CSU soccer coach Entlich calm ahead of team's first final four
Columbus State soccer coach Jay Entlich is relaxed. At least on the outside, he is. He jokes with his players and assistants before a practice on Monday, fields a couple of interviews and poses for a picture, all the while discussing the weather and who won the Sunday night football game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots.
The first indication of anything being out of the ordinary this week as opposed to others is when one individual offers words of congratulations to the 12th-year Lady Cougars coach for his team's success.
He humbly accepts the kudos with a polite "thanks," and then pauses for a moment.
"We haven't done anything yet, but I appreciate it," he says with a smile.
That sentiment is a matter of perspective. From the outside looking in, the job Entlich has done with the Columbus State soccer program is undeniable. When he came to Columbus to start the program in 2004, there were no expectations.
It was a brand new program void of a deep talent pool. The team went 3-9-5 that season, not terrible but offering few assurances of future long-term success. It was a game the following year, though, where Entlich said he knew his program had a future.
It was a game against Clayton State, the No. 6-ranked team in the country. Entlich said he believed his team was good enough to win, but coming off an inaugural season with just three wins, little confidence could be had outside of the locker room. The Lady Cougars won the game 1-0.
"From that moment on, we realized that we're here for good, and that we want to win," Entlich said. "I think that game really changed our mindset, that we can be great here at Columbus State."
Fast forward a decade, and the team is preparing to travel to Pensacola, Fla., for the NCAA Division-II women's final four. It will face No. 1-seed Bridgeport at noon Thursday in the first of two national semifinal games. It is the furthest Columbus State (21-2-1), which hasn't lost since Sept. 13, has ever gone.
In 12 seasons, Entlich has compiled a 203-47-22 overall record and led the team to the NCAA tournament each of the past 10 seasons. Last year it played in the quarterfinals. This year, it will play in its first final four.
By most accounts, that should make a program feel like it has arrived. Not so for Entlich, however.
"It's exciting, but it's still business," he said of the tournament experience so far. "I think the girls realize that just making it tot he final four is not what we're after. We aren't going to be satisfied unless we come home with a trophy. We know that there's more to be done."
It's that mindset, that expectation of success that has helped fuel Columbus State's growth into one of the premier D-II programs in the country. The team has become an unselfish one, which senior Chelsea Person said has everything to do with her coach.
"Everyone is willing to do what it takes," she said. "He's made us understand how important it is to work on both offense and defense."
"They see the benefit, I think," Entlich said. "They understand that when we lose the ball, they immediately have to try to win it back. And when they win the ball, they want to move forward quickly. We've got our entire team buying in, and that's tough to do when you've got 31 players. But they all want to be one of the travel squad of 24. They're hungry. They want to represent Columbus State in the final four, and that's the fun part."
As the team prepared for its chance to make history at the school, Entlich offered a motto that has driven it all season.
"Cross the line," he said. "Every day before we step across the line, we realize it could be the last time. We don't want it to end. We want to keep going."
This story was originally published November 30, 2015 at 10:36 PM with the headline "CSU soccer coach Entlich calm ahead of team's first final four ."