Women’s soccer has a new superstar, but she doesn’t pass, kick, and shoot anymore. She roams the sidelines, fostering soccer bliss and dreams of an NCAA birth. This new superstar is first year head coach Wendy Dillinger, a soccer guru with a proven track record and spectacular resume to boot.
When asked about goals for the present season, Dillinger replied, “We need to develop our own style of play. We need to be consistent, physical. If so, we will challenge for the UAA right off the bat and possibly compete for an NCAA bid.”
Certainly this coach has come to expect no less of this year’s team. Dillinger played soccer at the University of Indiana in the mid 90s and will use this experience to help shape the experience of Washington University’s soccer players. “At Indiana we played our conference top to bottom, we had to constantly make adjustments in personnel” commented Dillinger, who implied she was ready for any types of adjustment she would need to make at WU.
Dillinger also spent time with the Atlanta Beat, a member of the new professional women’s soccer league. “With the Beat, we had daily training in a competitive atmosphere. Each of the players was pushed beyond their comfort zone, and high expectations were always the norm.”
Coach Dillinger expects to implement this system here at WU. “We have intense competitive practices, but we try to keep it positive. We all have a passion for the game.” She plans to push players beyond their limits and keep the players on their toes.
Various styles of soccer are played on the varying competitive levels. World Cup fans have become accustomed to 0-0 ties and defensive struggles, but Coach Dillinger thinks of herself as an offensive minded coach. “I am offensive minded, but I know we need to have a go-to defense to be successful. For this, we started work on defense and then moved to offense in training,” said Dillinger.
Coach Dillinger is elated to be coaching at WU for another reason, too. She graduated from high school in St. Charles, MO, so she’s a hometown girl. “I am very excited to be home coaching, that’s why I took the job. I think this should produce success,” said Dillinger.