The Griffon News

The soccer team has had many stumbling blocks this season, but a determined head coach is ready to build a dominate program.

Jeff Hansen came to Missouri Western with plenty of knowledge about the MIAA. He played for Missouri Southern for a couple years and spent time there as an assistant coach. From there he went to UCM, formerly CMSU, and coached there for two years.

Hansen knew he wanted to be here at Missouri Western, but he didn’t know if he would get the job. Hansen said that he turned in his application hoping for a chance to fill the position. He started getting phone calls and visiting the campus, and then he knew that this was for real.

“I was shocked to get as far as I did,” Hansen said.

Hanson got the job and brought his experience to Western’s program.

“I have a lot of advantages because I know most of the teams in the conference and what they do and I know most the coaches,” Hansen said.

Hansen came into a program that is just in its second year. They may be new but many of the players are seniors.

“One thing that is a positive is that we have an old team,” Hansen said. “These seniors have played there butts off.”

He is waiting for this program to take off and says it starts with this leadership.

“You will have bad days but you have to keep fighting and clawing no matter what,” Hansen said. “This team will not quit.”

Agreeing with Hansen is senior defender Lana Litzner.

“We’ve had tough years be we do not give up; we keep going,” Litzner said.

The team has had a tough year so far, but Hansen feels that there were improvements.

“I don’t care what the record is; we have had huge improvements,” Hansen said. “We’ve faced so much adversity with lack of players and injuries. They have had every reason to stop playing, but they haven’t.”

This fight is due to togetherness, and Litzner feels this is an important aspect.

“We started to come together as a whole,” Litzner said.

Some coaches may force their players to play a certain way. Litnzer said Hansen takes a different approach that the players like.

“He tries new things,” Litzner said. “He doesn’t force it. He finds a way that works the best for us.”

Hansen has a mixture of coaching skills that he throws together to best fit the dynamics of the team and individual players.

“I like a mixture of defense and offense,” Hansen said. “If we don’t let them score then we’re guaranteed a tie. It all just depends on what we have. I put our players in the best situations and let them play to their strengths.”

With the season coming to an end, it is time for recruiting. One of the problems the Griffons faced this year was lack of depth. That will not be the case next year.

“This program is financially good and competitive with other teams in the conference,” Hansen said. “Next year we’ll be bringing in about 15 players and this program will take off. Our roster will be 24 to 25 players next year.”

Hansen has been going to different high school games in order to build relationships with many perspective players. He will have his work cut out for him to bring in such a big class. Litzner believes Hansen’s personality should help him obtain the numbers.

“He always looks at the positives,” Litzner said.

Looking for the positive and looking for more wins is the ultimate goal for Hansen and the Griffons. Building a program has to go through its bumps, and Hansen and these seniors have paved the way for future players.