SFU women’s soccer has hired Annie Hamel as the second head coach in team history, after Shelley Howieson left the position earlier this year for a new role with SFU Athletics.

Hamel comes from across the continent to join the Clan, having spent the last five years as an assistant coach — three of which she served as assistant head coach — at St. Leo’s University in Florida, another NCAA Div. II school.

“For the last three years, I was taking on a really big responsibility. I’ve learned everything I needed to learn as an assistant, so it’s been an easy transition to step into the head coaching role,” says Hamel.

It’s been a long road back to Canada for the Quebec native, who began her coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of Maine in 2004, after graduating from the Div. I school.

Now she’s back in her home country, coaching Canada’s only NCAA women’s soccer team, albeit one that has struggled mightily since its first year in the American league.

“I know what it takes to win in this league, and quite frankly, we’re not there,” Hamel says. “But we’re going to get there. I’m 100 per cent confident in that, and so are the kids. It’s going to be difficult, and a lot of hours, but we’re going to build one day at a time.

“Pretty much everything is changing. The way we function, the way we operate. I’ve asked the girls for a bigger commitment, and they’ve responded very well. We’re doing things differently from top to bottom.”

Part of the change starts with recruiting. Hamel says she’s a bit behind the eight ball having joined the Clan just a week ago, and might not have the time to go globetrotting to bring in talent from other countries. Despite that, she says there’s plenty of untapped potential in SFU’s backyard.

“There is a lot of talent in British Columbia,” she says. “Whether or not we’ve been able to attract those kids in the past is another story, but I’m not going to shy away from anyone. If I see a player I like, I’m going to go after her.

“We have a unique experience here. No one else offers a Canadian education with an American playing experience,” she adds. “We should be able to get the best talent. I know I’m going to try.”

With an injection of future talent, Hamel is confident the Clan can right the ship that’s run aground over the last few seasons.

“Yea, we were at the bottom [of the GNAC],” she says. “But the gap isn’t that great. It’s not going to be easy to close it, but I’m confident our turnaround will be quick. We might not win the conference next year, but we’ll put ourselves a step in the direction towards that.”