Union University’s women’s soccer team recently named a new interim head coach—Anna Hardin, the team’s previous assistant coach. Typically, changes like this bring uncertainty, but many players were excited to recognize a familiar face.
Hardin was the assistant coach for two years before taking on this new role. She believes that this has been beneficial for not only the returning players, but the new players as well.
“I have been around the group of returners who came back this year, so I really know and understand those players as individuals. Because I already had their trust coming into this new role, it really helped,” Hardin said. “They helped transition the incoming players, because we had a lot of them, and they were able to assure them that it would be good with me in charge.”
Rylee Iorio, who is playing her third season as goalkeeper, feels similarly about the situation.
“Coming in, we didn’t want to have a new coach. We knew a week before coming back that our old coach was leaving,” Iorio said. “A lot of us were relieved when Anna was named head coach because she has been around us for two years and knows all of us well. It has been a nice transition because it minimized the newness.”
The team already feels the benefits of having Hardin two years prior to this new position. She has seen the team practice and compete, and she understands what the players need in order to be successful. This may look different from previous seasons, as Hardin has already implemented changes of her own, as well as team rebuilding strategies to help make this transition easy.
“Some things have been kept, but during preseason we focused on some changes—specifically, team bonding to help us understand each other better as teammates,” Hardin said. “I believe that if everyone knows each other as individuals, the whole team will function better together.”
Hardin is making an effort to prioritize creating a positive environment and creating relationships that go beyond the field.
“They know I want what’s best for the team, and so I’d rather be honest with them and tell them what they need to work on and help guide them through that,” Hardin said. “I also want them to voice positivity more and step up as leaders and take ownership of the team.”
Iorio has also felt this shift in attitude as a player.
“I think that there has been an increase in positivity. Not that our previous coach was super negative, but the atmosphere she [Hardin] wants to create is a super positive environment,” Iorio said.
There are inherent duties that come with being a collegiate athlete. Expectations are high, and players feel constant pressure. Hardin has made it a priority to ease this stress and remind her players of the joy and love they have for the game.
“We have talked a lot as a team about what we want from this season,” Hardin said. “We want to be competitive, but we want to do it joyfully. While we are being competitive and working hard, it is still a game that we all love, so let’s have fun while doing it.”
This change in atmosphere and increase in personal relationships among teammates has already proven to be successful. The team has played two scrimmage games so far this season, the first against Freed-Hardeman University, which resulted in a 4-0 win for Union.
“I feel really great about their potential,” Hardin said. “I told the girls to go have fun, play soccer, because they know soccer, and the rest will come.”
After a slow start to the season and a home game cancellation due to the pandemic, Hardin and her players are continuing to prepare and work hard.
The team will be playing their first home game of the season during Union’s Family Weekend, Sept 24 at 5:00 p.m at the Smith Memorial Soccer Complex.
Photo by Laila Al-Hagal
