Sixteen new players and a new head coach make up this year’s women’s soccer team
It is an understatement to say that the Boxer Women’s soccer team is filled with a few new faces: Not only does the team have 16 new players, but also a new Head Coach, Chelsea Davis. Hailing most recently from Palomar College in San Marcos, a town just north of San Diego, Davis has 12 years prior collegiate coaching experience (Fresno State, University of San Francisco)—and years of high-level on-the-field experience before that, playing the Division 1 program Houston University and then for the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL).
Once Davis decided it was time to start looking for a new coaching position, she found herself favoring Pacific University for countless reasons. During the interview process for a new head coach, Pacific University granted the returning players an opportunity to interview the final candidates—and in spite of meeting through computer screens and not in-person, the players and Davis quickly clicked.
“I threw my hat in with several universities and was in a final position with a couple,” explained Davis. “With Pacific University, it was very [obvious] they had incredible people there. The players interviewed me for the last part; I was immediately engaged with the intellect of this group.”
Although Davis was drawn to Pacific because of the players she met, she was handed a team with only eight returners—and that has meant working on team building and team chemistry, as well as rebuilding tactical strategies. Already, the efforts are yielding results: the team has a running start to the season, with 3-0, scoring 11 goals in preseason play. While the Boxers struggled with finding the back of the net in the previous seasons, the team looks unrecognizable with Davis’s new coaching strategy and grit.
“It has been really fun because there are a ton of different personalities,” said Davis. “The personalities will start to come out soon. I think that it translates to the field, and we are switching formations and trying to figure out the best groups and the cohesion, which takes time and consistency. It will be a little bit of a roller coaster.” — Lily Rasmussen
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