May 5, 2005

With the 2005 spring season complete, Duke women's soccer head coach Robbie Church sat down with GoDuke.com to talk about the spring, the upcoming summer and next season.

GoDuke.com: How would you rate how the spring season ended up?

Robbie Church: I thought we had a very good spring season. It was different in the sense that we had big numbers that were returning. We had larger numbers, which lets us expand what we were doing in the spring. I was very happy. We don't spend a lot of time in the tactical situations in the spring; we spend a lot of time on development and individual players in the spring. And I think our players got better. I think we made a lot of progress in the weight room and technically becoming a better team. I thought overall our spring was very productive.

GoDuke.com: What are your main goals to accomplish in the spring?

Robbie Church: Development, no question about it. Like I said, we don't do a lot of stuff on tactical, you know with big numbers; we play a lot of small size, a lot of 4 v. 4, 5 v. 5s, 6 v. 6s. So everybody gets a lot of touches on the ball. We do a lot of technical work: Billy does a lot of work with the team technically. We obviously do a lot of work with Coach Houser in the spring, trying to make our good athletes better athletes. This spring for the first time we've done a lot of work in the weight room, and Anne had come in and really set a new attitude in the weight room.

GoDuke.com: What have you been working on to try to improve the team for 2005?

Robbie Church: With our league that we play in, with our conference schedule that we have, and with the bar rising every year on our program, we've got to be improved overall on everything. We're climbing, and we've made some strides, but I think with the technical ability of some of the players, we've got to get better. Strength-wise we've got to continue to get better. So again, we really want to take the spring to develop our players, I think that's important.

GoDuke.com: How has the injury situation been in the spring?

Robbie Church: We had two of our mainstay players out. We had Alison Lipsher, who had a phenomenal freshman year as a goalkeeper, and we think she's just a big-time goal-keeper, we think she's going to be one of the best in the country. She unfortunately got hurt after our season was over, had an operation at the end of January, and rehabbed like crazy through the whole spring. She did a great job. One of our seniors, and one of our top players, Kate Seibert, has been hurt and basically hasn't played for two years with injuries.

GoDuke.com: After advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time since becoming Head Coach at Duke, how much are you looking forward to next season?

Robbie Church: I think you have to be cautious. We're going to go through some new things next year. We've come through some of them in the past year, in that we've had a huge target on our back. The main thing that we're going to have to understand is that just because we have 10 starters back, 22 players back on our team from last year, and we're welcoming in five players into our program; it's just not going to happen because we have all these people back. We have to make it happen. We've got to have that enthusiasm, that hunger that we've had. I'm excited because the girls have a great attitude, you know we got here in January, we pushed everything we did in 2004 back, we closed the book on that, and we moved forward. All we've been doing is preparing for 2005. And I think we did a great, great job.

GoDuke.com: In your tenure at Duke, you have had young teams for the most part. Next season you return 11 starters and most of your roster will be juniors and seniors. How nice is it going to be to have an experienced roster?

Robbie Church: It's going to be interesting, because it definitely is by far - last year was our most mature team. I think the key thing is that we still be a hungry team. We're going to be definitely experienced, we have a lot of players who have played a lot of minutes on the field, but we've been a hungry team for the last couple of years.

GoDuke.com: You are losing the ACC Offensive Player of the Year in Casey McCluskey. Which players do you think will step up and provide scoring with the void of McCluskey?

Robbie Church: Casey had just a phenomenal year, but now it presents the opportunity for other players to step in that spot. It will be interesting to see who actually makes that step. I think a lot of it will be made during the summer months. Their training that they do, and do they do it on their own or on teams. The key people that could would be our two forwards who we've always depended on scoring our goals. Carolyn Riggs is one, Sarah McCabe is another. I think there's opportunity for a lot of people to step forth, and that's the great thing about having a big senior class, because you want them to finish on a high note.

GoDuke.com: You return all four starting defenders next season. You will also, hopefully, welcome back Carly O'Connor who missed most of last season with an injury and add some incoming recruits. How excited are you to have plenty of people available to play on the defensive end so the starters will not get too tired?

Robbie Church: I think for the first time in awhile our back is going to be competitive like our midfielders have been and our forwards have been. So that's only going to make our program healthier, it's going to make competition in training, it's going to give them a rest so that at the end of the season, when we get into the NCAA tournament, hopefully we're fresher at that time.

GoDuke.com: Of the players coming in next season as freshmen, do you think anyone could make an immediate impact on the team?

Robbie Church: I think all five of those players are good players, and I think all five of them could make an impact. They're coming into a veteran squad; I think the one that has a good chance is Christie McDonald as our incoming forward. She's been playing very well at the regional levels. Anybody who can score goals is going to be on our field. Our other incoming players will have the opportunity to see extensive action also.

GoDuke.com: You will have sisters on the team next year with Erin and Kelly Hathorn. Have you ever coached two family members?

Robbie Church: No, I have not. This is the first time ever. This will be unique. It will be fun to have them.

GoDuke.com: Are any of the current team members going to be playing in the U.S. National Team training camps this summer?

Robbie Church: They're all going to be playing in some way shape or form, but they aren't going to be on National Teams as of right now.

GoDuke.com: What are your plans for the summer?

Robbie Church: Month of May is a little bit of down time. We try to prepare for our season during the month of May - get our preseason organized, talk to our staff about what we really need to work on, we're very, very busy during the months of June and July. We have our camps at Duke, which have been very successful. And then in July, it will be spent in Alabama working with the ODP programs, which is something I've really enjoyed. And then we turn around and we'll be starting up on the 10th of August, ready to crank it out. Once June hits, the summer will completely fly by.

GoDuke.com: We heard there is a new member of the Duke women's soccer family. Can you let us know who?

Robbie Church: Billy and Wendy had their first child! Victoria, she's doing great, she's so cute. We're looking forward to have her come out in the fall.

GoDuke.com: How would you say what your coaching style is like?

Robbie Church: I think it's a communication style. I think it's one of the key factors in coaching, not only for women, but I think in coaching it is one that we communicate with each other. I think communication, doing it together; we're all in this together. We're fortunate to have some very bright young ladies, not only on the soccer field but in the classroom, too, and they have some good ideas. So we try to stay open to what they want to see happen on the field.