For most first-time head coaches, the first job they get is often a rebuilding project - one with several challenges that takes some time to get on the right track.
For University of Charleston men's soccer coach Dan Stratford, that's not really the case.
Heading into his first season as a head coach, Stratford is in about as good a situation as a young coach could hope for with the Golden Eagles. UC is coming off its third consecutive trip to the Division II national semifinals and came up short in the national championship game last fall.
"I wouldn't necessarily say that I feel pressure because I've been around this program through these last few years," Stratford said. "We've had teams the last three seasons that absolutely could have won the national championship all three times. The beauty of the sport is that, even if you're the best and most prepared team on the pitch, you still need good fortune at times, and at various times we have and haven't had that.
"I'm aware that people may feel that there's pressure or feel there could be a drop, but everyone inside this program who has been here knows that we don't expect that to be the case at all."
This spring they were able to hit the ground running without many issues. Stratford, who had served as Chris Grassie's assistant coach before Grassie left to take over at Marshall after the 2016 season, was able to take advantage of the fact that he was given more responsibilities than an assistant coach might normally be awarded so that the team didn't miss a beat as he took the reins.
"It's been about as smooth a transition as it could be," Stratford said. "One of the greatest things about Chris was that he was very trustworthy and delegated a lot to me and gave me a lot of responsibility around the team, so they were used to hearing me and they've been familiar with me."
In a spring season that included matchups against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, a professional side from the United Soccer League, as well as Division I programs like Akron, West Virginia and Marshall, the Golden Eagles were able to test themselves and learn a little more about the type of team they could be this season.
With all-Americans like Will Roberts and Patrick Guier returning to the mix, as well as a handful of other starters back in the mix and some players who weren't part of last year's group ready to step into the fold, Stratford is confident that this UC team has what it takes to jump right back where it has been the last few years among the elite programs in all of Division II.
"It was a good chance for us to try some things out against good competition. We tried out a different formation this spring and they took to it quite well," Stratford said. "That's not to say we're going to make that change in the fall, but I thought it was important that - with the change in the staff - we wouldn't be afraid to make some changes. They all took to it really well."
With that said, the former WVU standout, who spent time playing professionally with DC United in Major League Soccer and for stints in Scotland and England, knows the expectations that come with taking over a program of this caliber. He knows a lot is going to be expected of this UC team, and he knows this group is able to do big things.
"There are certain things we don't ever want to change, we still have a lot of great quality - especially in the attack - and we feel really good about what we have," Stratford said. "I hope that we can take it to an even higher level than we've been at in the past.
"Obviously we've had a lot of success and it's not easy to sustain that. We still have the same goals and are setting the same standard that we've set every year since I've been here - and that's to finally bring home a national championship."
Contact Michael Carvelli at 304-348-4810 or michael.carvelli@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @carvelli3.