MANHATTAN (KSNT) – K-State women’s soccer is holding its spring scrimmage.
The Wildcats faced Nebraska State on Saturday, April 6, in the first of five spring exhibition games. In addition, the team will hold a purple and white red-and-white scrimmage on Wednesday, April 17th.
The program, which started in 2016, is still aiming for its first winning season. To help, head coach Mike Divini has brought on three new assistants for the 2024 season.
“They all have strong skill sets and some experience,” Dibbini said.
The Wildcats added Jaycee Ackerman, Mario Felix and Sammy Boateng to their staff.
Ackerman comes to Manhattan after playing collegiately at the University of Nebraska and professionally with three different NWSL teams, including KC Current.
“Jaycee is very approachable with the players and has a very strong coaching background in terms of knowledge of the game,” Dibbini said. She said, “She played at Nebraska State and playing at the professional level brings a lot to the table, so we're excited about what she's doing for our program.'' Masu.”
Felix most recently served as Director of the Girls Academy for the Kansas Rush Soccer Club. Previously, she coached on the collegiate staffs at the University of Missouri, Southern Utah University, Westmont University and Bethel University.
“Mario did a good job,” Dibbini said. “He has been a head coach before and has experience. [He’s] They're great at recruiting, and they're great at coaching. ”
Dibbini said Felix will also work closely with the goalkeeper.
Boateng spent two seasons as a Big Ten assistant at the University of Michigan before joining the Cats. He also has head coaching experience, serving as the women's soccer head coach at Western Michigan University from 2019 to 2022.
“[Boateng] He brings a lot to the table in terms of soccer knowledge, recruiting and support for this program,” Dibbini said.
Despite the less-than-ideal results early on in the program, Dibbini said the Wildcats have the right people in place to build momentum, both in the form of coaches and student-athletes. I believe that.
“Starting a program from scratch is always difficult, but [I] “It felt really good and I was able to confidently watch the players on the field grow and develop, which was really fun to watch,” he said. “There have been challenges, don't get me wrong, there's been a lot of heartbreak. But there's been a lot of growth and potential and the future is definitely bright.”
K-State will visit Colorado on Saturday, April 13th, then return home for the Purple/White scrimmage and round-robin games against Washburn State and Fort Hays State on April 20th.
