HANOVER — The coaching tandem hoping to lead a turnaround for the Big Green women’s soccer program came together with a phone call.
Last summer, Taylor Schram, was entering her second season as head honcho at Dartmouth College and was looking to fill out her staff. A friend suggested Rachel Pitman.
Pitman, a former professional player with time in the Champions League, had a wealth of playing and coaching experience. So Schram rang her up.
That first call lasted almost two hours, and there was, as Schram described it, an “effortless connection.”
“It became really apparent within just sort of introductory phone calls … that she was by far, in terms of areas of expertise and in terms of what I was looking for, she was sort of the stand alone at the top,” she added.
Now, Pitman is headed into her second season as the Big Green’s associate head coach and is looking to help build on last season’s progress alongside Schram, who is entering her third season with an eye toward improving results within the Ivy League.
“This year we feel like is a really important building block, getting these young, talented players a ton of experience. We know that comes with some growing pains, but we’re prepared to support them through that. I know that our upperclassmen are also prepared to support them,” said Schram.
The Big Green finished 7-6-3 last season, but the squad also had a 1-4-2 conference record, which was good for last place in the Ivy League. Last season’s conference record notwithstanding, Schram and Pitman are excited about the squad this fall.
One reason for the excitement is that the program’s latest player class is the first Schram recruited from start to finish, a process that typically lasts multiple years.
“It’s a really talented group of newcomers,” Schram said of the class that includes nine freshmen and a transfer student. “I think we have a ton of young talent, even untapped, on our roster currently.”
The Big Green had an unusually experienced roster last season, with 13 seniors on the roster, eight of whom were traditional, and five of whom were fifth-years because of the pandemic. A dozen of those players won’t be back.
“It’s equally exciting as it is scary, you know,” Pitman said of this season’s squad. “I think the exciting part is that they don’t know any different, I think young players are really fearless.”
Some newcomers to keep an eye on this season, according to Schram, are two freshmen, Anna Leschly, from Brookline, Mass., and Lykke Ihrfelt, from Saltsjöbaden, Sweden.
Leschly was a two-time All-New England All-Star in high school, and Schram hopes she will be anchoring the Big Green’s backline for seasons to come.
Ihrfelt, described as a “lethal attacking player” by Schram, was a member of the Swedish youth national team and played in the European Championship this summer.
Players who return to the pitch for Dartmouth this fall who had strong springs include sophomores Emmanuella Frimpomaa, a forward, and midfielders Lourdes Lauterborn and Sarah Shelburne.
“They were three key players for us this spring that I think will really add just an attacking threat to our frontline and to our midfield group,” said Schram.
Regarding one of the most significant improvements the Big Green will have to make this season, it may sound obvious, but both coaches said it was putting the ball in the back of the net.
“We had so many opportunities each game, and I think the thing we were missing was the final product,” said Pitman. “Whether it was the cross or putting the ball in the back of the net, finishing the ball.”
She added that the team has spent a lot of time in the winter and spring on finishing and being “ruthless” in the box to reverse their fortunes from last season.
Road to Hanover
Pitman, who grew up in Bristol, England, knew from around the age of 5 that she wanted to be a professional soccer player. She got her start in the sport locally in Bristol and was eventually scouted to join Bristol Academy, now known as Bristol City. Pitman was scouted by her home country while at Bristol Academy, which propelled her to the youth national team, where she ended up representing England from U15 to U23.
Eventually, Pitman set out for the U.S., where she could combine education and athletics in a way that wasn’t available at home.
“I think the opportunity and the experience was something that I knew I couldn’t get in England,” she said.
She ended up at DePaul University in Chicago, where she played from 2011 to 2014 and earned All-Big East honors. She also appeared in the NCAA tournament two years in a row.
After graduation, Pitman headed to Iceland and got a taste of Champions League soccer, an experience she described as incredible. Following her time in Iceland, Pitman moved back to England and joined the Sunderland Ladies AFC Club, where she played for a few years, before the men’s team was relegated twice, causing financial issues with the club. Her club ended up becoming semi-professional, which essentially spelled the end of her playing days.
In 2018, she received a call about returning to her alma mater to coach.
“It was something I knew I always wanted to do,” Pitman said. “I knew that after playing, the next best thing was coaching, and I really liked the opportunity in the U.S. because of how the college system works. Being able to work with a player for four years, there aren’t many places you get to do that.”
Now at Dartmouth, Pitman’s impact has been immediate, Schram said. Pitman took the reins of the team’s individual player development programming this offseason, helped with defensive scheming and tactics, and in recruiting.
“It was really obvious to see her impact sort of right away, and just the immediate respect and command she had from the players, and to be able to see that grow over the last year has been a ton of fun,” said Schram. “I’m excited to see it (her impact) even show through more this season.”
The Big Green will open their regular season when they host Merrimack on Aug. 22 at 5 p.m.
