Two months have passed since Ron Rainey left the women's soccer program at Ball State University and almost an entire spring season has been played without a new coach at the helm.
For the first time in the program's seven-year history, the Cardinals have been playing and practicing without Rainey, who will coach at the University of Iowa next season. The two months since Rainey's resignation has been difficult for players, but junior Amy Holst said they've tried to make the best of the situation.
"It's been an interesting experience to play without a coach," Holst said. "Luckily, we have some great leaders on this team and we've been able to keep getting better as the season has progressed."
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tom Collins said he hopes to have a new coach in place soon, but until then graduate assistant Erin Abbey will continue to help plan and control practices. Abbey volunteered her time to help with the team during the transition between coaches, and sophomore Laura Bandy said the graduate assistant has been great help.
"Erin is amazing and she didn't have to do this but she really sacrificed so much time for us," Bandy said. "She brought in some fresh workouts for us and has kept us in great game shape this spring."
The Cardinals, who play their alumni game in Muncie on Saturday, lost only one game during the spring season while piling up six wins. It's a continuation of what the Cards did during last season's scorching run through the regular season.
Rainey left the team after one of his most successful years with the Cardinals. Ball State (15-3-2) finished the 2005 season with the team's best regular season record in its short history, but another first-round loss in the Mid-American Conference Tournament ended the season on a sour note.
Bandy said the team is trying to work out the kinks that led to the loss that ended their season.
"We've been working on a lot of mental aspects of the game, tying to help cut down on mistakes we make on the field in game time situations," she said.
No matter who is named the new coach of the Cards, they will find a group focused on goal-winning in the MAC Championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
"We know we can win the MAC, it's just a matter of preparing early to do that," Holst said. "We've had a lot of injuries this spring, which has opened the door for inexperienced players to gain a lot of playing time. That's something that can make a big difference in the conference tournament."
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