Texas A&M soccer has managed to secure a spot in the NCAA women’s tournament in all but one season since the creation of the program — a testament to the coach that has stuck with the program through multiple athletic directors, conference realignments and a new playing field in the Southeastern Conference.
A&M associate head coach Phil Stephenson has technology, a winning ideology and a loyal dedication to the game that helped shape Aggie soccer into what it is today.
“We watch more footage of the other team than we ever did,” Stephenson said. “Twenty-five years ago we would get one video tape from our friends scouting an opponent, and now because of the internet we have so much more information.”
Studying film and learning the ropes of new forms of technology has improved how coaches can evaluate their own athletes. Fitness monitors, filming and advanced statistics have all assisted Stephenson in selecting his best 11 players year after year.
“Our girls wear these devices that track their every move on the field, so that we know who is sprinting a lot and what is the amount of effort they are putting in,” Stephenson said. “This allows us to have a most scientific approach to putting practice together rather than just a bunch of coaches 25 years ago sitting around saying, ‘I think she was running a lot.’ Now we know.”
The ever-changing field of sport science has molded how many coaches now approach running a program. Stephenson raved about Director of Sports Science Scott Battley for his handling of the program’s statistics and how he has made a difference in each practice’s efficiency.
One impact that may not be felt in this A&M locker room, but is noticed on the field and in the transfer portal, is the recent expansion of NIL in college sports.
“We do not have very much; some of our opponents have massive amounts of money to spend, and it is changing the landscape of college athletics,” Stephenson said. “I’m neutral toward NIL. I would rather just coach my team. Would I like all my players to get a million dollars? Absolutely, but you deal with what you have and go from there.”
When it comes to program dedication and loyalty, no one can comment better than Stephenson, who has seen it all.
Stephenson mentioned that the professional field has a heavy effect on their program, whether that be talented players that leave the team to go pro early, or the graduation effect that is inevitable in all college athletics.
“We had a player leave when she was a sophomore; we haven’t replaced her with our recruiting yet because we didn’t know it was going to happen,” Stephenson said. “There are some situations where it’s going to be the best thing for this person, and there are some that it might not be. I think the idea that the coaching staff here is the best council is really important for our players to realize because we actually don’t want money from them.”
Stephenson spoke on how agents are actually the ones that, more often than not, push a player into leaving early, since the agent receives a paycheck as well. On the contrary, staying at A&M does not come with a pay raise. For most players, the decision comes down to living a professional lifestyle, rather than if they have the skills necessary to compete.
Last season for Aggie soccer ended in a round two 1-0 loss to Florida State.
“At the end of last season, we were playing at an incredibly high level, probably top six in the country; we played one of the best teams on the planet in the second round of the NCAA [tournament], because we did not start [the season] well,” Stephenson said. “Our mantra this season is bring it now, every game matters, so that we don’t have to play the best team in the second round, away from home.
“We’ll take on anybody, but we are going to be ready,” Stephenson continued. “People want to play the best teams in the country. Our players [and] our coaching staff all get up for that.”
Class distinction also has no place in Aggieland, according to Stephenson.
“We have a saying that if you treat freshmen like freshmen, then you get freshmen,” Stephenson said. “We don’t want freshmen, we want people to come in and compete right away. There is no class distinction in our program because we want them to play like a senior right away.”
Success may disguise itself in many forms, but for A&M soccer, success is always a guarantee with coach Stephenson.
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