As she approaches the middle of her seventh season with a schedule dominated by first-time opponents, Heather Henson is looking to lead the ETSU women’s soccer team to its first Atlantic Sun Conference championship.
After a somewhat disappointing 2004 season, the head coach is looking to get back on track this fall.
Her seasonal win-loss records indicate a series of ups and downs throughout her tenure here, but she has high hopes for this season.
“I’m very optimistic,” Henson said. “If you look at our statistics on the attack side of the game, we have taken more shots than our opponents, more corner kicks, and we’ve made goaltenders make more saves. We just need some body position changes to put the ball in the back of the net.”
Although the Buccaneers suffered a losing record last year, the numbers are somewhat distorted.
Six of their eight losses were within one goal, while the same number of matches went to overtime. Coach Henson believes that statistic is evidence of the never-say-die mentality that permeates this team.
“They’re fighters,” she said. “We are a very different team than last year, and we’re very sound defensively.
We have the speed to go fast and hard down the field. Against Jacksonville State, we scored the game-tying goal in the last seven seconds. So we’re tripling our intensity level in the last 10 to 15 minutes of the game.”
Henson would like to see a turnaround in this season’s team, much like the one she witnessed two years ago.
After coming off a 2002 season in which the Bucs won just six games, ETSU doubled that total the following year.
Because of the tremendous upgrade, Henson was honored by Soccer Buzz, a nationally renowned publication for collegiate soccer news, for having one of the most improved teams in Division I.
With so many returning players, it certainly seems that the 2005 squad can repeat such an accomplishment.
“We have the potential,” Henson said. “Last year we got a little too comfortable with games, and we lost our work ethic. This year, that work ethic is back with a good confidence level.”
Despite the positive aspects of this season, the Bucs will have to overcome implications of a void in the goalkeeping position.
Christine Parks and Sarah Prendergast, the two who minded the net in 2004, graduated in May.
Stepping in this year is freshman Erin Bilyeu, and Henson did not hesitate to express confidence in her new goalkeeper.
“She’s doing well in the freshman transition with soccer, school and being away from home,” Henson said. “She’s very athletic with lots of potential. Right now she is learning tactical differences for college, and improving each time she plays.”
Through six games, ETSU is 3-3, an encouraging step for the team. In order to come out victorious, coach Henson admits the team must come out to play to the best of their ability in each match.
“As a team and as a coaching staff, we have set process-oriented girls, not result-oriented goals,” Henson said. “If we don’t win 12 games and win the conference championship, we’ll be satisfied.”
Away from the field, the head coach demands that her players put in the necessary hours to study in order to make solid grades.
Her teams have won the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award for four straight seasons.
“Balancing soccer and academics is the key,” she said. “Literally, we want our ladies to graduate with a degree and have the best Division I soccer experience. They might have to sacrifice some parts of the social aspects of college, but they know all that when they’re recruited. They’re all willing to accept that challenge.”
Playing in Maryland, ETSU pulled out a thriller on Sept. 16 against Mount St. Mary’s with a score of 3-2. Senior Erin Ashton scored two goals in the effort, while Bilyeu saved four shots.

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