Laura Clark / Nelson County Times
Published: February 26, 2008

Coaching staff: Pete Hauschner, head coach; Jeff Harris and Nelson Gonzalez, assistant coaches

Key returning players: Caleb Saunders, senior; Luke Longanecker, senior; Jack Farley, senior; Koda Kerl, senior; Justin Crandall, senior; Daniel Eggleston, junior; Clarke Goodling, junior; Lupe Zarate, junior

Five questions for Pete Hauschner

Q: How is the team shaping up, especially having graduated the starting keeper and forwards-

A: I have seen this happen many times in the past, in fact, yearly....good players and leaders of the team that graduate. We generally lose 4-6 yearly, and since we have been rewarded from being in a soccer supportive community, that is used to having winning seasons, those good players stand out even more.

Losing key players is always a hard thing to explain to the upcoming team because they tend to always look up to the senior players, and when they leave, the upcoming players think there is a void that cannot be filled as before, but this is just not the case. We have key players exit yearly, and others always have to take their places. We are lucky to have many talented players in Nelson who have been playing since they were very young.

The players finally realize that we have another team, and positions will be filled by apt upcoming players. Some players may have to change their former position for the best chemistry of the whole team, and some may have to step up from a supporting role to that of a major one, but it will happen, and hopefully, we will have another successful season as in the past. This is something we work on all season. It always seems to work out, and part of the fun of being a coach is to develop those upcoming players to be successful and major contributors to the team in the final years they are at the high school.

Q: Last season was the best in Nelson boys' soccer history. Is there any pressure to repeat that success, and is it a legitimate goal-

A: Yes, that's true. It was boys soccer's most successful season, but one has to realize that we have had many, many successful seasons, had many talented soccer teams and players come through the high school, and to me, that is more important....to produce successful teams and good players over many years. The fact that we made it to states and the final match is great, and certainly an eye opener for the kids and the community. Being selected "All State Coach of the Year", and being able to coach the all state team (A, AA, AAA) this summer is also a great honor.

The attention given to the team and the recognition it brought the county was astonishing. In the past, it has always been a goal to get by the northern Virginia teams that enter the regionals, and I think this will still be the major goal in the future. We end up at the end of the season competing with what I think are more "urban" schools from where I grew up in Northern Virginia so I know them very well. They have depth on the bench and players whose culture revolves around soccer as the major sport. It was probably the major reason I got into soccer as a young child.

Living next to Washington D.C., I grew up with many different cultures around me, and they all played soccer. For many, this was the only sport they played.

So....Pressure to repeat this success-....maybe others think so, but I certainly don't. I would like to win the district, then move on to the regions, and then, hopefully, the state. I still take it one game at a time, and like to avoid the pitfalls of overconfidence and underestimating an opponent. Soccer is still growing yearly in this area, so all teams will be getting better. We, again, have a bunch of talented players out for soccer with a good attitude, and this is very important to having a winning season.

Q: Where do you have returning leadership on the field-

A: Believe it or not, this was one of our major challenges last season. It was hard to see a real leader. A player can say he is a leader, but to truly lead by example and practice, on and off the field, is a difficult thing. Hopefully, one or two players will take on this role as the season evolves, but it is too early to tell at this time.

This is one of the reasons I don't designate captains for the whole season. I pick, what I believe, was the outstanding performance(s) of the previous match, and reward this player as captain of the next match. This seems to have worked well in the past and gives all the players an incentive to play and perform their best every match.

Q: What style of soccer can we expect to see-

A: One thing I've learned over the many years I've coached is that one style doesn't always work. A team has to play on its chemistry and be able to shift into different formations and styles of play to consistently win matches. Part of the job of a coach is to try to teach and communicate to the players how to do this. Also, one has to not be consumed with the idea that we have to win every match, and not experiment with different scenarios. Then, it's a matter figuring out what the other team is doing and adjust to compensate for that.

Over the last couple of years I've been traveling to Germany and learning from many coaches there and matches I have seen, so my education has not ended (as I'm) learning more and more about soccer and how it is evolving. One who follows soccer can see good professional teams do this all the time. They change their style as the game progresses, and this is a beautiful thing to watch. The best way is not always to get the ball and charge toward the goal.

Too many times I see players that seem to rush the whole game, and this just doesn't win big matches. Control, being able to possess the ball for a longer time period and focus for 80 minutes are keys to winning.

Q: What is your biggest challenge right now-

A: The staff and I need to get a successful beginning to our season started, which will include a conditioning program, and getting ready for four early matches with Liberty, Brookville, Heritage, and Amherst. All are AA schools, and a good challenge for us.

These four early matches will give us a chance to try out some different things and players in different positions. It will be a good indication of who can perform where and adjustments we have to make in the future. We will be able to see a lot from these four matches with some pretty good teams and very good players. How we match up with them will determine a lot in the future.

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