Soccer Opens Preseason Training
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s soccer team officially opened preseason training at Cobb Stadium this week.
Under first-year head coach Mary-Frances Monroe, the Hurricanes are aiming to qualify for their third consecutive NCAA postseason berth for the first time in program history. Miami battled its way to a 9-7-4 overall mark last season, earning one of eight coveted spots in the ACC Championship field for the first time since 2008.
Anchored by its strong defense, the Hurricanes return seven starters from a team that set a program single-season record with 11 shutouts in 2012. Miami will be boosted in the fall by a recruiting class ranked No. 21 in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
“It’s important to have a winning mentality in training, and that’s what we’ve had in the early going,” Monroe said. “We need to make sure we keep it going throughout the rest of camp. It’s great to see such a competitive mentality and such high energy levels.”
Assistant coach Kate Dylag, who worked under Monroe during her previous position as head coach at Albany, has been pleasantly surprised with early returns through the first two days of camp.
“I can’t tell you how impressive it has been to see the team to adapt towards what we’ve started to put into place, buying into our fitness standards, all of it,” Dylag said. “It’s been a very nice surprise to see how committed they are to the vision that is taking shape.”
For the second straight year, the Hurricanes will travel to Ohio to wrap up preseason training. Miami will face Ohio State (Aug. 16) and Dayton (Aug. 18) in exhibition matches before returning to Coral Gables for its regular-season opener Aug. 23 against Cincinnati.
“It’s definitely a time crunch,” Dylag said. “We all have a lot of goals and expectations, but the challenge is more getting everyone on the same page with where we are going. We’re taking every moment we have to get to know the team better, to have them get to know us, and to move forward.”
For Monroe, preseason training is an opportunity to learn more about a program continuing its ascent among the ACC elite.
“It’s nice to start to see their personalities on the field,” Monroe said. “We want to know what players want to take others on one-on-one, who will be playmakers, who want to get down and tackle hard. As we move on in the next few days, I think we’ll start to see even more.”
