GCU TODAY • 17
the top collegiate players, led by a man who is sixth
among D-I coaches with 466 victories.
Soccer is about to be a much bigger deal at
GCU. Friday night games this season will feature
a student “March to the Match,” and the Havocs
student section, the Thundering Heard Pep Band
and the cheer and dance teams all will be part of
the festivities at home games. Soccer will be to the
fall sports season what basketball is to winter’s.
Vaught had witnessed Hyndman’s magic touch
firsthand when he was SMU’s deputy director of
athletics, and when Vaught approached Hyndman
about the job, he was considering three other
coaching offers and also was the keynote speaker
at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention.
“We have the best coach in college soccer,” Vaught said of Hyndman,
who took SMU to 22 NCAA tournaments in 24 seasons and also
coached FC Dallas of Major League Soccer for six years and was named
MLS Coach of the Year in 2010, when FC Dallas went all the way to the
league final before losing. “With his connections we had a top recruiting
class even though he had only two weeks to recruit. That’s only going to
improve. And with our new state-of-the-art soccer stadium he’s going to
have an opportunity to win a national championship here.”
Other GCU coaches have tapped into Hyndman’s wealth of
knowledge. “He’s a great guy, and it’s nice to have someone like that who
is very forward-thinking,” women’s soccer coach Stevie Gill said.
Gill, like Hyndman, is looking forward to a
season in which both GCU teams have high hopes.
The GCU women, whose schedule includes a visit
to defending national champion Florida State, won
seven of their last eight matches last season to tie
for third in the Western Athletic Conference and
figure to be a WAC title contender this year.
“It really boosted our confidence,” said
goalkeeper Blakely Fraasch, WAC Freshman of
the Year last season. “It showed we have a lot of
potential and can compete in the WAC.”
The forecast for the GCU men is equally bright,
and it started with the arrival of Hyndman. “His
desire to coach the players and create relationships
with them was instantly noticed,” goalkeeper Luca Licciardi said.
Hyndman noticed in spring practices that “we have some pretty dag-
gone good players right here — they just need a little bit of refining.” And
the players certainly noticed Hyndman’s input.
“He’s really relaxed but so sharp,” Licciardi said. “He’s a thinker.
You can tell what’s going on in his mind because he’ll analyze and then
pick the right time and explain it. When Schellas is talking, everyone’s
listening. Every word that he says gives us a chance to learn something.”
Hyndman’s goal is to make the program a staple on campus — he and
longtime assistant Brent Erwin even taught a “Soccer 101” seminar for
students and faculty — and a player on a national scale.
“One day this could be like what Omaha is to NCAA baseball,” he said,
referring to the site of the College World Series. “We’re aiming for
Division I soccer playing its championships at GCU because of the
field, the facility and, remember, the weather.”
Don’t forget the presence of Schellas Hyndman. He’s just
getting warmed up.
Goalkeeper Luca Licciardi (left) appreciates coach
Schellas Hyndman’s input: “Every word that he says
gives us a chance to learn something.”
Women’s coach Stevie Gill
Meet Niki Jackson, one of GCU’s nine local products, and hearwhy
the highly touted student choseGCU in a video a
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