Written by Jude Martin
Justin Crew is going into his first season as Goshen’s Womens’ Soccer coach this year. On July 20th, Write on Sports interviewed Crew at Goshen College. Crew has a lot of experience coaching college teams–he’s been doing it for 17 years. He’s also coached a Division 1 team, the University of South Carolina Upstate(USC Upstate). Crew came to Goshen because the last school he coached at, Ancilla College in Indiana, was a two-year school. He says that the problem with two-year colleges is that “you get to know [the players] and then they leave.” So, he came to Goshen, which he likes because it is small–which gives him a balance between soccer and other things–Christian, and close to his home in Mishawaka.
When asked about his major accomplishments, Crew said that winning the CCAC tournament in 2009 as the head coach of his former school, Olivet Nazarene, tops the list. He was able to do that in only his second year as head coach–maybe he’ll be able to lead Goshen to a championship as well. If he is able to do that, Goshen would qualify for the nationals. Crew definitely seems to have high hopes; he said that, “This season is going to be good. I’m confident.” He also said that he is impressed by the drive and talent of the players that he’s met–“We’re going to surprise a lot of people in this conference.”
The first game of the season is on August 10th, leaving Crew with only a short time to train his players. Whatever happens this season, Goshen will be glad to have an experienced soccer coach in the years to come, one that has finished his Division 1 career and is now looking to settle down with his family in Mishiwaka. Goshen will also have the comfort of having a coach with the second-highest level of certification at the USSF/national level.