The Consistency of Messiah College Soccer
In order to measure a program’s success, an immediate reaction would be to look at the number of championships it has or to count the different individual accolades a program holds due to certain players and coaches.
If you revisit the archives of both the Messiah Men’s and Women’s soccer programs’ success, you find that - since the year 2000 - there has been a combined 30 MAC Championships and 16 National Championship titles amongst the programs. None of us can deny the fact that both programs are now some of the most heralded Division-III soccer programs in the nation, but this success does not just appear out of thin air.
Thus, when Coach McCarty and Coach Frey were asked how their programs have consistently been so dominant over the years, a common theme surfaced in the idea of the type of culture that was prevalent when both coaches took over several years ago.
MWS
In order to understand the soccer programs’ consistency over the past couple decades, it is important to revisit the beginning of success, starting with the Women’s program. Coach Frey took over the program in 2000 and in the same season led the Women’s team to their first conference championship, while also going 17-3 overall on the year.
When asked about his immediate success on the field, Frey credited former coach Becky Craig for setting a precedent. “I think I came in at a very opportune time. Coach Craig had laid a great foundation and had recruited a very good class that I came in with as well…” Throughout the feedback I received from Coach Frey, he continued to emphasize the importance of maintaining the culture that has existed in the Women’s program since before he was head coach, as he has reiterated to many of his rosters that the team’s idea of a successful season should never be based upon their record or where they finish in the NCAA tournament.
Frey stated that every season brings different challenges and is unique in its own way, so it is important that the program is founded on the same standard every year: “Give your best effort every time you step on the field in either a training session or in a game. If you expect that of yourself and we as a staff expect that of them and don’t allow them to get by with anything less, then it becomes the norm.”
The Messiah Women’s Soccer program has certainly both lived up to and exceeded this standard, as the team has won 5 National Championships and 16 MAC Championships since the ‘00 season.
The most important thing heading into the 2019 season for the Women’s program is to maintain this consistency while also evolutionizing with the way the game is being played.
When asked how the team plans on achieving these goals, Frey perfectly concluded that they will “continue to stay in touch with what is going on in the evolution of the game and in training methods. We will hold true to our desire to continue to be the best place in the country to play soccer…which is because of the people and fundamental desire to honor Christ with what we do and how we do it.”
MMS
Much like the Messiah Women’s Soccer program, the Men’s team has been nothing short of dominant since taking off in 2000, when the program won their first National Championship under former Coach Dave Brandt.
Only after 4 more National Titles did Coach McCarty succeed Brandt as head coach, taking over a team that three-peated as National Champions through the ‘04-’06 seasons and had just come off a National Championship season in 2008.
Surely, McCarty had to have felt some pressure taking over a program that was the most dominant Division-III soccer team in the nation at the time, so when I asked about that type of pressure, Coach McCarty was able to elaborate on two specific areas he wanted the program to focus in on when his tenure as head coach began. “First, we wanted to make sure we brought in high level character guys who were excellent fits to Messiah both on and off the field. Second, we wanted to keep the core values of the program front and center which gave us direction in both good times and bad.”
McCarty followed the 2008 title with the completion of yet another three-peat from 2008-2010, by winning NCAA Championships in his first two seasons as head coach. Any sort of pressure that McCarty and his staff may have felt following the 2008 season seemed to be erased by the program’s consistent dominance, even with coaching changes.
It would be wrong not to recognize that a dynasty had been built within Division-III soccer and a question I had was how Messiah Men’s Soccer would stay at the top with a target on their backs that would continue to grow with the more success the team saw.
Coach McCarty detailed several ways in which his teams over the past years have been able to handle adversity. “First, we are focused on playing to a high standard every game regardless of the opponent. That allows us to play at a high level when we play an inferior opponent as well as to play at a high level when we are in a postseason contest.
Second, we strive to have a growth mindset which pushes us to get better every practice and every game.
Last, our focus on excellence rather than success forces us to pay attention to the small details and the quality with which we hone our craft.”
Similarly to Coach Frey’s responses, Coach McCarty had made sure to point out that both soccer programs at Messiah have been founded on this theme of maintaining a culture within each team and each season. Due to the fact that most of McCarty’s and Frey’s teams have kept their focus on sustaining the right culture, the on-field success has acted as a byproduct.
When asked about the future of the Men’s program, McCarty included feelings on success off the field before anything else. “I don’t know if we will ever go to another Final Four or win another National Championship, but I do know that our players will have an unbelievable experience. We work hard to bring in players who are committed to the program, care about their faith, mature, have a strong work ethic, serious about their academics, and are passionate to play soccer at a high level.
“When players care about the program and more importantly their teammates more than themselves it creates a culture and environment where young men can grow and mature.”
Coach Frey and Coach McCarty provided incredible feedback, as they gave insightful details on how both soccer programs at Messiah College have been able to stay at the top of Division-III soccer while also not losing their identity.
If you revisit the archives of both the Messiah Men’s and Women’s soccer programs’ success, you find that - since the year 2000 - there has been a combined 30 MAC Championships and 16 National Championship titles amongst the programs. None of us can deny the fact that both programs are now some of the most heralded Division-III soccer programs in the nation, but this success does not just appear out of thin air.
Thus, when Coach McCarty and Coach Frey were asked how their programs have consistently been so dominant over the years, a common theme surfaced in the idea of the type of culture that was prevalent when both coaches took over several years ago.
MWS
In order to understand the soccer programs’ consistency over the past couple decades, it is important to revisit the beginning of success, starting with the Women’s program. Coach Frey took over the program in 2000 and in the same season led the Women’s team to their first conference championship, while also going 17-3 overall on the year.
When asked about his immediate success on the field, Frey credited former coach Becky Craig for setting a precedent. “I think I came in at a very opportune time. Coach Craig had laid a great foundation and had recruited a very good class that I came in with as well…” Throughout the feedback I received from Coach Frey, he continued to emphasize the importance of maintaining the culture that has existed in the Women’s program since before he was head coach, as he has reiterated to many of his rosters that the team’s idea of a successful season should never be based upon their record or where they finish in the NCAA tournament.
Frey stated that every season brings different challenges and is unique in its own way, so it is important that the program is founded on the same standard every year: “Give your best effort every time you step on the field in either a training session or in a game. If you expect that of yourself and we as a staff expect that of them and don’t allow them to get by with anything less, then it becomes the norm.”
The Messiah Women’s Soccer program has certainly both lived up to and exceeded this standard, as the team has won 5 National Championships and 16 MAC Championships since the ‘00 season.
The most important thing heading into the 2019 season for the Women’s program is to maintain this consistency while also evolutionizing with the way the game is being played.
When asked how the team plans on achieving these goals, Frey perfectly concluded that they will “continue to stay in touch with what is going on in the evolution of the game and in training methods. We will hold true to our desire to continue to be the best place in the country to play soccer…which is because of the people and fundamental desire to honor Christ with what we do and how we do it.”
MMS
Much like the Messiah Women’s Soccer program, the Men’s team has been nothing short of dominant since taking off in 2000, when the program won their first National Championship under former Coach Dave Brandt.
Only after 4 more National Titles did Coach McCarty succeed Brandt as head coach, taking over a team that three-peated as National Champions through the ‘04-’06 seasons and had just come off a National Championship season in 2008.
Surely, McCarty had to have felt some pressure taking over a program that was the most dominant Division-III soccer team in the nation at the time, so when I asked about that type of pressure, Coach McCarty was able to elaborate on two specific areas he wanted the program to focus in on when his tenure as head coach began. “First, we wanted to make sure we brought in high level character guys who were excellent fits to Messiah both on and off the field. Second, we wanted to keep the core values of the program front and center which gave us direction in both good times and bad.”
McCarty followed the 2008 title with the completion of yet another three-peat from 2008-2010, by winning NCAA Championships in his first two seasons as head coach. Any sort of pressure that McCarty and his staff may have felt following the 2008 season seemed to be erased by the program’s consistent dominance, even with coaching changes.
It would be wrong not to recognize that a dynasty had been built within Division-III soccer and a question I had was how Messiah Men’s Soccer would stay at the top with a target on their backs that would continue to grow with the more success the team saw.
Coach McCarty detailed several ways in which his teams over the past years have been able to handle adversity. “First, we are focused on playing to a high standard every game regardless of the opponent. That allows us to play at a high level when we play an inferior opponent as well as to play at a high level when we are in a postseason contest.
Second, we strive to have a growth mindset which pushes us to get better every practice and every game.
Last, our focus on excellence rather than success forces us to pay attention to the small details and the quality with which we hone our craft.”
Similarly to Coach Frey’s responses, Coach McCarty had made sure to point out that both soccer programs at Messiah have been founded on this theme of maintaining a culture within each team and each season. Due to the fact that most of McCarty’s and Frey’s teams have kept their focus on sustaining the right culture, the on-field success has acted as a byproduct.
When asked about the future of the Men’s program, McCarty included feelings on success off the field before anything else. “I don’t know if we will ever go to another Final Four or win another National Championship, but I do know that our players will have an unbelievable experience. We work hard to bring in players who are committed to the program, care about their faith, mature, have a strong work ethic, serious about their academics, and are passionate to play soccer at a high level.
“When players care about the program and more importantly their teammates more than themselves it creates a culture and environment where young men can grow and mature.”
Coach Frey and Coach McCarty provided incredible feedback, as they gave insightful details on how both soccer programs at Messiah College have been able to stay at the top of Division-III soccer while also not losing their identity.
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