Sports

Blasius Returns To John Carroll

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On Sept. 3, 1997, John Carroll University’s new women’s soccer head coach led her team to a 4-2 victory over Oberlin, the average gallon of gas cost $1.21, and Bill Clinton was president of the United States.

Fast-forward 16 years later, Marietta head coach Tracy Blasius returns to John Carroll for the first time to coach against the Blue Streaks.

Over the course of her 15-year tenure, Blasius amassed a record of 143-122-27, including an Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament title in 2001, which Blasius described as one of her favorite memories from her time in University Heights, Ohio.

John Carroll Athletic Director Laurie Massa described Blasius as a motivated coach who got to know her players well.

“She was a player’s coach who brought a lot of energy to the program,” Massa said.

In her first season at the helm, Blasius’ squad dropped its match against Marietta 0-2, but she went on to finish with a 10-4-1 record against the Pioneers.

The switch from a campus of almost 4,000 students in the Cleveland metropolitan area to a small-town campus with around 1,500 people was a significant change of scenery for Blasius, but her occupation as a soccer coach didn’t change.

“When it comes down to it, it’s just the same thing with a different group of girls,” Blasius said.

When the Pioneers take the field on Saturday at 2 p.m., Blasius admitted that it will be strange to coach against the Blue Streaks, but that she is looking forward to seeing her former colleagues.

“I had some great seasons there, I had some horrible seasons there, there were many different atmospheres,” Blasius said, “[John Carroll] is where I gained all of my experience.”