Sunday Sit-down with Mizzou soccer coach Stefanie Golan

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

ABC 17 Sports Director Nathalie Jones brought on Mizzou soccer coach Stefanie Golan in this week's edition of Sunday Sit-down.

You can watch their full conversation in the video player above and also read a full transcript of their conversation below.

NATHALIE: Welcome back everyone. It is Sunday sit down time. We have Mizzou soccer coach Stephanie Golan of the house for Sunday sit down. How's the summer been? It's been a minute since we got to catch up.

STEPHANIE: Yeah, the summer's been busy. It's been fast and furious. You know, a lot of recruiting new staff on board, you know, and it seems like you have forever to until preseason starts, and then it's there. So, you know, we're in the thick of it and really excited to get rolling this week.

NATHALIE: Well, tell me about the team this year. I know you have an exhibition coming up. I can't believe we were talking before we sat down. I can't believe it's already here. You're going to face Kansas State this coming week. But tell me about the team this year. What are you excited about with this group?

STEPHANIE: I think, I think with this group, I think, you know, the biggest thing I'm excited about is the hunger, you know, like they after, after the fall last year, we were one point away from postseason play, and that's one game, that's, you know, one goal, that's a lot of ones, a lot of singular things in there. And they they left, and the commitment over the course of the summer, when we got back this this summer, we can see it, you know, we can see that they'd made the commitment. We can see that they're just at another level. And I think there's a lot of belief with the returning players, and there's a lot of gained experience through, you know, a season that ended one point away.

NATHALIE: Well, you have, you know, returning talent like that. You have people who are juniors and seniors, and they were that close. How critical are those players and kind of carrying forward what you want to do this year?

STEPHANIE: Yeah, absolutely huge. I mean, their level of belief is going to drive everybody else level of belief. And, you know, I think that that group of rising seniors, the ones who, you know, your Keegan Goods, you know, she, she with Bella Carrillo, Elena Zuchowski, is back after, you know, missing most of the season with an ACL last year. I think those guys are really, really hungry, you know, they came here wanting to help Mizzou, you know, take that, that next step, and this is their opportunity to lead it in that that charge. And you know, their their energy that they're bringing and, you know, the intentionality with the way that they're using their voices right now is absolutely incredible.

NATHALIE: You had a busy summer. Obviously, you have new faces on the coaching staff. Kind of got to revamp and do some promotions there. Tell me about, you know, kind of the changes you know, kind of the changes you made on the coaching staff. What excites you there?

STEPHANIE: Yeah, so you know Kelsey. I think you know Kelsey when, when we hired her, I knew she was a bright young coach. You know, she obviously had been focused on the goalkeepers, because that's the position that she had played at the highest levels. And you know when, when Andy and Dimo both got head coaching jobs. We sat down and we talked, and I said, you know, where, where do you see yourself going in this career? And you know, ultimately, she wants to be a head coach, and for her to be able to take that step, this is a the natural progression for that. So she has, you know, she's really driving our defensive organization, and that's the side of the ball that we're starting on in preseason, and she's done a phenomenal job with that. You know, she is really, really bright tactically, and really connects with the players at a deep level. And you know, you can, you can see us taking steps in that direction. And then, you know, Renee Horton, who was hired as as an Associate Head Coach, you know, her primary emphasis is going to be on the attacking side of the ball. Her energy is absolutely contagious, like she and Kelsey together are hysterical. It is an absolute dream pairing with those two. And you know, Renee has the comfort of having been in the SEC and knowing exactly what all of this looks like. And you know, her belief is absolutely huge in terms of what we're able to do. And the only way Kelsey was going to be able to take the step that she took is if we found the right person to take on the goal, keeping piece of it. And you know, Austen, again, like if you come out to the field, you could be, you know, over in the baseball stadium, and know exactly what Austen is trying to get the goalkeepers to do, like he is huge with, you know, his overall presence. And you know, the bar is rising in the goalkeeper contingency as well.

NATHALIE: I want to talk about some players specifically. Obviously, we're talking about goalkeeper before we sat down here, got to see some flashes from Kate Phillips last year. What have you really seen from that position the offseason?

STEPHANIE: Yeah, So Kate, I think, you know, one of the things I love about Kate is her overall professionalism, right? Like, she is super serious. I think, you know, in in the role of the goalkeeper, you know, there are certain things that a goalkeeper cannot control. They cannot control, you know, their height, they're all of those things. And I think that Kate's been somebody who, overall, in her process and everything else. I think a lot of people, you're kind of small for a goalkeeper and stuff, but her presence is so huge, right? And she gained a lot of confidence over the course of last season of just stepping into that role. You know, obviously had some really good games, had some games that were a little bit rough and everything, but learned and grew through that. And then we brought in Riley through the transfer portal, who, like the kid is a soccer head, you know, like she absolutely loves it. If you go into divine or out to the field at any point in time, you probably see Riley with a bag of balls, you know, and then Addie Colangelo coming in, who you walk up to the field, and you're going to know where Addie Colangelo is.
She's about six-one, athletic is all get out and, you know, I think the three of them, that dynamic is only pushing one another to another level. And so I think that, you know, our goalkeeper core is like, I think they're together. I think they're united. And I think, you know, they are bringing the best out of one another for sure.

NATHALIE: Well, not to single any players out specifically, but I'm curious from you. I'm curious, from your perspective, who stood out to you this off season is, you know, someone who's putting in the work and really believes in that goal you're talking about.

STEPHANIE: Yeah, I think, honestly, I think the whole team has really taken a step forward. You know, when, when we came back, you know, we got started again. We're Our demands are high. You know, the standard is very, very high on a daily basis. And, you know, we've we're a week into it, and we don't see any sort of a dip right now. You know, the energy is still high. They look fresh, even though, you know, they're tired and stuff, you know. And so this group as a whole, I think they're pushing one another. They're bringing the best out of out of each other. You know, obviously we have some who are more seasoned than others, just in terms of their their playing time. And what's been great is that those players didn't like take anything for granted and take a dip. They're actually putting their foot on the gas. And the newcomers are coming into an environment where it's being demonstrated, what it should look like, and they're stepping up to to the bar.

NATHALIE: How does it feel to finally be here? I mean, you're going to hit action here this week and face Kansas State. How does it feel to get into the thick of things now?

STEPHANIE: Yeah, I think, you know, we're excited. I think, you know, we intentionally have one, one exhibition. We have it at a point where we felt like we were really able to layer some foundational things in, like relentless out of possession is one of our core values, and that's what we've really been focused on. We've layered in a little bit on the attacking side, just in the transition moments. But, you know, we want to have that side be as developed as we can before we get into the regular season. So I think getting a good look at us against somebody else on Wednesday in K State is going to be awesome for us, and then we have a full week to prepare for that opener. So I think like getting a measuring stick and then being able to build from there, I'm really, really excited about what this team can do.

NATHALIE: We're excited to see you guys. Thanks for making time before it all gets crazy for you

STEPHANIE: absolutely thanks for having me

NATHALIE: for the rest of you guys, we'll be right back after the break.