St. Andrews head women’s soccer coach Ebony Campbell talks with her team during a break at practice.
St. Andrews Athletics
Campbell ready to change her team’s culture on the way to wins
LAURINBURG — When Ebony Campbell took over the head coaching position for the St. Andrews Knights women’s soccer program in May 2023, she knew there was one component she wanted to target for change.
“I really tried to focus on the culture,” Campbell said. “We focused on soccer, but the culture was my first priority because I knew coming in that, that’s what needed fixing … not based on our record, but based on the growth of the team, we had a lot of progress. Going into next year, we’re focusing on being able to compete and having more depth on the bench.”
The Tampa, Florida, native hit the ground running as soon as she stepped on campus, ready to face the challenges ahead with a slim roster of only 17 players. The average player typically locks into their selected team by April, a month before Campbell took over at the helm.
She accepted what was hers to inherit and began the process of rebuilding the program from the ground up, starting with developing the correct mentality.
“I always say, it’s a privilege, not a right to play soccer,” Campbell said. “Not all players and athletes get an opportunity to do that. When you establish that gratitude of waking up every day and being grateful that you get to play soccer because other people don’t have the chance that I do, that’s the culture I want to focus on moving forward.”
She acknowledges that the women’s final record of 1-13-1 is not reflective of the progress she saw made. On the field, Campbell saw her players progress from a “kickball” type team on offense to developing structure and intentional strategy in their approach.
Off the field, accountability wasn’t an issue, with the team boasting a 3.3 GPA as of spring 2023.
“They took care of business off the field,” Campbell said.
Transitioning into the offseason, she now focuses on developing her players.
“My job in the fall is to win games,” Campbell said. “My job in the spring is to develop you.”
She spearheads that process by communicating directly with her athletes. She schedules one-on-one meetings with them, asking how they want to be coached. She is clear on letting them know their strengths and where she would like to see them improve. She never wants a player to feel confused as to why she makes certain coaching decisions.
“(Some players) want you to tell them what they want to hear,” Campbell said. “But in reality, I have to tell them what they need to hear because that’s the only way that you are going to get better.”
From a practical standpoint, she will take the offseason to develop her team’s overall soccer skills – fitness level, technical ability, and decision-making away from the ball.
Her driving motivation in doing so will be to see her program make it to the Appalachian Athletic Conference playoffs. This year, the Knights finished in 14th place in the conference, missing postseason play by four positions.
“Going into the fall season, I really want to focus on making playoffs,” Campbell said. “That’s the big thing. I want to make (the) playoffs in this conference. … If we really hit (recruiting) hard and get the players that we want, we’ll finish way above 10th place.”