The Beautiful Game

In his thirty-fifth year of coaching collegiate soccer, Doug Mello has maintained an unwavering love for the game.

            From an early age, Coach Mello knew he wanted to devote his life to soccer. "I loved playing as a child.  I was offered my first coaching job at Aquinas College in Michigan.  From the day I started I knew coaching was my passion," said Coach Mello.  Two years ago, Coach Mello achieved and continues to make career history in matches coached, surpassing 1,140 earlier this season.  "It takes dedication.  If I woke up and thought, ‘maybe I don't want to do this today,' then I wouldn't.  Thankfully, I do not have those thoughts."

            In his fourth year as the head Hendrix soccer coach, he is hoping to lead the squad of 21 Warriors to an unprecedented goal.  This season is the first time the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference is hosting a tournament at the end of the season.  The top six teams in the conference receive an invitation.  "This was our goal at the beginning of the season, to make it to the SCAC tournament then to the national tournament. And, oh yeah, to win them both," said a confident Coach Mello.  "We are currently seventh in the conference, just right on the cusp of making it."

            The success of this season's team is a reaction to the program Coach Mello started to build in his first season at Hendrix. In his first year with the Warriors, he led the team to a 5-12 record, and then an impressive 9-8-2 record the following season. "It's like climbing up a ladder. We are making steady improvement with each season and with each win.

"This season is the first in which I recruited all of the players. I have coached all eight of these seniors from their freshman year; we built our program around them, and we rely on them.  We worked to create a specific flow and chemistry within the squad. It is exciting to see them play at the level they are today. Every game they play is a battle. Every game is so tight. It often comes down to a single player of play, only a good cohesive team can win under those conditions."

            One senior in particular is the co-captain of the team, Ian Evans.  "I have become a better player under his coaching for sure.  I made the switch from left defense to center, and it has only improved my level of play," said Evans.  Two hour, daily practices are a common occurrence with Warrior soccer assures Evans. "It takes a rather large commitment to be on any sports team, especially when one has lofty goals like we have.  We expect each other not only to make the practices, but to give 100 percent at all times.  It is a commitment of time as well as a mental and physical effort." 

            The team expresses its dedication in several different areas.  Such as, the commitment D.J. Kirn showed after blowing out his knee to return to the field, or the triumph senior Colin Thompson showed coming off the bench to score the winning goal in overtime against Austin College earlier this season, or the impressive four-year reign senior Adam Legg has had as goalie.  "I am so proud of them all. They are achieving things others only aspire to," said Coach Mello.

            While the improvement as an athlete is always on the players' minds, it is not the most important.  "Education comes first. These players have a chance to play at a competitive level against tough teams, and they are also at a great school. They should embrace it," said Coach Mello.  As a whole the team did that last season with 16 of the 23 players making the SCAC All Academic Team, meaning the team had a 3.1 cumulative grade point average.     

            The interactions with players inspire Coach Mello to coach year after year.  "Day to day, I embrace the rich opportunity to share the enthusiasm with these players.  Setting challenges on them to succeed allows me to act as the soccer mentor I always wanted to be.  And I do not plan on quitting anytime soon. After all, it is the beautiful game."