CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Austin Peay State University women’s soccer team officially kicked off their season last week. They currently hold a record of 0-0-2, with their two draws against Miami(OH) and Evansville University.
The Governors are led by first year head coach Kim McGowan. McGowan was hired after the women’s soccer team finished 2021-22 with an overall record of 4-10-3.
McGowan has an extensive coaching background which ranges from Division I all the way to Division III. According to APSU Athletics, McGowan was hired for the head coaching position following a four year stint with the Miami(OH) women’s soccer team.
She served as an assistant coach for three years before being promoted to associate head coach last year. Prior to her time with the RedHawks, McGowan spent time as head coach at Thomas More College and Olivet College.
The head coach detailed that she was very fortunate that she was hired during the spring semester. Since then, McGowan has stressed the importance of staying competitive and holding themselves accountable.
“This team can accomplish a lot of things,” said McGowan. “As a coaching staff we’ve been working on making the players believe in that. As long as they continue to push themselves, and be the best versions of them and the team, I believe those standards and those goals can be accomplished this year. We feel really good about that, but those are some of the things we drive home as we raise the standard and strive toward it.”
2022-23 season
McGowan stated that the coaching staff has focused on a multitude of areas since the beginning of the regular season. This includes balancing the players workload, classroom sessions and perfecting their formation. All of this has contributed to the team’s current form.
The head coach detailed that the team is building around putting their 11 best players on the field in a 4-1-4-1 formation. The reason for implementing this formation is based around the idea of pushing those areas out wide. McGowan suggested that the team may alter their formation over the course of the year, but will always base their formation around the 11 best players they send out.
The head coach mentioned that it always helps to have an experienced group on the field. Particularly, the Governors backline which includes senior goalkeeper Chloé Dion.
Team leaders
According to APSU Athletics, Dion entered the 2022-23 season ranked top 10 in school history in the following categories for women’s soccer; career saves, career save percentage, career goalie games and career goalie games started. She went on to detail what her senior year means to her, as well as having name cemented in APSU history.
“This is my last year to give my all,” said Dion. “I’m really excited about the opportunity, and the team has big ambitions this year. I want to end my collegiate career on a high note. That means finishing strong with a good mindset and positive environment.”
“Also, the team is like a family here. Coming from my experiences in Canada where my team’s were more built around being individual, here it’s about the whole team. It’s about us making it to the A-Sun tournament, it’s about us winning together and it’s about using that family environment to our advantage.”
“As for being ranked top 10 in those different categories, it’s a really cool experience. I won’t make a big deal out of it, but it will definitely push me even harder this year.”
Tori Case
Another team leader Clarksville Now got a chance to speak with is Austin Peay midfielder Tori Case. According to APSU Athletics, Case was 1 of 5 players last year to play in every game. In fact, since she joined the program, the midfielder had played in 27 consecutive games to begin the season.
“I’m lucky every time I get to step on the field,” said Case. “I’ve been blessed to not have an injury set me back, and every time I get on the field I give it my all while doing everything in my power to help our team win.”
Case went on to describe how the women’s soccer team as getting better every single day.
“We have a saying here and it’s ‘Govs get better’, and we’ve seen that firsthand,” said Case. “We’ve seen ourselves grow throughout practice and the games we’ve played so far. Take our last game for instance, we were able to score a goal and come from behind to tie it. Both of those things are big deals for us. The more we accomplish, the more we’ll progress and you can see that every game as we continue to get better.”
Case urged opponents and the A-Sun conference to not count out the Governors just yet. While the team is not listed at the top of their conference right now, the midfielder recognized the work the team has put in thus far and the fact that the group is set on making their conference tournament. Meaning, they’ll do whatever it takes to get to that point and teams better “watch out.”
Austin Peay women’s soccer action continues Friday, August 26 as they host Idaho State on Mental Health Awareness Night. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM.