Change can be good

Nate Norman named seventh head women’s soccer coach in Flames history

It was 22 days from the time it was announced Jessica Hain would no longer be the head coach of the women’s soccer team to the time Nate Norman was named the seventh head women’s soccer coach in
program history.

Norman was previously the women’s head coach at Western Michigan, where his team won multiple MAC conference championships, but he could not pass up the offer to come to Liberty when it was presented to him.

“I love the faith aspect of the school,” Norman said. “I love that I can sort of weave in a ministry aspect of coaching. … Having those options is something I have always had a passion for and something that I think, not that I couldn’t do it at a past place, but I can do it a little more directly here.”

Norman brings a wealth of experience not only as a coach but as a player. He was a McDonalds All-American during his senior year of high school, a four-year NCAA tournament participant at Notre Dame and the 21st pick in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft.

Tactical — Coach Norman was previously the head coach at Western Michigan. Photo credit: Google images

Tactical — Coach Norman was previously the head coach at Western Michigan. Photo credit: Google images

Norman said it was good for him to have those few years of professional soccer experience because he was able to gain valuable insight into three different coaching styles.

“I played for three different teams (two in the USL), so I had three different coaches,” Norman said. “I don’t know what that speaks to my playing career, but preparing me to be a coach, I think it was valuable,” Norman said.

Norman started his coaching career on the men’s side, but while he was at Covenant College in Georgia, love pushed him to make a change.

“My fiancé at the time, now wife, was in Michigan, and she had a job up there,” Norman said. “I was just trying to get a coaching job back in Michigan, and I was fortunate enough to get the assistant coaching job at Western Michigan. So that kind of got me in the women’s side, and I’ve been in it ever since, and I don’t think I would go back at this point.”

Norman’s main goal right now is to get to know the players the best he can and motivate and inspire them before they leave for break.

“The very first thing I did was I met the team as a whole group, and then over the last few days I have met with each kid individually, which has been a great experience getting to know them and their hearts and what their goals are for themselves,” Norman said. “I think that’s been a really beneficial thing to be able to do that.”

Not only is Norman getting to know the players he already has, but he is getting ready to start recruiting future year’s players this summer.

“You always want to get the most talented kids, but I think there’s a lot of kids that maybe don’t get that recognition,” Norman said, “It’s definitely recruiting the top player but making sure you’re finding the kids that people are missing as well.”

In addition to bringing in the best players, Norman plans to schedule the toughest competition out there so his team never has to ask, “What if?”

“I want to play against the best players in the country,” Norman said. “You’re gonna be pushed hard on the field and off the field. … You’re gonna play in practice every day with some of the best players in the country, and you’re never going to have to ask what if I would have gone and played there.”

While Norman wants to win, he also wants to see his team develop into true leaders. Norman said “true leadership is being a servant leader,” and it “goes hand in hand with success.”

Norman studied theology at Notre Dame, and although coaching was not on his mind at the time, he said he uses the experience he gained from his education, in coaching.

“I think it taught me to really think critically about things and challenge me in my faith and help me grow and become stronger in my faith,” Norman said.

While Norman has plenty to be proud of, he does not shy away from his past mistakes, including those he made in his first year as a head coach. His only losing record came in that first year at Western Michigan, and he attributes that to being “a little naïve about a lot of things.”

“I think as a first year head coach sometimes you have a view of how a program should be ran,” Norman said. “I thought some things would work, and they just didn’t. … You do make mistakes sometimes as a coach, and you’ve got to be accountable to that. It was a tough experience that first year as a head coach. … That was a really great growing experience for me.”

While Norman feels he will not repeat those same mistakes he made at Western Michigan, he said he does not love to talk about goals in the sense of a season outcome but more of what the everyday process will be in getting there.

“We want to win a conference championship — we want to advance in the NCAA tournament — but it’s really, ‘Can we work hard every day?’” Norman said. “‘Can we serve each other? Can we push each other? Can we inspire each other? Can we motivate each other? Can we truly care about each other more than yourself?’ Yes, come out to make yourself better, but can we also come out to push our teammates?”

Schmieg is the sports editor.

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