1999 Tiger Women's Soccer in Review

Coach Kulas' Comments on the Season:

To most, a 7-11-1 record would not appear to be an attractive end-of-the-season record, but for Wittenberg University head coach Fran Kulas, the 7-11-1 finish has many positives.

"Obviously when you compare last season's record (4-14-1) to our's this year, you can see that we were three games better this year. Unfortunately, the majority of the positive things that came out of this season are not measureable or concrete, and therefore don't show up in the statistics. It is difficult to explain to an outsider or someone who hasn't seen us play throughout the season, just how much we have matured in the course of just under three months."

Kulas points to several areas when speaking about improvement and maturity. "This being my first year here at Wittenberg, 1999 was a rebuilding year, no question. Coming here is August, my job was to do the best job with the players that were already here on campus. Obviously, winning is always a priority. But in addition, I had two objectives with this group. My first was to create an environment for them to see that they were capable of winning. My second was to urge them to a mental state where they expected to win each time they took the field, no matter who they were playing. A common thought that I conveyed to the players throughout the season was that our success has never been about who we are playing. Rather, our success is determined by how we decide to play on that particular day."

Kulas on Winning:

While many coaches tend to place too much emphasis on winning, Kulas points out that there are other things that are important on the road to winning. "I think that many coaches place too much emphasis on the product rather than the process. For us this season, the process was the key focus all season long. As a result, the product that we created was very positive. As a coach, I am most pleased with the competitve mentality that each player in this program has put into their individual and team games."

"In saying all of these things, we compete to win. Now that the competitive and professional standard has been set, these characteristics are the norm and the expectation. No matter how you look at it, soccer is a result oriented game. There will be times when you outplay the other team and lose and vice versa. The bottom line for me as the coach is that my teams need to find ways to win. Sometimes it will be pretty and other times not, but in the end, individuals must contribute a competitive effort to the team cause to get the desired result.

"For example, this season I felt that we played well enough to win five games that we ended up losing or tying. For us, even though we played well, we didn't find a way to win. And for our opponent, while they didn't play well, they found a way to win and that is the bottom line. There is no category in the standings for 'playing well'. The only categories you'll find are for wins, loses, or ties and I prefer to stack the numbers in the win category."

Highlights of the '99 season:

Highlights for the 1999 season included a 2-1 away victory over Capital, which finished the season ranked 10th in the Great Lakes Region and eardned a bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament. In addition, the Tigers managed to upset NCAC rival Earlham in an away match. Wittenberg scored in overtime to cap the 2-1 victory as they beat Earlham who finished the season ranked seventh in the Great Lakes Region.

"When you look at our schedule, it is apparent that we have one of the most difficult schedules in the country. We played four teams, who at the time we played them were in the top 25 in the country. Inaddition, we played nine teams who at the time we played them were in the top 10 in the Great Lakes Region. An interesting point is that of the 19 games we played this season, 10 of those teams finished the season ranked in the top 10 in the Great Lakes Region, two of which we beat. And on the national scale, three of our 1999 opponents finished ranked in the top 25 in the nation. Of all these teams and numbers, four of our 1999 opponents qualified for the NCAA division III National Tournament.

Tough Competition:

What does Coach Kulas think about competing against the top teams in the region and the country? "I think that a women's soccer player here at Wittenberg has got to be excited about the opportunities that they have week in and week out to make an impact on a regional and national scale. Each year we already know that in our conference alone, we will be facing some of the best teams. In 1999, two teams in our conference finished in the top 10 in the nation and five teams finished in the top 10 in the Great Lakes Reigion. It has always been my opinion that in order to be the best, you've got to beat the best. You can't beat the best if you don't play the best. Therefore I intend on playing the best possible teams in the region and country each year. Simply competing against the best teams is not enough, we must beat the best to become the best."

Season Improvements:

Statistically in 1999, the Tigers scored 12 goals more than they had in 1998 and they gave up 19 less goals then they had in 1998. Wittenberg recorded four shut outs and had one player recognized as the NCAC Player of the Week.

2000 Tentative Tiger Schedule

Home Games in All Caps
* NCAC Matches