A new face will be on the sidelines of MNP Park next soccer season as Carleton University’s women’s soccer team welcomes new assistant coach Robin Rushton to the staff.
The former West Virginia University Mountaineer and Canadian Youth National Team player is a familiar comrade to Ravens head coach Dom Oliveri. The pair have worked together with the Algonquin College Thunderbirds from 2013-16 and with the Ottawa Fury women’s team in 2014.
With the hiring, Rushton becomes just the eighth female coach on the Carleton varsity team coaching staff–50 per cent of which are on the women’s soccer team.
However, the transition from the pitch to the sidelines wasn’t always something she had planned. After an injury in her senior year of university cut her career short, Oliveri convinced her to give coaching a try.
“Nope, definitely did not want to coach,” Rushton said.
“[But] I did miss the game … he kind of persuaded me to come back to give it a try. And I really enjoyed it. I loved it.”
After the 2015-16 season with the Thunderbirds, Rushton took a break from coaching to focus on her career. Once again, it took the convincing of Oliveri to bring her back to his team.
“Robin’s a great asset,” said Oliveri.
“We’ve coached together before a number of places and I really wish she was on the coaching staff when I first got here. So we’re really happy to have her she’s a great coach, great influence.”
“I [could] tell inside right off the bat that I was like, ‘okay, I do miss this.’ So I left at halftime because I didn’t want to get too involved [and] I didn’t want Dom to see because he can always tell,” said Rushton.
A defender for all her career, working with the Ravens’ back line, which conceded 17 goals last season, will be a focus for the new assistant heading into the 2020 fall season.
“My expertise lies in that area, so I’m definitely focusing on the defenders while helping these guys out here at Carleton.”
She says the crucial thing for the team to remember is that the technical side of the sport isn’t the most important thing to focus on, but rather the effort the players put into their performances.
“I wasn’t always the most technical player. But … I said it like five times today, it’s the effort that you bring to the table,” said Rushton.
“So you’re allowed to make mistakes, you’re human, you’re gonna make mistakes, but it’s how you recover from that and the type of effort you put into getting numbers behind the ball, going that extra mile,” she added.
The Ravens finished the 2019 Ontario University Athletics season in eighth place with 10 points after 14 games. They’re currently playing in the RSEQ indoor league.
During their first game on Jan. 19 against the Concordia University Stingers, the Ravens came away with a 2-2 draw, with Rushton getting her first taste of coaching the team.
In the first half, it took awhile for the team to get their bearings, but they eventually fought back from a 2-0 deficit to gain a point thanks to putting in the effort that Rushton asked from the team.
“I think they’re starting to get that, we definitely saw that in the second half. The first half was a bit of a disaster. But the second half, they started to win more of the area balls, more of the one v. one tackles.”
On women in sport
“When I played at West Virginia, the entire coaching staff was female though, so it’s definitely something that I’m used to. I’m not used to male coaches,” said Rushton.
As a result, she believes having more females hold coaching positions would “help bring other women up” and “set the standard.”
“I do think we need more women in the women’s game, not only to set an example, but because we come with a different set of experiences.”
Oliveri added the experience Rushton brings to the team will be invaluable.
“Very rarely can you bring female coaches in who played for Canada at most levels and, you know, demand what she demands from the players,” he said.
“So we’re really excited to have her and and all the players are really excited to have her so she’s just gonna bring a lot to the program.”
Feature image provided.
