TicketsCINCINNATI— University of Cincinnati soccer head coach Erica Demers and the rest of the team are ready to go for the 2023 season.
As Coach Demers prepares to begin her first season as head coach of the UC soccer team, she discussed her expectations for the season, how the team is coming together and more. Click on the video above to watch the full interview.
COACH ERICA DEMERS INTERVIEW:
On after being in Cincinnati for a couple months, how has the transition to a new school and new team been?
"Nothing but exceptional. I think the reason why I wanted to be at Cincinnati, one main reason was the people. I felt nothing but support since being here, loving the city. But even with our student athletes, they adapted so quickly to us, we ask them for two things this spring. One was to help us enhance where we were at and then two be really adaptable to what we were trying to do. Spring ran really smoothly, to be honest, had some really good games under our belt for the players to start getting adjusted to what we were going to try to do in our style of play. They left that last game wanting more, and that's all you could ever want."
On what are some of the expectations for team the team heading into the season?
"When we look to schedule our non-conference, it is always going to be about how is that going to prepare us for our conference. Moving into the Big 12, we know that's a whole other animal to tackle. I think for us overall, it's going to be less about the wins and losses and more about let's just be in every single game and put our best foot forward and compete in every single match. We hope that those end in those wins, but our thing is that we want to be extremely hard to play on the road, but we want to be even harder to play I get there."
On the impact of having multiple veteran leaders come back to play another season?
"It's huge. I think we're actually going to have five fifth-years. We're going to be heavy loaded within our seniors and our fifth years, which is exciting, because what we want to build here at Cincinnati is a very much like a player led environment. I think having those returners that aren't only good ambassadors on the field, but good ambassadors off the field as well. So though them having that voice, the experience with it, they're only going to help our program grow and thrive the season."
On the importance of building chemistry with a large roster?
"Yeah, it'll be big. We're going to have a large roster, 36 total. I think within that we want a lot of diversity within that we want a lot of players that bring a lot of experience from different areas. I think overall, like it's going to be from day one, how do these players get to know each other as people? How do they get to know each other and respect each other's people so that you have this camaraderie on the field as well."
On taking pride in have a diverse roster being and international athlete herself?
Yes absolutely, I was given such a great opportunity when I started playing. I think for me, I was a student-athlete for my four years, and I haven't left since then. now I get to do what I love every day in coaching. I think that the part to diversity is like, it not only brings a diversity as a player, but a diversity as a person, where we have all these players from different experiences, different backgrounds, that it just adds to your total roster. So yeah, 100% I would say I love having a diverse roster and from players from different, different backgrounds, different countries.
On how excited is the team to be back playing in front of all of the fans at Getter Stadium?
Yeah, they're I mean, they're thrilled. When the spring ended and they were like looking around like is are we done? I was little 'Yeah, we're done,' so they wanted more. I know they're going to come back fit. I know, they're going to come back hungry and I know they're going to be super thrilled for that first game at Getter Stadium.
On the main goal of hosting the UC prospect summer camp.
"We love having our recruits on campus. It gives us an opportunity not only to coach them and kind of start that coach player relationship, which is huge for us, but start getting to know them a little bit more as people to. Like, are they the type of person we want in our program as we move forward? We want players that are like striving to be competitive every single day, that are hardworking. That are players that are going to hold themselves accountable to be great. It gives us an opportunity not only to get to know them as a you know, a player on the field, but really get to know them as a person as well."
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For all the latest information on Cincinnati women's soccer, please visit GoBEARCATS.com and follow @GoBearcatsWSOC on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
As Coach Demers prepares to begin her first season as head coach of the UC soccer team, she discussed her expectations for the season, how the team is coming together and more. Click on the video above to watch the full interview.
COACH ERICA DEMERS INTERVIEW:
On after being in Cincinnati for a couple months, how has the transition to a new school and new team been?
"Nothing but exceptional. I think the reason why I wanted to be at Cincinnati, one main reason was the people. I felt nothing but support since being here, loving the city. But even with our student athletes, they adapted so quickly to us, we ask them for two things this spring. One was to help us enhance where we were at and then two be really adaptable to what we were trying to do. Spring ran really smoothly, to be honest, had some really good games under our belt for the players to start getting adjusted to what we were going to try to do in our style of play. They left that last game wanting more, and that's all you could ever want."
- Coach Demers became the sixth coach in program history in early February. Before becoming a Bearcat she was the head coach of UAB women's soccer team for the past six years and earned Conference USA Coach of the Year Honors in her final season. Coach Demers' full bio can be found here.
On what are some of the expectations for team the team heading into the season?
"When we look to schedule our non-conference, it is always going to be about how is that going to prepare us for our conference. Moving into the Big 12, we know that's a whole other animal to tackle. I think for us overall, it's going to be less about the wins and losses and more about let's just be in every single game and put our best foot forward and compete in every single match. We hope that those end in those wins, but our thing is that we want to be extremely hard to play on the road, but we want to be even harder to play I get there."
- The Bearcats open the season on the road, taking on Michigan State on Aug. 17 and their first home game of the season will be against Bowling Green on Aug. 24. More information about the upcoming schedule can be found here.
On the impact of having multiple veteran leaders come back to play another season?
"It's huge. I think we're actually going to have five fifth-years. We're going to be heavy loaded within our seniors and our fifth years, which is exciting, because what we want to build here at Cincinnati is a very much like a player led environment. I think having those returners that aren't only good ambassadors on the field, but good ambassadors off the field as well. So though them having that voice, the experience with it, they're only going to help our program grow and thrive the season."
- This year's roster consist of 12 student-athletes that are either seniors or graduate students (5 graduate students, 7 seniors). Notable returners include 3-time AAC Defensive Player of the Year Ashley Barron, Kendall Battle, Anna Rexford, Lauren Bastian and Maddie Thiss. The Bearcats also added two graduate transfers, Teni Akindoiu from Texas and Sydney Waiters from Cornell.
On the importance of building chemistry with a large roster?
"Yeah, it'll be big. We're going to have a large roster, 36 total. I think within that we want a lot of diversity within that we want a lot of players that bring a lot of experience from different areas. I think overall, like it's going to be from day one, how do these players get to know each other as people? How do they get to know each other and respect each other's people so that you have this camaraderie on the field as well."
- The Bearcats added 14 newcomers to this year's roster, five transfers and nine freshman and will be able to build chemistry early in the season with two exhibition matches against Marshall and Northern Kentucky prior to the start of the season.
On taking pride in have a diverse roster being and international athlete herself?
Yes absolutely, I was given such a great opportunity when I started playing. I think for me, I was a student-athlete for my four years, and I haven't left since then. now I get to do what I love every day in coaching. I think that the part to diversity is like, it not only brings a diversity as a player, but a diversity as a person, where we have all these players from different experiences, different backgrounds, that it just adds to your total roster. So yeah, 100% I would say I love having a diverse roster and from players from different, different backgrounds, different countries.
- Cincinnati has five international students on the roster for this season. Coach Demers herself is a native of Welland, Ontario. Also to note this year's entire freshman class is made up of out-of-state student athletes.
On how excited is the team to be back playing in front of all of the fans at Getter Stadium?
Yeah, they're I mean, they're thrilled. When the spring ended and they were like looking around like is are we done? I was little 'Yeah, we're done,' so they wanted more. I know they're going to come back fit. I know, they're going to come back hungry and I know they're going to be super thrilled for that first game at Getter Stadium.
- The Bearcats home opener is scheduled for Aug. 24 against Bowling Green. There conference home opener will be against TCU on Sept. 21. In total UC will play nine games inside Gettler Stadium this season.
On the main goal of hosting the UC prospect summer camp.
"We love having our recruits on campus. It gives us an opportunity not only to coach them and kind of start that coach player relationship, which is huge for us, but start getting to know them a little bit more as people to. Like, are they the type of person we want in our program as we move forward? We want players that are like striving to be competitive every single day, that are hardworking. That are players that are going to hold themselves accountable to be great. It gives us an opportunity not only to get to know them as a you know, a player on the field, but really get to know them as a person as well."
- The UC soccer team is holding their UC Prospect ID Summer Camp on July 29-30 inside Gettler Stadium. For more information about the camp and how to register can be found here.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati women's soccer, please visit GoBEARCATS.com and follow @GoBearcatsWSOC on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.