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Determination in duplicate: Stevens ready to direct Trojan women, men on pitch
CALGARY (September 7, 2010)— The SAIT Trojans expect the Grant Stevens double-duty experiment will be a great benefit to their soccer program. The feeling, Stevens assures us, is entirely mutual.
Back in mid-January, the Trojans announced that Stevens — who’s led the SAIT men’s soccer team to Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) silver and bronze medals in the past four years — would also take the helm of the Trojan women’s squad in 2010, replacing Seth Richardson.
It’s believed to be the first time a coach has directed both genders of a varsity sports program at SAIT Polytechnic . . . and it’s already taken Stevens into uncharted personal territory.
“Emotion. It’s a new learning experience for me, something I’ve never, never felt in all my 18 years of coaching,” says Stevens. “I drive my boys hard, and I think I’ll have the same work ethic with the girls . . . but I’ve already found out that when they get hurt, it’s almost like the fatherly instinct, the dad, comes out.
“I actually love this new experience,” he adds. “It will only push me further to get the job done.”
The Trojan men, who lost the 2009 ACAC final to the Mount Royal University Cougars on penalty kicks, make their 2010 debut on Friday, Sept. 10 at 5:30 p.m., when they’ll christen the all-new Martin Cohos Commons Field and its synthetic-fiber surface with a game against the Lethbridge College Kodiaks. The Trojan women begin their season against those same Kodiaks at Cohos Commons on Saturday, Sept. 11, starting at 2 p.m.
“We’re happy to have Grant take over the women’s team for this season, and possibly into the future. We’ll see how it goes for him and the team,” says Ken Babey, the SAIT Trojans’ director of athletics. “Grant’s a very experienced, committed coach . . . and we think his competitiveness and drive will rub off on the women’s team a bit, and help us start to develop a stronger women’s soccer program.
“We also know that Grant will want results this year, as we all do,” adds Babey. “We’re not waiting.”
Stevens will have help in the logistical department this fall, since former Trojan players Erin Schwab and Erica Balmer have climbed on board as the apprentice coach and assistant coach, respectively, of the SAIT women’s squad. Meanwhile, John Talerico returns as his assistant on the men’s side.
The Trojan women haven’t qualified for ACAC playoffs since 2002, and came agonizingly close last fall — finishing with a 4-5-1 record and losing a tiebreaker with the Medicine Hat College Rattlers for the third and final playoff berth in the South Division.
“Grant’s all in. He expects great things, and he’s putting all his effort in with this team. You could tell that from the beginning,” says midfielder Elise Mullen (4th year, White Rock, B.C., Alberta College of Art and Design). “He’s told us: ‘I’ve seen your strengths out there. I’ve seen that you’re not going to give up, and I’m not going to give up on you.’ ”
Stevens has transformed the SAIT men’s team into an ACAC powerhouse, with three straight ACAC semifinal berths and back-to-back South Division regular-season pennants. He was rewarded as the ACAC’s coach of the year in 2007 and 2008.
“It’s hard enough managing one team at this level,” says defender Dejan Timotijevic (4th year, Calgary, mechanical engineering). “Grant’s always been committed to the sport, he never cuts corners, and knows what he needs to do to get the job done.”
