Cultivating success: How Ignacio Milla is positively impacting women's soccer at Bethel
Cultivating success: How Ignacio Milla is positively impacting women's soccer at Bethel
After a few frustrating seasons, the new head coach is making a profound impact by creating a competitive and encouraging atmosphere.
If you are an avid Thresher sports fan you may have noticed a new coach on the women’s soccer touchline. Ignacio Milla has taken on the role of head coach for Bethel women's soccer team. However, Milla is not new to the pitch.
Growing up in Santiago, Chile, soccer has always been a big part of Milla’s life. “In Chile our main sport is soccer, so I mean that’s what we kind of grow up with. … For us it’s always been soccer since we were kids.”
It was during his senior year that he was offered the opportunity to play at the college level and study in the United States. Milla spent one year at the University of Memphis before spending the rest of his soccer and academic career at Lyon College.
He had been a star player during his time with the Scots, but his junior year, a hip injury forced him to stop playing. This is when Milla turned to coaching. He was offered a position as student assistant for the Lady Scots.
Milla graduated from Lyon College in 2018, and continued coaching at the college, helping the men’s soccer team go to the national tournament for the first time in five years. Then, in the summer of 2021, he went on and served as assistant coach to the Oklahoma Wesleyan women’s soccer team, helping them achieve two of their best seasons. On top of this, Milla was the head coach of the semi-pro team Arkansas Wolves in 2020 and 2022. As you can see, it’s safe to say that the Lady Threshers are in good hands.
In talking with Milla about his experience at Bethel thus far, he shared, “I really like the coaches and just kind of the culture they have here at Bethel, which I thought was very good for me to be able to not only come in and hopefully be able to help out, but also better myself as a coach.”
But how else has he been making an impact for the team, on and off the field?
Coming into the 2023 season, Milla has been extremely focused on building the program up by encouraging growth in each player.
“I like my players to be extremely competitive. I love for them to compete in practice, always with respect, and I think that translates with everything they do.”
Furthermore, Milla emphasized how important it is for players to know what they are capable of and build confidence, and stated, “making sure that they know they are capable of doing things, putting them in situations where they may be uncomfortable,” he said. “Putting them in those situations and helping them succeed really gets them in a mindset of ‘you know I can do these things.’”
“Putting them in those situations and helping them succeed really gets them in a mindset of ‘you know I can do these things.’”
Ignacio Milla
Katie Rose Friesen Birky, a junior on the team from Denver, Colo. shared a statement that directly indicates Milla is creating this competitive, yet supportive atmosphere: “Iggy has super high expectations for each player in the program and the team as a whole, but his coaching is always constructive. He knows how to balance the two perfectly so that you work the hardest everyday but remain confident in your abilities.”
But soccer isn’t the only focus. Milla has also put a strong emphasis on succeeding in the classroom. “It’s always the classroom first…making sure they know all the resources available to them because there are a ton of them and we hold them accountable.”
The impact that he’s making on the women’s soccer team has not gone unnoticed.
Athletic Operations Administrator, Stacy Middleton, shared, “He has a great passion for soccer, I think he has a really good relationship with his players. I think he will be able to pull the best out of them everyday and translate that over into game day.”
Additionally, Ashley SaJous, a sophomore from Columbus, Ga. and star contributor on the team, said, “He has pushed us to be our very best at each and every practice and game. He is very supportive both on and off the field, and I think the entire team can agree that we enjoy having him as a coach.”
So, make sure you attend and cheer on the Lady Threshers as they take on York on Sep. 27 at 5 p.m. at Thresher Stadium.