect kind of team for an American audience who all our heads not be eight to seven, you know, I mean, that's that's what Americans want anyway, So hopefully, well we'll see how that goes.
It's interesting as well, I think you look back at last season and for you as a coach, what are some of the biggest things that you want to see continue from last season, but then something you maybe want to see improved from last season too.
Sure, I think I think improvement is qubatly easier. You know, coach sit around thinking how do we get better? And I think I think dealing with the inevitable negative moments. You give up a late goal and you didn't expect to and suddenly you're down by a goal late. We did make some comebacks last year, but I felt like I wanted to see more of a fight there and and so and then tactically and technically or more taclic. I guess we are we are gonna die in the
hill of being a better small ball possession team. And it's never been a major emphasis of mine. I'm not interested in just kicking and running, but I am interested in having no more athletic team.
And if that means that we've got to go over the top, we go over the top.
But we have decided that we just don't possess the ball as much as we need to, and so we are working very hard. Uh and and in the friendlies it looked spectacular until the last one, which we still won. The game, and we didn't give up any goals, but it wasn't quite. You know, when you play a better and better team, then you find out where your new plans are exposed. So I really want to see us
possessed better. I want to see us keep the ball longer, and I want to see his fight through the mentally adverse time.
So every team has.
As a head coach, how hard is it to kind of get your girls rally behind that idea? Because it can be really difficult, like in a matchup when you are down and trying to fight back into the match and get that things back going as well. How how hard is it for you to kind of delegate that with the girls? But then also, is there anyone else that has come forward within the group to help lift everybody up?
I think so, I think so.
But again, you know we're, oh, no, we haven't lost a game this year, and so who knows? You know, we you know, we have we have an interesting first game against a team that we tend to do really
well against. Last year was nine to zero at our place, but at their place it's always really hard and they have you know, it's a campus that's just gone through an unbelievable adversity because they were in the floods and so they have I had someone tell me that, you know, right now, that's such a rallying point for them and things like that. But then after that game, how over that game goes. We turn around and we play a team that we just don't match up well, we never do.
And then after that, we got a little team called the defending National Champions in our third game. So so we've got to figure this out quickly, and we've got to We've got to find out if we have that player Madison we got.
We got to see if we have that player who can say it's fine, ladies, it's fine.
Yeah, we're down by goal, but there's there's twenty minutes left, there's fifteen minutes left.
Let's see what happens. So we'll see. We'll find out starting tomorrow.
Is there a player that has I don't want to say surprised, but is there a player in the preseason or even coming in for the spring training and everything that's really stood out to you on the roster?
Yeah? I could name a bunch, but let me just name one.
You know you tend to I had one of my former players that lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, and she called and she said, she said, Kush Mike, he said, she said, I have this player on my club team and we're playing a team the other day of all D one signees and everybody on the pitch was D one signees.
And he says, and she's not.
She hasn't got much attention to do you one, and I think she's as better than all of them.
And I thought, okay, well.
I haven't stayed in touch with you as much as I like, but you know, I've always trusted you. And so we watched it that Okay, I don't see she's better than all the D one, you know, but you know what she I know she's better than all the D one I certainly signed.
He's out there.
But Hande Lorenz from from Vancouver has been a revelation. She's a freshman, probably for one game. I mean, she we're just so loaded at midfield. She may not get the first eleven tomorrow, but like I said, we will play. We'll play twenty players tomorrow, win loser, draw, just because we are just it's our superpower. As Madison, as you've been on sports every team has that one thing they're really good at. Well, it looks like this year's team is going to be that. We just have And I'll
give you an example. We play, you know, we have different short sided games and things like that, or even eleven v. Eleven which we occasionally do. I think the second team has won those games eighty percent of the time so far. Last game when we broke down the game, the second team out played the first team, and so so she'll definitely play. But I'd say Hannah has been just my goodness, I mean, she's just she's just incredible.
With all of the depth that you have, how hard is it for you as a head coach to come up with the starting eleven with how much depth you have and how much tools you have in.
Your tool well, at two positions, at the attacking mid the eight and tens, and at the outside back position, which in four to three three is critically important position.
I basically had to go to three players because there's two.
Of those, right, there's an eight and ten, there's a seven, there's a set in that set eleven, two and five, whatever it is. Anyway, I had to go to three players and go, look, I have three starting outside backs, but only two of you are going to start, so you need to take one for the team. And if you're not in that first know that you're going to play.
There's no scenario. But unless the first two are just really what Hannah did in the first friendly, I had her schedule for fifteen minutes and I got to the fifty minute markets I'm not taking her out. I want to see more of this. But for the most part, it's getting them to buy into the fact that that if you know, if we do our thing, if it matters, If you're flying the wall and came to our our locker room, you'd think, Okay, what are you a California team?
What's going on?
Because there's there's beach images everywhere because we've all agreed that if we don't finish at the final site. We've made the national tournament every year i've been here, but we haven't always made the national final site. And if we don't make the final site in Pensacola, Florida, it will not be the season we plan for to be. So if you walked in, you'd see pictures, you'd see posters of of things that each got. They each got seashells in their locker areas. We have one goal and
that's to get to Pensacola. And then once you get there, anything as sketch at Savannah College of Arts and Design show last year, anything can happen once you're at the final site.
So what I'm hearing is when we're in the booth and we're there calling games, we got to make sure we have seashells and everything all over the Absolutely.
Absolutely, you got to give a lot of a lot of ocean metaphors, you know, that will that will resonate with us. And again, you don't need to win every game to have a good experience. But the fact is that, I mean, I told them, I said, in my second year here, we made the final site, and we thought we would we'd never not be at the final site after that. But then COVID hit, some financial adversity, hit all sorts of things, and we've we've still been very strong.
We've won every conference championship since then, except for one we lost in PKS. But that's just not good enough here, and it's not good enough just to make the national tournament.
I mean, what a night.
You know, we got to buy in the first round. Last year we got the second round. We got Scad, who ended up winning the national championship. Twenty minutes left, it's a two to one game, Scad, and we get a pk H taken by a player who had never missed a penalty kick until then. And then and then that was such an emotionally difficult moment that we pushed everybody ahead.
And then they scored a couple late. But that just shows you how close we were.
I mean, you know, we took the team that would win the national championship a few two weeks later. You know, we took them right to the wire, and so we were not far away. And we certainly have the offense. Are my people now that are the starting you know, defenders? Is my new goalkeepers?
You know?
Are they ready to be at the level we need to be a top five team. That's going to be the question mark. And I believe they are. I believe we've had some people come and step up. We'll we'll see tomorrow.
I want to ask as well, for many people who maybe don't know much about your program and what you do over there at Georgia, Gunnette, how would you describe the way that you want this team to play and the personality of this team.
Well, okay, so if you got me on the air and you said, okay, Mike, you got ten seconds, tell us your style of play. I go, okay, ten seconds, minimum touches, maximum movement, monsters pressure. There I'm done, So now we can move on to the next question. And really, while I've sort of revived one of them a little bit, but or sort of revides one of them a little bit, monsters pressure is at the core of what we want to be.
We want to be a team that.
When Pep Guardiola was at Barcelona, not that we're Barcelona level, but when he was there, he had things called the Barses seven where when they lost the ball they had seven seconds to get the ball back, and so you may hear us occasionally on the sideline went seven six. Actually we're not Barcelona' who we give them eight seconds eight seven six five. So we want to be a high pressure team, but this year we also want to possess out of the back more. I just think I
think we're not We're not a kickball team. Nobody players would say that we're a kickball team. But I think that we are a team that wants to get the ball.
Up so fast that sometimes we just lose it too quickly. And so we have worked all and.
I basically told the team, I said, hey, I'm if it doesn't go well, I'm going to die in this sill. We are going to be, you know, a small ball possession team from the back, seventy percent more than we were last year. And I just believe we need the ball more. And so that's who I know will be high pressure. I hopefully will be a better small ball team out of the back. And I will say this very excited about this. We have a fitness requirement like most college teams do. By far, Madison the most fit
team I've ever had. We have thirteen new players, and thirteen out of thirteen past it. The healthy ones passed it. I think there was one unhealthy player, and so certainly we're physically capable of playing my brand of soccer.
See now you know how it plays out as we play a real opponent tomorrow.
Well let's get into that matchup as well. You guys are on the road going to Montreat as well to face them at five thirty pm. I know you can't give away too much, but what's the early scouting report for you guys heading in.
That's that's that's really a hard question they have. They had two friendly scheduled. One was canceled and the other one was at their place and nobody's talking, and it was probably one of those you don't tell anyone about us. We won't tell anyone about you because the other school hasn't contacted me back.
So I literally don't know anything.
And matters when you've gone through what they have gone through with, you know, the flood and loss of life. Even at the school, who knows they might be twice as good or half as good as last year.
I don't know.
And so I will tell my team the same speech when I'm in this situation and we scout everybody, but when when we don't have a chance to scout, I will tell them. You know, I want you to act like there's a there's a timeout five minutes of the game, and I want you to tell me the following. Who's the most dangerous player in the pitch for them? And why is she dangerous? Is she just fashioned everybody else? Is Is she a ball wizard? She can just out dribble them?
It?
Is she physically a beast. I mean, what is it about her? And then secondly, formationally, how do they play it? And do they have to keep three in the back? And I'll say I need you to know that five minutes into the game because I can't tell you this sign because we don't know. Part of me, if I'm honest with you, part of me likes that a little bit because it basically says, this game isn't about what they have, It's about what we have.
And so we were not going to adjust to them because we don't know what to adjust to. So we're gonna play our game, They're going to play their game, and we're going to see how it goes.
I mean, last time we played there, it was they were winning with night I think twenty one minutes left and we end up scoring.
Too late and beat them two to one.
Historically, they've been a team that we can have quite a bit success in other schools I've seen have quite a bit success on the road against them. But up there in the mountains of North Carolina, crazy things happen. You know, I don't know, you know, maybe there's a moon shine up there. I don't know what it is, but crazy things happen and so we'll see how it goes well.
I'm looking forward to watching it, coach, and even two getting for the home opener next week on Tuesday. Excited to be on the call for that. When you guys face for it, McConnell, it's going to be a ton of fun and Coach, thank you so much for taking the time.
Thank you, Madison. Glad to be here.