Aug. 23, 2016
Head Coach Erica Dambach Opening Statement
Good morning everyone, it was great to be back in action this past weekend out on Jeffery Field. Every year it's exciting to be the first sporting event in the fall season. We benefit greatly from being the only show in town and this year was no exception. Obviously with over 5,500 people showing up at Jeffery Field creating one of the best atmosphere I've ever seen in college women's soccer. I was really pleased with the performances from our group this past weekend against West Virginia and Hofstra and obviously we are all excited to be back and playing at home again this Friday night. So thrilled to have Nickolette Driesse with us here, our senior captain and excited to get started.
Q: Coach, at the end of the season last year you played unbelievable defense. Do you see you being able to build that kind thing again this year?
Coach Dambach: Well I think obviously our defense is going to be different this year. We have different personnel in three out of the five spots right now and that's going to create some differences; but, I think what we say this past weekend, these players are already coming into that role. As we remember back to the early part of last year that was not the case with our defense. We had a lot of growth that needed to happen in a very short period of time and that's going to be the case again. We had a lot of young players last year in that backline and under the leadership of Britt Eckerstrom they were able to grow quickly. It's going to be the case, Brittany Basinger is going to take on that role, Elizabeth Ball is going to take on that role. So it was an evolution last year, and I would say our starting point this year is pretty similar to where we were last year. The question is, were will the end point be, and that still remains to be seen.
Q: Charlotte Williams obviously had a huge game Sunday. In what ways has she grown since her first year in the program to now?
Driesse: Charlotte coming in, she was young and I think that we all saw the talent right from the start. Over time she was getting into video sessions and doing the work on her own. You see her out there early every single practice. So, I think that her hard work has paid off and you can definitely tell.
Coach Dambach: She's creative as it gets and she's two-footed, shifty and it's tough to tackle her. You got to chase her down if you want to tackle her and that's not easy to do. Typically, when you see her dispossessed it's because there are three players around her and that's been a goal of ours, to limit her touches a bit and that she's evolved in that. I think she believes now what she can do. She's showing what she's capable of doing and she's got a tremendous upside. She was a skier in high school. She's playing year round for the first time in her life and she's only going to get better.
Q: Nickolette how heavy have the expectations felt on the entire team after the way you guys performed at the end of last year?
Driesse: We were performing very well, winning a National Championship and coming off of that you don't really know what you're expecting. I think that the coaches have done a great job driving the standard and setting the expectation and I think that we've developed that standard for everyone. The freshmen coming in and we all have bought into that and I think that if we can do that we will all be very successful.
Q: Last year at the College Cup you talked a lot about wanting to be the best team on Sunday and kind of the mentality that goes into scheduling a lot of Sunday games. Just talk about what the transition is and how the week of practice looks knowing that sometimes you'll be playing on Friday and then again on Sunday.
Coach Dambach: It's been an area of focus for us over the course of the last few seasons. One of the things that we've changed is early in the week we tend to talk about both opponents so that we've wrapped our minds around that fact that it's a two game weekend. Obviously, in all sports you want to make sure that you focus on the next opponent; but, in this particular case you've got to make sure that you wrap your head around the fact that we've got to put in a strong performance on both days. If you're successful on Friday and you don't have success on Sunday then it's all for not. I think in terms of the way we handle their bodies, the way we handle their training, their mentally preparation, we make sure because that Saturday turnaround is quick. Often times that's a regen session, it is recovery. I would say this past Sunday, the standard wasn't as high as we need it to be. We've got some work to do in the mentality of Sunday matches. We've to understand that maybe the pace isn't going to be as quick, or the engines aren't going to be as strong; but, there's still a standard that we have to uphold. Like I said we've got some work to do in that area still.
Q: How do you think teams are going to approach Penn State differently than they did last year after being National Champions?
Coach Dambach: We'll we certainly earned the right to have a target on our back and we've got to embrace that. I think this team has done a nice job of embracing that role. We all know what it feels like to go out on a Friday night against defending National Champions. Everybody thrives in that environment, everybody gets excited. They get up for those games and we feel that. We feel opponents certainly coming at us in the early part of the game. We've got to make sure we're prepared for it, we match that intensity and grow on top of that as well. We've got to be prepared to see everyone's best match and that's the right that we've earned.
Q: Erica for you, have the demand/expectations on you changed at all in the last year?
Coach Dambach: Since this program started in 1994, obviously the standard has been high. Four years later they're already winning Big Ten Championships and won the next fifteen straight. I think that this has all been building the growth of the program, the development of this program, under all three coaches has been tremendous. The standard of success, the tradition of success has always led to getting over that hurdle of winning the national championship. So, in terms of maintaining that standard, I don't think it's changed. The exception has always been to be the best at Penn State. You see that across all 31 programs. We've finally gotten over that hurdle so that next challenge is to maintain that success - just like women's volleyball and wrestling has done. They've given us a good blueprint of how to maintain that level. But, in terms of changes in expectations, no, that's always been the expectation, is to be the best.
Q: With the women who are gone for the U20s this year how tough of a call is that. I realize you have your own perspective with your history with the national program. So, do you think because of that maybe your view point is different than coaches who say we don't want you to miss the semester?
Coach Dambach: Well, I think the interesting part of the U20s is when we recruit these players, we recruit them through the conversations of we will support you in all of your goals and dreams and Nickolette was one of them. Many of them have aspiration of playing at the next level. Whether that's playing at the World Cup or whether that's professionally. So, shame on us if we talk out of the both sides so our mouth in terms of, we want to help you get there but when you do get there we're not going to support you if it doesn't fall in our best interest. There was never a question in my mind as to whether or not we were going to support these players. To the contrary, in the past we've supported them and we've seen other players grow tremendously. Charlotte Williams is a great example. She might not have gotten those opportunities. Mallory Weber got opportunities her freshman year that she wouldn't have gotten otherwise and now she's competing in the NWSL. That may not have been the case. So, as a coach, I'm celebrating those opportunities and those challenges. Already this weekend Marissa Sheva and Charlotte Williams and Nickolette already showed great chemistry. They may not have gotten that opportunity had the situation been any different.
Q: Not to mention you're getting four players back who will have that experience for next year's team, correct?
Coach Dambach: Yeah, without a doubt. Including this season, our depth has grown tremendously over the last two years. I think, even as short as three years ago you didn't see the depth coming off the bench. We had wonderful team chemistry and great support. But in terms of player impact coming off the bench that has grown. That was one of our strengths last year and it already appears to be one of our strengths this year. I think our training staff and our strength staff has done a nice job working with these guys to work with their bodies and to manage the minutes. But yeah, getting these guys experience and bringing them back into the fold is exciting.
Q: You guys have had some significant contributions from your freshman class. What has made them different from your average freshman and helped them play right away?
Driesse: Being that the U20s are gone, I think that we had to set the standard for those freshmen and let them know that this is your time, this is your chance. I think that they know that and they've embraced that and by giving them that confidence that it's their time know, I think that they've done a really good job with that.
Coach Dambach: The impact of Grace Fisk and Amanda Dennis this weekend and obviously Laura Freigang coming off the bench as well was certainly felt immediately. They looked like they were seasoned veterans by the end of the weekend. So, I was really impressed by the way they handled the pressure.
Q: Talk about the conference this year. What do you see coming out of the Big Ten? Looking ahead what would be some of the real big contests this year.
Coach Dambach: I think it's already looking to be a really competitive season. I think obviously Wisconsin comes back with a lot of talent and Rose Lavelle in my opinion is a future women's national team player. I think she's one of the best in the country. That road trip, Minnesota, Wisconsin will prove to be extremely challenging for us. A big part of the Big Ten play for us is that we've got a big target on our back and we always get their best match. So, I think what we see on paper or what we see in film tends to be a little bit different than what we see when we step out on the field and we embrace that challenge.