⚽️ LADY VOLS SOCCER

[Volfan1000]

Here's the dope on Amato leaving Florida. Eating habits/weight were a big coach/player issue.

Florida soccer coach leaving after complaints by players over comments about eating habits, bodies - WUFT News

Perhaps White should look at Becky Burleigh who had a solid record at Florida as a possible successor for Pensky.

 

[turbovol]

The Florida opening isn't good for us because now there are two big job openings in collegiate soccer. Before today, there was just one--ours. And let's
hope there is no interest by Krikorian in that job--that would be doubly bad!

 

[orange beard]

Perhaps White should look at Becky Burleigh who had a solid record at Florida as a possible successor for Pensky.

I hear she is retired for good!

 

[turbovol]

I hear she is retired for good!

Yes, I like Burleigh--she was an excellent coach for a long time--but I think she got tired and burnt out. And while some think that Krikorian might take the Florida job, it might be an issue for him. Unlike Florida, there was certainly no falloff in FSU's play before he resigned--they won the national title! Still, he's 62 years old. Does he have the energy to take on another college job? Maybe...he might...but he's certainly now in the later stages of his coaching career. He could take another job, college or pro, and in two/three years decide he's really ready to retire. That said, even if you got him for 3 years, he'd be a boon to the program.

I remember watching the Vols playing Florida in the first three/four years of Pensky's stint. I think Florida at that time was still the best program in the conference. I think A&M was also strong, and it was before South Carolina, Vandy, Arkansas AND UT started to come on. Florida was an excellent possession team--and yet Pensky always put a high press on the Gators. A high press can be effective--but it takes a lot of energy from all the players AND it tends not to work so well against good possession teams. No matter: Pensky pressed, and we would disrupt Florida's flow for about 15 minutes or so--but we wouldn't score and as the game progressed Florida adjusted to our press, and then would start to move the ball past our lines pretty easily and cause problems for us. They'd score, we'd lose.

I thought after a year or two of seeing how that strategy played out--not well--Pensky would stop pressing, but he didn't and I think we lost another two or three times before we started getting better and Florida, strangely, started its slide. About five years or so ago, Florida played a brutal non-conference schedule to open its season--the kind of thing you do when you think you have a good team. It was the year after Florida had beaten powerhouse Stanford (in Gainesville) very early in the season. In any case, the next year the gators played three or four top programs to start--and lost all of those games, as I recall. I thought at the time, no big deal--they'll be fine come SEC play. But they didn't fare very well in their SEC matches after that, had a very below average season for them, and that was the beginning of the end for Burleigh. I think the gators struggled for the next four years, surprisingly--the talent falling off, and then two years ago she retired--the only SEC soccer coach to win a national tile. (However, florida was lucky to do so--got a big break in the title game against UNC.)

If I'm a P5 AD making a hire, in any sport, the one quality I'd look for in a coach is ambition--a real hunger to succeed. It's not so easy to spot, really, as every candidate for a new job as ambition--and wants to express ambitions in an interview--but who REALLY has it? Some people don't have alpha personalities and yet are very ambitious. Krikorian, when he got to FSU after coaching at Franklin & Pierce and the Univ of Hartford (who knew?) decided that the only way he could compete with UNC, UVA and Duke was to recruit international players. He was very good at finding GOOD international players and keeping them at FSU (some good international players will come to the USA and play for a university for a year or two and then leave--go home or turn pro. The Vols have had 2 who did that recently. UNC has had several).

Hiring decisions can be pretty fascinating and almost always a calculated roll of the dice. Fingers crossed!

 

[MAD]

Haven’t listened to this podcast yet, planning on it when I get home.

 

[turbovol]

The Central Florida coach pitched by Knox Soccer Podcast has had a good run at that school, and her team had a couple of impressive non-conference wins last year--over Pa. State and Texas--but it had a losing league record, as she did the previous year. She is another coach, like Harper, who's got her husband as an assistant coach. Might be a bit weird for the ex-AD of Central Florida to hire another coach from Central Florida, after already hiring Heupel.

A coach with an even better CV is the coach at the Univ. of Memphis, Brooks Monaghan. He's and his team have been good. I've seen Memphis play a couple of times, and the Tigers play an attractive brand of soccer. Beat Central Flordia last year, too.

Brooks Monaghan - Head Women's Coach - Women's Soccer Coaches - University of Memphis Athletics

 

[MAD]

Unfortunately both Lady Vols will miss the season opener for Angel FC

 

[MAD]

 

[turbovol]

Excited for Thomas' NIL deal, and let's get a few more deals done, and soon!

 

[MAD]

White Announces Joe Kirt's Promotion to Soccer Head Coach
Already on staff as associate head coach, Kirt has been with the program since 2007.



KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Joe Kirt, a mainstay on the Tennessee sidelines since 2007, has been named UT's women's soccer head coach, as announced by Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White on Friday.

During his 15 seasons on Rocky Top, Kirt has helped guide the Lady Vols to two SEC Tournament championships, two SEC Eastern Division championships and seven NCAA Tournament appearances. As an assistant coach at Tennessee, Kirt's primary role was in training goalkeepers and implementing defensive strategy. The program logged 18 shutouts over the last two seasons.

"When I met with the student-athletes in our soccer program earlier this week, I asked what characteristics they valued in their next head coach," White said. "They talked about a leader who cares about their development beyond just athletics, someone who promotes a family-oriented culture, someone who empowers them to be themselves genuinely and someone who not only listens but truly hears.

"After examining several quality candidates, it became increasingly apparent that we already had the perfect fit right here in current associate head coach Joe Kirt.

"Joe has been an integral part of building Tennessee soccer into a championship-caliber program, and we're going to support it at a level that matches those championship ambitions. We can't wait to watch Tennessee soccer rise to new heights and compete for SEC and NCAA titles under Joe's leadership."

During Kirt's tenure on staff, Tennessee has produced nine All-Americans and 33 All-SEC selections.

"First, I want to thank Danny and this administration for believing in me and giving me this opportunity," Kirt said. "I love this team and this program, and I'm so excited to see where we take it. The culture we've built here and the talent we have—with both returning and incoming players—is so special, and there's no other team I'd rather be on this journey with."

Kirt was instrumental in helping guide UT to its second straight SEC Eastern Division championship in 2021. The Vols went on to defeat top-seeded Arkansas 3-0 in the final of the SEC Tournament, bringing the trophy home for the first time since 2008 before advancing in the NCAA Tournament to the Round of 16. With a record of 20-3-0, it was the winningest team in program history.

The 2021 squad was stout defensively, posting a program-best 13 shutouts and setting a new UT shutout streak record of 633:53. Following the season, Tennessee's coaching staff was named Southeast Region Staff of the Year by United Soccer Coaches.

In 2020, Kirt helped lead Tennessee to an SEC East title, going 4-1-1 in divisional play and 4-3-1 overall in conference play. In the spring, the Big Orange recorded four more wins, three of which were shutouts, to finish the season with an 8-6-1 record and the program's the sixth-straight winning season.

Kirt mentored then-freshman goalkeeper Lindsey Romig to a record-breaking rookie campaign in 2019, as the Midlothian, Virginia, native finished the season with a 0.58 goals-against average—lowering the all-time program record set by Shae Yanezthe previous season. Tennessee posted its fifth-straight winning season with a 9-6-3 record overall, and the Vols went 8-2 at Regal Soccer Stadium with shutout wins over SEC East rivals Florida, Georgia and Kentucky.

Tennessee's defensive unit saw one of the program's most successful seasons in 2018, as the Vols made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals. UT limited opponents to a program-best 15 goals on the season, while the Vols' 12 shutouts tied a then-Tennessee-record set in 2003.

Kirt guided Yanez to one of the program's greatest goalkeeping campaigns from a statistical standpoint in 2018, setting program records for the lowest goals-against average (0.66), highest save percentage (.856) and highest win percentage (.795) in a single season. The Downingtown, Pennsylvania, native broke UT's career record for save percentage (.820) and finished third on UT's all-time list with 21 solo shutouts, including 10 in her final year on Rocky Top.

In 2017, the Lady Vols returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years behind a defense that recorded 10 shutouts. UT conceded less than 20 goals for the third consecutive season, logging a 0.88 goals-against average as a team, with 19 goals allowed.

Kirt helped lead Tennessee to its eighth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and its fourth SEC Tournament title in 2008. The Big Orange posted six shutouts and recorded a 1.23 goals against average during Kirt's second year on staff.

The 2007 season saw Kirt coach Johnson and the UT defense to 11 shutouts, a 0.88 goals-against average and a new program-record 457-minute shutout streak. The Lady Vol defense became a nearly immovable force at home, giving up just three goals in nine matches and shutting out the final six opponents it faced at Regal Stadium in 2007, including two NCAA Tournament matches.

In his first year in Knoxville, Kirt helped steer the Lady Vols to their seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament and fifth NCAA Round of 16 appearance. Tennessee that Fall also reached its highest NSCAA ranking in program history (No. 6).

Kirt joined the Tennessee soccer staff in July 2007 after spending three years as the Director of Goalkeeping for the Texas Soccer Club's Challenge, a youth soccer organization comprised of 29 girls' soccer teams in Houston, Texas. During his tenure, the Challenge won a total of 14 state championships and earned a No. 14 national ranking from Soccer America magazine in 2005.

Prior to his time with the Challenge, Kirt was an assistant coach with the University of Houston from 2000-05.

Prior to joining the professional ranks, Kirt earned his degree in International Studies in 1998 from Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where he played both soccer and hockey. As a member of the Titans' soccer team, Kirt earned three varsity letters playing in goal. As a senior captain in 1997, he led the team to a 13-5-1 record, capping the season with a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Coaches Association first-team selection.

A native of Brookfield, Wisconsin, Kirt holds a National Soccer Coaches Association of America national goalkeeping diploma. Joe and his wife, Susan, a seventh-grade teacher, reside in Knoxville with their sons, Landon and Luke.

 

[Vol67]

Might work

 

[MAD]

Might work

He has been with UT since 2007, curious what @turbovol & @StrangeVol think of the hire.

 

[Volstylexx]

This is a really good hire.

 

[MAD]

This is a really good hire.

I’m glad to hear that you think that. I’ve seen a lot of positive feedback from current and former players.

 

[MAD]

 

[turbovol]

Wow: I didn't see this coming. I would never have predicted White staying in-house--and if I were UT's AD, I doubt I would have gone in this direction, if only because there is no substitute for having prior P5 head-coaching experience before taking a major-head-coaching job. Being an assistant/associate coach is not the same as being a head coach--much different responsibilities. I was hoping the Vols would chase Krikorian--the best coach in the land--and instead we hired our longtime assistant/associate. I'm not trying to slight the guy when I say that he doesn't exactly have the background one would expect for a job of this caliber. So my feelings are mixed.

Was this decision a quick, stabilizing decision given the bad timing of Pensky's departure.? I have to think that certainly was a factor in White's decision--and maybe a big factor. Would White have made this decision if Pensky had left 3 months ago? My feeling is, probably not. And that's what I don't like about this decision, if I'm honest--and what I've not liked about the coaching decisions we've made in our women's basketball program. We've gone the easy route with some hiring decisions; did it with Warlick and Harper, and have now done it with Kirt. That's not to suggest it's a bad decision--just an easy decision. Whether it's good or bad, and let's hope it's the former, only time will tell.

The thing that will make or break Kirt--and this is true for most coaches in every sport--is recruiting. IMO Pensky was the best recruiter in the SEC--one of the best in the country. I could give three or four examples right now, but here's just one: Bunny Shaw was originally a Florida recruit. She had to go to junior college, and did so...in Florida. Upon graduation one would have expected her to go to Florida. Instead, Pensky nabbed her for the Vols and she was arguably one of the two best players in the country--now playing for ManCity. Major coup. Jaida Thomas was originally committed to A&M, but we stole her away--another brilliant recruiting coup. Those kind of wins are the difference between being 4th-to-6th in a major, highly competitive conference, with a lot of good coaches, and 1st-to-3rd best. I assume Kirt's been pretty heavily involved in our recruiting--I'm sure our recent recruiting success has been a staff achievement and not just attributable to our ex-head coach--and so if he can keep our recruiting at a high level, we should be good. Recruiting is not everything--we saw that with Warlick---but it's a lot.

I'm curious to know if Jon Morgan will stay with the program or perhaps join Pensky at FSU. Hope he stays here--a good guy and someone who's certainly been instrumental in our success.

Here's wishing Coach Kirt well!

 

[turbovol]

I saw that the father of one of our best incoming recruits greeted this announcement very enthusiastically. That is encouraging!

 

[StrangeVol]

I'm sorta in the same boat as turbovol. It's an easy hire BUT not necessarily a poor hire. Timing was the issue that I think somewhat forced AD White's hand as it is critically important that we minimize if not eliminate attrition among our present players and those recruits set to arrive shortly. Given more time I imagine our AD would have turned over lots of stones before making a move. The big question that remains is who will come on board to fill Kirt's slot, will he/she be more of an offensive mind, and are they a strong recruiter.

As a program, we have some momentum at present. We can't let that slip away.

So, having said that, Welcome Coach Kirt!

 

[MAD]

 

[Vols330]

What part of the game does Joe specialize in?

 

[MAD]

I'm sorta in the same boat as turbovol. It's an easy hire BUT not necessarily a poor hire. Timing was the issue that I think somewhat forced AD White's hand as it is critically important that we minimize if not eliminate attrition among our present players and those recruits set to arrive shortly. Given more time I imagine our AD would have turned over lots of stones before making a move. The big question that remains is who will come on board to fill Kirt's slot, will he/she be more of an offensive mind, and are they a strong recruiter.

As a program, we have some momentum at present. We can't let that slip away.

So, having said that, Welcome Coach Kirt!

Do you know if Jonathan Morgan will stay on staff or follow Pensky to FSU?

 

[MAD]

What part of the game does Joe specialize in?

I believe it’s working with goalkeepers and defense.

 

[MAD]

The team reaction was wonderful

 

[MAD]

 

[turbovol]

The player reaction to the Kirt announcement was nice to see. That said, White's comments were completely silly--he didn't cast a wide net or examine several candidates, not in four days--and I was expecting something a bit more inspirational from the new coach himself. He's been fortuitously handed a massive opportunity for a coach with his rather thin coaching CV--and let's hope he can make the most of it.