On Wednesday, newly appointed Texas soccer head coach Margueritte Bates spoke to the media for the first time since being hired on Nov. 25.
Bates built a national contender at UCLA, winning a championship in her first season as coach in 2022 and two conference titles. However, the opportunity to coach at Texas was too good to pass up.
“We used to dream, in some ways, that someday I got to coach here,” Bates said. “It would have taken something really special to get me to leave, but I kind of had an idea what that something special was. I knew that if Texas made the call or if there was even an opportunity, I felt like, wow, the universe was listening, right?”
So far, her experience has lived up to the expectations. Bates has been blown away by the resources and atmosphere on campus, comparing it to the likes of Disneyland.
“The resources, the people, the energy, the vibe, that’s really what it feels like,” Bates said. “I’ve never coached in a place that has so many of those resources and people really at the service of the program.”
While she is thoroughly enjoying her welcome to the Forty Acres, Bates understands the pressure and expectations that come with representing the Longhorn brand. Texas is coming off a disastrous 4-12-1 season, and it’s her job to build it back into a program opponents have to respect.
“When I think about Texas soccer … what I want it to be is the destination spot for the top players in the country,” Bates said. “I want it to be one of the most well-respected programs in the country.”
So far, she’s succeeded at that at all of her destinations.
“And that’s the one thing that I was really proud of everywhere I’ve been,” Bates said. “That’s what our programs have been known for. We do things in a way that is fun and exciting, but we also do things in a way that’s right.”
The good news is that she has a strong backbone of young talent already at her disposal, including Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year striker Ava McDonald, who recorded nine goals and four assists last season.
“Ava, for instance, and some of the other younger players would start on almost any team in the country,” Bates said.
Bates also expressed her excitement for the coaching staff she’s putting together. She didn’t go into details about which of her staff members at UCLA would be joining her, but she’s confident that she’s built an elite-level support staff.
“My number one goal was to bring the best staff in the country, and I think we’ve done that,” Bates said.
Bates made it clear – she has a clear vision for getting the program back on track, and she believes she has the talent and resources to do just that.
The next step is to get her new squad to “buy in” as she did at UCLA.
If she accomplishes that, the sky’s the limit for the Longhorns.