Marcina had been serving as the interim head coach since the summer
As spectators and Cascades fans know, the soccer program at UFV has had some big-time success over the past few years. The women’s squad had gone quite far under the guidance of long-time head coach Rob Giesbrecht; the Canada West title was won in his first season, and then a national bronze medal was added to his accolades. Upon the news of his departure this year, the shoes were probably tough to fill for the department. As it turns out, they had their candidate coaching already.
Niko Marcina, a long-time member of the coaching staff and a coach under the mentorship of Giesbrecht, has been coaching the team as the current interim head coach. This year, Marcina has been promoted to head coach and says he is excited to join the U Sports head coaching ranks.
“First, it was an exciting feeling to understand that I could possibly be at the helm of this program, as I’ve been assistant coach for five years of the women’s soccer program, and just knowing that the opportunity for me to lead the charge was exciting, exhilarating. The feeling of having the opportunity to mould a program in the way where I foresee it successfully running for the future was also an exciting feeling,” Marcina said.
Marcina explained that it wasn’t necessarily pressure that he felt, but excitement when he got the call for the job.
“I wasn’t necessarily nervous or anxious; I was more excited and anticipating the moment to get my hands on the program and mould it in a positive direction for these players because I have so much love for this team and this institution.”
Marcina began working with coach Giesbrecht after his playing career, as he reached out to UFV and other schools to get involved with the program. He had a marvelous career with the UBC Thunderbirds, winning various team MVP trophies and national championships. He played briefly in Puerto Rico professionally and trained with the Vancouver Whitecaps, but he found that his passion was transitioning from playing to coaching. Working his way up to the head coaching position was no quick accomplishment, as he spent five years as a UFV assistant coach.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sports and recreation are extremely limited, and thus jobs can be few and far between. UFV has kept all its athletic coaches on staff and held out hope for the current situation to improve, so despite various team protocols, Marcina has been able to get his coaching career underway. As he sees it, the team has three distinct and important goals. The first was to develop a motivating and team-centred environment. After accomplishing that during the late summer and fall, he wanted to move to the second goal: community impact.
“We’ve been provided an amazing platform to give back, and I want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to give back within the Fraser Valley region, and then it transitions to [goal] number three, which is ‘keep on top of our academics,’ which we have been doing. We’ve required a group GPA of 3.5, which is fantastic. I think that’s the highest it’s been since I’ve been here.”
Then, of course, actual soccer comes into play for the Cascades, as they will look to prepare for a potential season. With nothing set in terms of a schedule or potential start to conference competition, adapted practices and meetings will likely serve as the main form of program development. However, the team now has their leader, and the Cascades can once again gear up for a mysterious, but very possible season this year.
