Podcast: Amherst’s Jen Hughes on the upcoming season, program aspirations

Amherst women's head coach Jen Hughes joined 'The Goal.' (Amherst athletics)

The latest guest on New England Soccer Journal’s “The Goal” podcast is Amherst College women’s soccer head coach Jen Hughes.

Hughes is in her 20th season at the helm for NESCAC power Amherst. She is a three-time NESCAC Coach of the Year, and has guided the program to four NESCAC championships and 13 Division 3 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Last year, Amherst finished with a record of 18-3-0 and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The Mammoths open the 2023 season next Wednesday at Lesley University and begin the season ranked No. 11 in the national Top 25. 

Hughes joined host Matt Langone to preview the upcoming NESCAC season and discuss her program and its goals for the fall, as the Mammoths embark on trying to capture a national championship.

The full podcast can be accessed below and is available on all major platforms. If you enjoy it, please leave a rating and a review.

Here are some highlights from our discussion with Hughes:

On what she looks for in players:

Hughes: “We want to bring in really talented players, who can not only thrive at our current level, but really elevate our program to the next level. So, the soccer piece is really important. We play a fairly technical style, pretty possession oriented. We look to build out of the back. We look to knock the ball around the midfield. And, then, once we enter our attacking third of the field, we look to go to goal with some urgency. That’s certainly a big part of the recruiting process. A bigger part, though, is really recruiting the individual. We do so much due diligence around what the players are like as people.”

On expectations for this season:

Hughes: “I get that question a lot. Like, ‘how are you feeling after having had such a successful season last year?’ Every year it’s a new team, so that’s the way I look at it. There are no expectations for me. I mean, certainly we’re talented. I’m hopeful that we can generate similar success this year as we did last year. But it’s new, we lost some big personalities. We have a whole crew of first years that are joining us.”

On competing in the NESCAC:

Hughes: “It’s like every single NESCAC game is just such a battle and it doesn’t even matter historically where teams have finished in the standings. Just look at the results — any team can beat any other team. It’s just so important that we come to play every game, really that any team comes to play on any given day.”

On what she hopes to achieve in 2023:

Hughes: “I think our ultimate competitive goal is to win a national championship. That’s something that the program hasn’t achieved yet.”

The Goal” podcast is brought to you by the New England Revolution.

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