Change in girls’ soccer

Stevenson to coach Raiders

By: Justin Feil
   Ken Stevenson has never coached an all-girls team.
   But the new Hun School girls’ soccer coach showed early that he had an eye for and a great deal of respect for girls’ talent.
   "Two years out of college we were living in Maine," began Stevenson of he and his wife, Alison, who is a dorm parent at Hun. "It was before we had kids and I started coaching a team and I made a girl my starting central midfielder on the first team I ever coached. I alienated some parents, but she was hands down the best player on the team. I’ve had an interest in coaching girls. I have three sons and a daughter so it’s been mostly boys so far."
   Stevenson came to Hun five years ago to be Director or Residential Life, a position he still holds. He is in charge of the living arrangements for the 150 students who live on campus. He and his wife reside with their children who range from Campbell, who will be a junior at Hun, to Riley, their first girl who is 3 years old. The family lived in the girls’ dorm for three years, but now Stevenson is seeing a different side of the Hun girls’ lives as a head coach.
   After four years with the Hun boys’ program, Stevenson takes over for Mike Poller, who led the Raiders to a 10-11 record last fall. Stevenson was assistant to Hun boys’ coach Chris Kingston for a year and coached the boys’ junior varsity the last three seasons. From there, he moves into his first varsity head coaching job.
   "I loved it and we had pretty good success," Stevenson said of his experience as JV head coach. "We were undefeated in the MAPL league for two and a half years.
   "The thing I would say about this team that I’ve been very pleased with is how quickly they’ve adjusted to a new coach, particularly for a bunch of seniors who have been here a while. They’ve been great. It’s been a very smooth transition."
   The Raiders return a team led by six seniors who are familiar names to opponents in the area. Two were all-state prep picks last year, and their energy and enthusiasm has helped carry Hun to a productive early preseason.
   "We’ve been having three sessions a day," Stevenson said. "At the end of the day today, it’s raining and dark and they’re saying, we want to keep playing. They have a terrific attitude. They’ve made it easy for me."
   Stevenson isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel with the girls’ team. He is trying to take the talent he inherits from Poller and make it an even more dangerous side. He is relying on his success with past experiences.
   Stevenson, who grew up in Hopewell, was a two-time Most Valuable Player and two-time captain of the Hun boys’ soccer team. He graduated in 1982 and went on to play one year at Brown University. The former center midfielder combines lessons learned from his own playing experience with knowledge gained as a coach of the boys’ program and in recreation and travel programs through the years.
   "The big thing that I preached hard in the boys’ program, at the JV level and I think it’s true at the varsity level, is you don’t score a lot taking it to the corner and crossing it to back post," he said. "That’s hard. What worked well was to create scoring opportunities in small spaces. We’re looking for a breakdown in the defense with a 2v1 and 3v2. They get it. They’ve picked it up quickly. We’re only a few days in, but if we continue to progress at this level, we’ll score some goals. They scored a lot last year. I’m trying to get even better chances up top. Defensively, it’s early and I don’t know what I’m dealing with yet. I’m not sure who will be playing in the back yet.
   "What’s really nice is, Mike Pollar, his whole philosophy, with building from the back and controlling the pace, they know what I’m talking about," he added. "It’s not rebuilding. It’s just taking the train and getting it to a good destination. Not rebuilding at all."
   Hun was scheduled to hold its first scrimmage on Friday and will get a taste for who can do the job in the back to go with a dynamic forward combination.
   "That will help get a sense of how we’re going to stack up," Stevenson said. "I have no doubt that these seniors in particular have a whole other level of competitiveness that I haven’t seen yet until it starts counting. There’s a lot of strength and energy that they’ll bring forward."
   The Raiders will debut under Stevenson on Sept. 15 when they host Lawrence. It will be Stevenson’s first game as a varsity head coach. He is looking forward to the start of the regular season.
   "I’m excited," he said. "The parents I’ve talked to so far have been great. They’ve been supportive. It’s been really nice. It’s a lot of time. It surprises me how much more time and energy it takes from JV. When you’re JV, you sort of follow the lead of the program. As the varsity coach, you’re defining the program. It’s an opportunity and a challenge."
   Stevenson is grateful that his girls’ program includes two veteran coaches who can help him adjust to the schedule and pace. Dave Davis is a longtime assistant for the girls and Sam Doak is the Raiders’ established JV coach. The coaches have helped make Stevenson’s move easier, as has his new team.
   "They know what they’re doing," Stevenson said. "They’re really nice kids. We lived in the girls’ dorm for three years but I didn’t really get to know this group of girls that much because so many of them are day students."
   Now, Ken Stevenson is getting his chance to mold them into a fine soccer team in his first head varsity job. After years of coaching boys’ teams, Stevenson quickly is making a smooth transition while sharing a passion for soccer that transcends genders.
   "I just love the game," he said. "I love to play. I love to coach."