After a two month search, Athletic Director Ken Schumann and the Athletic Department have hired women’s soccer head coach Steve Lucas. Lucas was hired and started his coaching duties Feb. 3. Lucas brings 12 years of experience from Division I Boise State and looks to have much success at Pacific.
“I am very excited to have Steve Lucas join our team here at Pacific,” Schumann said. “He is a great fit for our athletic program and the Pacific community.”
After playing through college, Lucas decided that coaching was his passion and started to pursue it as a career. He was hired by Boise State as head coach in 2000 and stayed for 12 years.
In 2012, Boise State did not renew Lucas’ contract. He then spent time with his family and enjoyed time off before deciding to coach again. In his tenure, Lucas lead the Broncos to a 111-116-28 record.
In coming to Division III Pacific, Lucas is entering a new dynamic but looks to keep winning.
“You have to have fun and winning is fun but doing it the right way is necessary,” Lucas said.
He has met with the team once thus far and shared his coaching philosophy with them saying, “we will work as hard as we possibly can.”
Lucas, coming from a Division I program, has never dealt with a two team set up like Pacific’s.
Managing not only a varsity team but also a junior varsity team will bring forth some challenges for Lucas.
“Everyone has a clean slate,” Lucas said. “I’m not going to watch a game tape, I won’t have any preconceived feelings about anything until the first ball goes down.”
With a new coach, anxiety of cuts and a new coaching dynamic could haunt players, especially on the JV team.
To combat anxiety Lucas said he will, “Show up everyday with a smile and tell them it’s going to be okay.”
Lucas will not have to do this alone as he will have help from his assistant coaches, Kibwe Cuffie and Jennifer Bhalla, both returning for their second year.
“I’m excited,” Lucas said. “Part of what got me here was the staff, environment and the size of the campus. It’s a challenge but we get a lot of support so it’s a challenge that is exciting.”
Women’s soccer will start a spring workout season in the coming weeks. This will be Lucas’ first time seeing them play since being hired.
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