New coach leads women’s soccer into a new era at Pitt

One look at Pitt’s women’s soccer team would change the mind of anyone who still holds the… One look at Pitt’s women’s soccer team would change the mind of anyone who still holds the antiquated belief that girls don’t play hard.

The Panthers’ new head coach, Sue-Moy Chin, has created a competitive atmosphere at practice, and it is that type of attitude that she hopes will lead to success in games.Although this is Chin’s first head coaching job, she has been an assistant with some of the elite women’s soccer programs in the country. She spent three years at Notre Dame and, during her tenure there, the team was the Big East champion three years in a row, went to the Final Four twice and made an appearance in the NCAA Championship game in her final season with the team.

From there, Chin went to Duke University, and came to Pitt from the University of Colorado.

“The experience that I had at Colorado is very similar to the one here,” Chin said. “We went there to rebuild the team and we were doing that. By the time I left, the team was headed in the right direction.”

The players are already noticing the impact that Chin has had on the team. Goalie Jamie Pelusi, who led the Big East, last year, in saves per game, said that there have been a lot of changes that have taken place since Chin took over.

“Whenever we’re in practice, it’s 100 percent focus,” she said. “Even the little things, like tucking your shirt in when you come running on and off the field, every second of the drill, you have to give 100 percent. They’re not extremely long practices, but while you’re there, you’re just working really hard. The atmosphere around the team is just so much more positive. If we start messing up, then she’ll jump in there and challenge us.”

The intensity level is up and this team seems to be buying into Chin’s way of doing things.

Sophomore Erin Hills, who was the team’s second-leading scorer last season, said that, even though the team is only in the preseason, the new coaching has already had a huge impact on player expectations.

“I think that we are going to do extremely well,” Hills said. “We have a lot of talent coming in, and, if we put our minds to it, we can definitely do a lot better than last year.”

Last year, the team finished a dismal 4-15 and failed to win a single conference game. While Chin has said that she wants to make an appearance, as well as advance, in the Big East Tournament, she will gauge the success of the team by more than just wins and losses.

“I’m looking for the attitude and the heart and the desire,” Chin said. “I think, when you don’t have much success, you get beaten down a little bit and you lose your competitive edge. So I’m looking for them to compete every minute of every game and every practice.”

Assisting Chin this season will be Monica Gerardo, who is a former Washington Freedom forward.

The first-coaching duo hopes they have the team on the right track. The Panthers have wiped the slate clean and this year marks a new beginning for the team.