Building A Winning Program

If there were a perfect time to be coming in as a new coach for a women’s sport, it would be now, and Meghan Ryan Nemzer is doing just that. 

A native of Crofton, Maryland, Nemzer will be the head coach of Maryland Women's Soccer after spending the last 14 years coaching at Rutgers. The opportunity to coach at the University of Maryland is a dream come true for Nemzer. 

“It's been wonderful," Nemzer said with a gleam in her eye. "The University of Maryland was my dream job. I didn’t want to be a head coach just anywhere, so to be able to come back home and be supported by Damon Evans and Shawn [Flynn] and all the support staff made the transition really, really easy.”

Nemzer's love and enthusiasm for Maryland, the DMV area, and the potential of the women’s soccer program are unmistakable within moments of sparking a conversation with her. 

“I’ve said it before, but this was definitely a sleeping giant," said Nemzer. "The talent that you have in the DMV area is unbelievable.”

Even while coaching at Rutgers, Nemzer always made sure to keep an eye out for how Maryland was doing.

“There were too many kids that got away and went to other ACC schools or other Big Ten schools. Even from afar, that sort of killed me whenever I saw a really good player leave,” Nemzer said.

When it comes to recruiting, Nemzer wants players to know they are loved when they choose to make Maryland their home. 

She also emphasizes the opportunities available in the DMV area and works to make young players aware of them during and after the recruiting process. There are so many resources available for potential student-athletes, not only on campus but in nearby cities like Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia.

In terms of building a team from scratch, Nemzer believes that the first component necessary for success is culture. 

“Culture is big. Every program, every team that I have been a part of since I was a little girl has had a great team atmosphere, a great culture and made sure that everyone knew that they had a piece of the puzzle,” Nemzer said.

To ensure that she is taking the right steps to build a long-lasting foundation, Nemzer has been holding individual meetings with players in which she asks them what they will be bringing to the program. 

“You’re either all in or you're all out. There's no in between. And that goes for everyone that's involved with this program,” Nemzer emphasized. “Everyone has value in the program and everyone needs to bring something to it. There are no passengers.” 

When Nemzer initially walked into this position as head coach she was a bit unsure about the culture at Maryland but was immediately relieved to know that culture is one of the many things Maryland Athletics prides itself on. 

“I felt so lucky because when I first stepped into this position, culture was the one thing that I actually did not have to worry about," said Nemzer. "I asked all of them on my first day, 'What is the strength of this program?', and they said, ‘the family atmosphere.’ Knowing there’s already a strong bond between them was really important."

The final piece to Nemzer’s idea of culture is to bring in players who have the same vision. 

“For me, character is above talent. You can always find a good player, but you’re not going to change character," said Nemzer. "One bad apple ruins the experience. My commitment to these players is that we’re going to have a great opportunity to change this probe around and we’re going to do it the right way.”

Nemzer wants players to know that they’re going to have to work hard and that they are also going to have fun, but it’s going to be in that order. She wants players to understand that having a family culture means that they will have to hold each other accountable on the field while working together. 

“The norm is coming into practice, competing, getting better every single day," said Nemzer. "And that's what I've been using with the team, it's getting 1% better every day. As long as we're getting better every single day and competing, whether it's the mental side of the game, the technical, tactical, physical side of it, they will be growing and making sure that they’re providing for the team. I always say you have to win your individual battles so the team can be successful."

Nemzer believes her players will change the program, the culture, and will all be a part of something special. She preaches about becoming a Maryland legend and the strides necessary to fit that title. 

“This program is so close to competing for championships," said Nemzer. "We just need people who can dig deep, who can put this program on the map, which I know that the players that we're bringing in, and the current roster as well, can make it happen quickly."

It has become a priority for Nemzer to keep local players at home. Having players represent their home states, especially ones like the state of Maryland, is such an honor that Nemzer believes every player should take pride in where they're from. 

“Making sure that all players know who I am, and not just as the Maryland soccer coach, but that they see me and they're like, ‘Hey, Meg, how are you?’ I want that relationship with them. They need to know that if they want to stay home, we have a place for them.  I want to put a net up around the state of Maryland. I don't want anybody to get out. And if they want to stay home, that's even better,” Nemzer chuckled.

Another important component of the building process of this program is undoubtedly the staff. 

Nemzer's first hire was close to home - her husband, Joe Nemzer, who formerly coached at Mount St. Mary’s before moving to New Jersey, where he coached the pro league, NWSL. 

“Between his connections with the youth game, his ability to connect with players, and his professional ties, Joe is one of the best selling points that we have to present to players who do want to go pro,” Nemzer said.

Meghan and Joe are a force to be reckoned with, so the Maryland Women’s Soccer team could not be in better hands. 

“He’s very attacking-minded, and I'm very defensive-minded. We coached together at a club game and I wasn’t sure if it was going to work because we were only dating at the time. Luckily, it worked very well for us," recalls Nemzer. "He had points in the game that I wasn't necessarily seeing and vice versa. To be able to not only have Joe because of his soccer brain but also as a support system is unbelievable. I believe I would not be in this position today without his support throughout this entire process.”

Another valuable addition to Nemzer’s staff is Katie Ely, who has 15 years of experience within the SEC and is one of the best goalkeeper coaches Nemzer has come across. 

“What she does with the goalkeepers is unbelievable," said Nemzer. "Katie and I have the same vision as far as defense wins championships. It starts with our goalkeeping and it starts with our backline. So our visions really aligned very quickly. She has a lot of ties in the southern area, the Carolinas, Georgia, which really opens up the whole East Coast for us."

Additionally, Alex Ng, who had spent the last two seasons at Richmond and is one of the fastest-rising young coaches in college soccer, rounds out Nemzer's coaching staff.

“I’m excited to have him," said Nemzer. "His expertise is analytics and strength and conditioning and those are pieces I'm letting him take ownership of. With film, we obviously need to be able to show and teach it. We can't have players on their feet all day long. And so, really allowing him to take ownership of that was big for me,” Nemzer said.

Nemzer plans to provide each player in the program with an individual development plan showing their growth as a freshman through their senior year. If their goal is to play professionally, they will have easy access to analytical data and what they need to work on to be successful in that field.

Lastly, Nemzer is excited to have Kenie Wright joining her staff as the newly created Director of Player Development.

“Wright and I have known each other longest on the coaching staff," Nemzer said. "I coached her when she was 13. We won a national championship together on the youth side and went to two College Cups. She played professionally for the last three years and just retired, but what I love about her, and why it was so important for me to bring her on, is because everyone in her whole life said that she wasn't good enough to play at that level or the next level, and she just rolled up her sleeves and kept working hard,” 

Wright is an excellent asset and example for current Maryland soccer players. It is one thing to tell players what they need to do to go pro, but it is invaluable to have someone with professional playing experience show them what needs to be done.

“This entire staff puts the student-athlete first," said Nemzer. "I know that the team sees that, and they appreciate that. So if I'm preaching a family culture for the players, then the staff needs to be a family as well."

When asked about how excited she was to walk out with the honor of being the Maryland head coach, Nemzer got teary-eyed.

“It's been my dream since I was nine to be a head coach," said Nemzer. "And to be able to represent my home state, where so many alumni that I grew up watching were the reason why I wanted to be a coach, to be able to do it and have the support of Shannon, who I watched a lot when she was here as a head coach, means the world to me. 

"But, what I'm most excited about is to allow this university and for this community to support a winning, successful program. Winning to me is not about wins or losses or ties, but growth, giving back to the community, having role models that their daughters can look up to. And watching these players work hard, compete, and represent the Maryland program to its fullest level is what to me is what winning is."

With an exciting season ahead of her, Nemzer is ready to show everyone what the Maryland Women’s Soccer program is made of. 

“If you look at the roster, we have a lot of upperclassmen and we have some newbies coming in as well. But I think based on my experience, that's a recipe for a great program. You have the veterans that will teach the youngsters how to do it, and then you have these youngsters that are eager to learn and keep the veterans happy.

"If you look at the roster coming in, I think it is going to be a great recipe for a championship vision. I don't talk about winning championships here. I talk about the byproducts of many things that will allow us to compete for championships and the program is going in the right direction right now,” Nemzer said with pride.