New XU Coach Dean Ward looks to build off successful stint at Division II Lenior-Rhyne

By Pat Gainor, Staff Writer

Following the departure of former Head Coach Nate Lie, Xavier women’s soccer has selected standout Head Coach and Recruiting Specialist Dean Ward to take the helm of the program.

Ward succeeds Lie off the back of one of the most decorated tenures in program history that has made Xavier a consistent contender in the Big East, compiling an 82-37-20 record over seven seasons with three regular season titles, four NCAA tournament appearances and a Big East Championship in 2019.

“The history of success has been prevalent over the last few years,” Coach Ward said. “I think that was a huge pull for me. I’m competitive. I want to play for championships — that’s where I want to live,” he continued.

Ward, who served under staff of the great Brian Pensky, worked as the recruiting coordinator for the University of Dayton from 2017-2022, where he recruited 15 All A-10 Conference Award Winners over five seasons as well as two A-10 Player of the Year recipients. In 2022, he took the helm at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne, where he led the Bears to a 29-5-8 record over two seasons — with this past season including a perfect 11-0 record in conference play. His tenure included two SAC conference titles, two NCAA DII tournament appearances and a run to the Elite Eight this past year.

On Ward, Pensky commented, “Dean is the complete package. He has an eye for talent and his emotional intelligence ranks up there with the best of them.” Pensky is now the head coach at Florida State University.

Ward sourced the majority of his success throughout his career on recruiting. 

“It’s a core piece of everything, where you’ve got to get the right people in the right places,” he said. “From a soccer perspective, it’s having talent — that can come in many different forms, whether it’s athletic ability or tactical or technical side of things. Then just the way people are wired: Are they competitive? Are they driven? Are they continually looking to get better every single day? And I think if you have those kinds of people in your program, combining with that kind of mindset, things just snowball from there.”

Following  Ward to Xavier are Elin Hansson and Ella Garner, two marquee players critical to Lenoir-Rhyne’s success. Hansson, a sophomore attacking midfielder from Sweden, was named SAC Offensive Player of the Year after notching 44 points — 26 goals and 17 assists — through 22 matches. She was also named the Southwest Region Player of the Year by the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) and was named to their All-American First Team.

Garner, a freshman defender from Martinsburg, Pa., tallied four goals in 20 matches as she put together a campaign culminating in a spot on both the All-SAC First Team and D2CCA All Southeast-Region First Team.

Finally, in a splash acquisition, Dean Ward landed former Syracuse defender Zoé Van de Cloot. Van de Cloot, hailing from Zoersel, Belgium, started in all 16 appearances she had for the Orange, averaging 86 minutes per match. She has been invited to train with the Belgian National Team for two straight years, including participating in a friendly as a member of the Belgian U23 squad.

“I’m pleased with the additions we’ve been able to bring in so far,” Ward said, “And I say we’re still active, always looking at every avenue so we can bring quality players into the program, whether that’s freshmen, transfers or international players — all of the above. Getting the right fit is very important and making sure they want to be here.”

As for putting his foothold into uplifting a winning culture for the program, Ward emphasized “getting the right people on the bus. And we’ve already got lots of great players on the bus already. Now it’s about pushing them to maximize and challenge themselves. I want an environment where iron sharpens iron and our training sessions are harder than any games we’re going to play against. I think that environment can develop people and push them to be better as well.”

When discussing his plan, Ward mentioned how he looks to carry over Lie’s aggressiveness into his own regiment. “I want to score goals. I want to attack and dominate in a way that puts teams under pressure and makes them uncomfortable,” he said. “I want to entertain and be aggressive on the defensive and in transition, but I also want to control the game; sometimes that means owning the ball and dictating the game by having it.”

Ward helmed one of the best offenses in Division II, with Lenoir-Rhyne scoring a total of 64 goals over 23 matches — good for 6th most in the country.

“I know what I’m coming into,” Coach Ward said regarding expectations for the upcoming seasons. “You know, the standards and the expectations to win. That’s been the case everywhere I’ve been to and I’m kind of used to it — I’d rather be having the pressure to win and compete for championships then being middle of the pack and playing just to play. I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t think we could compete for championships, make the NCAA Tournament and go as far as we possibly can. It’s not an easy place to be by any stretch, but that’s what I want to live on.”

This spring, the Musketeers will travel to the largest city in Kentucky on April 7 as they look to build on a duo of regular season victories against the Louisville Cardinals over the course of the last two campaigns. Before that match, the Musketeers will face a test from the Kentucky Wildcats at Corcoran Field on March 27. These games take place as part of the Spring Cup, which will culminate this year with final games at Grand Park Events Center  in Carmel, Ind. on April 13. Xavier’s opponent will emerge from a pool of the sport’s elite.

In the 2023 rendition of the Spring Cup, Xavier came in as the runner-up after falling to the eventual nationa semifinalist Michigan State Spartans in a penalty shootout.