Andy Hines has been named the new head coach for the Owensboro Catholic girls’ soccer program.
Hines met with a handful of players Wednesday afternoon at the high school, and he’ll be introduced to the parents and the rest of the team early next week.
Hines has spent the last two seasons as the assistant coach for the Owensboro boys’ team, though his experience goes back much further. An Indianapolis native, Hines played for Oakland City University then coached there for two years after graduating.
He’s coached travel soccer in Evansville since 2003, and also spent time at the high school level with Evansville Central and North Posey.
Hines is friends with former Lady Aces head coach Durand Engineer, who guided the team to great success during his nine-year tenure from 2009-16. Under Engineer, Catholic won the region championship four years in a row (2013-16). They lost in the quarterfinals in 2013, but made to the championship game in 2014. They fell in the state semis the next two seasons.
In addition to getting back to the KHSAA state tournament, Hines said he’s hoping to be more competitive in the mid-season All “A” Classic that is for small schools.
“I would like to get the program back to where it was as kind of the powerhouse it used to be when Durand was the coach,” Hine said. “I’d like to see if we can raise those expectations and compete again, especially in the district.”
Last year, the Lady Aces posted a 10-9-1 record and failed to reach the region championship for the first since 2011 — the final season before they were reclassified to the 9th District.
Hines still has to figure out what his roster will look like and what skill set they bring, but he knows the type of game plan he’d like to institute.
“I like to build up possessions, but I like both offense and defense,” he said. “I like to be creative in the attacking third, but I also like to build up out of the back. I’m hoping to implement that — a little bit slower soccer where we’re not just going 100 mph forward.”
OCHS athletic director Jason Morris said Hines’ resume spoke for itself, and he is well-known among the soccer community in the area. Morris said Hines’ vision made him an ideal fit.
“He shows all the signs of being a high-character guy who is going to make our girls work hard but also at the same time make them become better people in the community,” Morris said. “In the end when you see his extensive background in coaching at all the different levels and his emphasis on giving back, it was a no-brainer.”
Hines said he’s got some short-term goals of raising the level of play, but he’s also focused on the future because he’s here to stay.
“My main goal would be to compete in district and All ‘A,’ but then my big goal is to try to start my style of play this year and try to build off that for the following years,” he said. “It’s not a one-year deal. I’d like to be here for a while.”
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