All new coaching staff at Tarleton State University is leading the soccer program to success

BY MICAELA SULLIVAN

Associate Producer | Multimedia Journalist

Tarleton State University’s women’s soccer program hasn’t been around for too long, as they’ve only been competing since 2022. And starting in 2026, the team is going through a huge transition: an entire new coaching staff.

This year, Tarleton brought in Erik Solberg to be their new head coach, who coached at Gardner Webb the last two seasons. Solberg said when he was hired that he was “ready in my career to go to a place where I feel like we can contend and compete for a championship.”

While getting the Texans to the conference championship, and eventually competing for a national championship, is the main goal, making the team feel connected and supported is the first order of business.

“It feels like a family honestly. It doesn’t feel like I’m here for just soccer,” junior Grace Berry said.

This is one of the reasons Solberg brought in assistant coach Chris Lawson—to help build that culture.

“We want a staff that you can trust that are relational and that care about the players as people, not just athletes, and he checks that box,” Solberg said.

In the same way, Solberg said his other assistant coach, Sadé Boswell, is a good coach and recruiter, but she is also relationship driven.

This makes for a determined and caring coaching staff that has made all the players feel more comfortable and supported.

Zahara Friess, a sophomore at Tarleton and in her first season with the Texans, said Solberg feels like a caring dad.

“He’s like a dad; you can just talk to him and he's so friendly,” Friess said. “And if players have problems with playing time or attitude issues, whatever it may be, they’re comfortable going to him and talking with him . . . and he’ll be honest with them.”

Friess said Solberg’s character is good for players who come from different programs because it shows that he is present.

“He’s great; he just makes everyone want to be better,” Friess said.

For senior Sydney White, she believes she works better with the new coaching staff than the old one, and they work better with her.

“He (Solberg) brings a different type of energy and confidence to the table,” White said. “I think he truly believes in every single girl, and he wants all of us to have a role; whether that's cheering or playing 90 minutes, every girl has a role and I think he does a good job at uplifting us.”

While having a whole new coaching staff can be challenging, and sometimes frustrating, the girls are transitioning rather easily, especially the veterans on the team.

“I think they’ve bought in,” Solberg said. “We’ve got a good group of kids that are back with us. Nobody asked for a coaching change and a staff change, but I think for me, they have really bought in and they are a really important part of what we’re doing and building here.”

Tarleton State is growing, and with it are its athletic programs, the women's soccer team being one. However, no matter the change that has come, Tarleton State athletics are not losing its feeling of community, and Solberg’s staff is another example of that.