Usually a man in full Virginia Tech apparel would seem out of place on a Ball State athletic field.
But this was no ordinary day for new women's soccer coach Michael Lovett.
The date was April 16, the one-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech campus shooting that killed 33 students in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. Lovett had been an assistant coach at Virginia Tech when the shooting happened.
"I was able to be here around our team on 4/16, and I wore my Hokie Nation shirt," Lovett said. "The girls understood, and they just got it."
For Lovett, the emotions associated with the shooting are still changing and developing. He said the event left a permanent scar on all those involved with the campus at that time.
"When I was going through it, I was more in shock," Lovett said. "The more I reflect, the more emotional I get. I don't think I'll ever be over it. It had a tremendous impact. I think about 4/16 every day. I try to live each day like there's no tomorrow."
Lovett is now trying to make a difference with the women's soccer program. He was hired March 3 to replace Michelle Salmon, who left the Cardinals after two years to take the head coaching job at Cincinnati. For this year's seniors, it's the second coaching transition they have experienced in their time at Ball State.
"It's always an interesting period when you change coaches," senior goalkeeper Rachel Murphy said. "But the seniors had done it before, so we knew a bit better what to expect."
This will be Lovett's first head coaching job, except for the six months he spent as interim head coach at Murray State in 2005. He will inherit a team with 18 returning players and the two-time defending MAC regular season champions. During those two seasons, the team is a combined 26-9-5. Despite being the top seed both years, Ball State has failed to win the MAC tournament and advance to the NCAA tournament.
After those disappointments, Murphy said, the team is focused on winning the MAC tournament, which will automatically qualify it for the NCAA tournament.
"We talked through that [need to take it to the next level] in his interview," athletics director Tom Collins said. "He has a plan and the ability to do that. I think they understand what it takes to win a MAC regular season title, but winning in the regular season is one thing."
While the players said they were sad to lose Salmon, senior forward Emily Rein said they knew they would have to quickly move past her loss and embrace their new coach if they wanted to have a successful season.
"It's always difficult to lose a coach," Rein said. "You have to expect change, especially in an athletic environment. It's sad to lose her, but you have to keep an open mind."
At Virginia Tech, Lovett worked closely with the goalkeepers and helped the Hokies set a school-record low for goals against, allowing 20 in 18 games last season. Lovett played goalie at South Alabama from 1992-94 and professionally with the Mobile Revelers of the United Soccer League in 1994.
"It taught me about the next level," Lovett said. "I knew what the college level was like, but the pro level is just a beast in itself."
Murphy previously worked with Lovett at Soccer Plus Goalkeeper School in 2004 and is hoping he will help her continue her dominance in the net. She was selected to the second team all-MAC squad after posting a .53 goals-against average and setting a single-season school record with 10 shutouts in 19 games.
Lovett said he's impressed with the personal and athletic growth Murphy has experienced since their time together at the camp.
"[In 2004] she was very brash, cocky and quite immature," Lovett said. "We didn't get along very well. When I came for my interview, she came up and gave me a hug. Four years earlier that would not have happened. To see how much she matured was amazing."
Despite Lovett's background, he believes his teams will still be able to put the ball in the back of the net.
"I find myself defensive-minded, but offensive-oriented," Lovett said. "You lose less games if you're not getting scored on."
Last year's leading scorer and one of Ball State's most prolific offensive players, Rein, has played for coaches like Lovett before. The all-MAC forward isn't concerned about the change.
"As a player I'm not worried about it," Rein said. "The goal of the offense is still the same: to score goals. ... Anybody they would have brought in would have been more defensive-minded."
The players believe Lovett's experience as a coach in the ACC - the premier women's soccer conference in the nation owning 18 of 26 NCAA titles - will be a great asset as he becomes the third coach in the program's history.
"The experience he brings, not only as a coach, but as a player, is valuable," Murphy said. "Especially as a coach in the ACC, one of the best soccer conferences in the country. It will help, not just this season but in future seasons. He'll help us get a stronger strength of schedule, get wins and put ourselves on the national board."
Part of the change has been increased physical demands of the players. Rein said the spring was particularly tough in terms of conditioning her body under Lovett's workout system.
Lovett's intense workouts stem from his time in the ACC.
"In the ACC we did fitness all the time," Lovett said. "I want [a player] to be able to do the same thing in November that you can do in August."
For Lovett, the move to Muncie is a return to the Midwest. He is a native of Murray, Kent., a five-hour drive south of campus.
"My wife and I wanted to get back to the Midwest and get back to family," Lovett said. "We're much closer to Grandma and Grandpa than we were in Virginia."
Lovett has two kids of his own at home, but seemingly has adopted 23 more daughters. Lovett is happy to inherit a team that already has great camaraderie. It's something he'll hold close to his heart, he said, because the events of April 16, 2007 taught him how quickly things can change in life.
"I feel that in this position everyone becomes some sort of parent figure," Lovett said. "You can call it a father figure, a role model or whatever. I see myself in that role. ... I don't like to leave the day with open-ended questions. I make sure I go to bed with a clean slate each night."
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