Hard work turns soccer around

Tara Bilanski-Erickson, head coach of the Vikings women’s soccer team, is in her second season at Portland State. The newly married coach comes from a major soccer background. Her father, Ron, who used to play, got her into the sport when she was younger. Although her mother, Sueann, never played, she was able to help pass on support and some athletic genes that sit in Bilanski-Erickson’s blood. Bilanski-Erickson was married last spring to husband Kraig, who does not play soccer himself but is a devoted fan who attends many of the Vikings’ games.

������ “Hard work and preparation is everything. I was never the most gifted athlete, but just worked harder than anyone else,” she said.

After only one year at the helm of the soccer program, Bilanski-Erickson has taken the team on her shoulders. A team that had no victories the season before she arrived has moved into a first-place spot in the Big Sky Conference so far in 2002. The team leads the conference in every notable statistic category: goals, points and shutouts to name a few. The number of wins this season equals the total amount combined for the past three seasons.

“People told me it was a bad move and a lot of pressure to come here. But I took the opportunity PSU gave me and came here. Now I’m the second-most-winningest coach in PSU soccer history,” she said proudly.

This is a coach that has played, coached and lived soccer for the majority of her life. Bilanski-Erickson grew up in Puyallup, Wash., where she played on the FC Royals soccer team. While playing for the Royals, they won four state championships. She then chose to go to the University of Washington for college. She wanted stay close to home, but the program was fairly new and not established yet.

While playing there, Bilanski-Erickson worked hard like she knew how to set records and build the soccer program. By graduation, she was the school’s career-leading scorer, and received All-Conference and All-American honors, as well as academic honors. In her time there, she was able to take the team from the back of the Pac-10 to the playoffs and a top-20 ranking.

“Unfortunately Tami had to break all my records when she played there after me,” Bilanski-Erickson said of PSU assistant coach Tami Bennett with a smile.

After playing, Bilanski-Erickson was an assistant coach for the Washington program for three years. In 1999, she left to pursue a professional soccer career in Germany and played for one year.

“I loved playing again, but something told me that it was coaching I wanted to go back to,” she said.

So in 2001, she was offered the job at Portland State and took it.

“I like the city. There are so many opportunities not only on campus, but outside, too. People seem to care about how the team does and how a person is feeling,” she said.

Bilanski-Erickson really stands for hard work. She believes that anything can be accomplished with the right work ethic and attitude. Fittingly, that is exactly the mentality that she instills in her players. The best part is that the players like her for what she stands for and what kind of coach she is. She tries to help her players in any way she can. The players, of course, have nothing but positive things to say about her.

“She pushes us to make us better players, and it’s paying off. She has so much experience that we’re always learning so we can improve our game. She wants to make PSU women’s soccer be known as a success, and so far we’re on the right track,” sophomore midfielder Karly Larsen said.

“It’s nice that she plays on the field with us. The fact that she works with us makes us respect her that much more. She’s the best soccer coach PSU may ever see,” Becky Blum, midfielder, said.

This year, the team has risen to another level with the new faces and chemistry on the field. Bilanski-Erickson has been able to work on tactical approaches such as strategy and why things are happening out there rather than technical things such as making good passes. The goal is to win the conference championship. She is taking it one step at a time and closed with one last thought in getting there.

“One thing you have control over is hard, smart work. If you set your mind to something, you can do it.”