Newly promoted Sacramento State women’s soccer coach Randy Dedini may not have had the title, but he’s been playing the role of head coach for quite some time.

Dedini served as an assistant under former women’s soccer coach Katie Poynter for three years until her departure nine months ago.

Even though she was in charge, Dedini said he still had a “large coaching voice” under Poynter.

“I think the biggest change has been the title more than anything else,” Dedini said. “Because I still felt very involved before and all decisions were made by both (of us).”

“He spoke a lot last year,” sophomore goalkeeper Mandy Trojan said. “He and (Poynter) acted more as co-head coaches.”

Poynter was the coach of the women’s soccer team from 2004 until her contract expired in January. She helped elevate the program from being picked to finish last in the Big Sky Conference to being picked to finish first this year in a preseason coaches’ poll.

“She was what the program needed at the time when she was here,” junior defender Tiffany Fraser said. “We wouldn’t be where we are if she hadn’t been involved.”

“She left the program in an excellent position for Randy,” Sac State Athletic Director Terry Wanless said. “But he deserves some of the credit for that.”

When it was time to hire a new coach, Wanless said Dedini was “absolutely the natural choice.”

“It’s really sad to see (Poynter) leave,” said senior midfielder Katie Burton, who played for Poynter for all three years she coached the women’s program. “But I’m glad (Dedini) is her replacement.”

Dedini, who grew up in Vacaville, brings years of playing and coaching experience to the team. He has played organized soccer since he was 7 years old and said he has always been drawn to the game.

“I remember wanting to be a professional soccer player at the age of 9 or 10,” Dedini said. “I don’t know exactly why, but I just loved it.”

Dedini played soccer in high school and then in college, first at American River College for two years and then at Sonoma State. As the starting goalkeeper at Sonoma State, he was named an All-American in 1993 and credits his college coach, Marcus Ziemer, for his success.

“Marcus Ziemer was huge,” Dedini said. “He helped me get the most out of my potential.”

Dedini said he also began to learn about coaching under Ziemer as part of the coach’s summer soccer camps.

“(Ziemer) was a big mentor not only as a player, but as a coach,” Dedini said.

After college, Dedini played soccer professionally for 11 years. He spent the last five of those years as a member of the A-League Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

It was during that time when he also worked as an assistant coach at Quaker Valley High School in Pittsburgh under coach Gene Klein. Together, they led the team to win the Pennsylvania State Championship in 2002.

“(Klein) knew how to get the most out of his talent,” Dedini said. “I still use a lot of his strategies in my coaching style.”

Although he had opportunities to be a head coach elsewhere, Dedini said he stayed with Klein because “he was teaching me so much. I was learning every year.”

Now Dedini inherits a team that nearly won the Big Sky Conference Championship last year, losing in the conference championship game against Idaho State on penalty kicks. Expectations are at their highest as the Hornets’ preseason No. 1 ranking is the first in the women’s soccer program’s history. Even though he is in the first year of his first collegiate head coaching job, Dedini said the expectations don’t bother him.

“I think the girls deserve that honor of being picked to finish first,” Dedini said. “I know that they can live up to these expectations.”

Fraser said Dedini’s confidence “definitely rubs off on us.”

“I think he has given us a lot of confidence,” Trojan said.

Wanless also has faith in the Hornets’ ability to legitimize the No. 1 ranking.

“We’re not fearful of high expectations,” Wanless said. “We want the target on our back and we want to prove that the preseason expectations are absolutely true.”

Senior forward Katie McCoy, who played for Dedini when he was an assistant coach and now as a head coach, said that he is definitely the right man for the job.

“You can tell he has so much passion for the team and that’s so encouraging,” McCoy said. “We all want to play for him and do well.”

“I feel like I want to play harder for him,” said senior forward Amanda Gray.

New assistant coach Maureen Whitney, who said she has had “an array of experiences” with different head coaches, believes Dedini is “very prepared” for his new position.

“He knows what he’s doing,” Whitney said. “He’s got a plan and he’s very organized. I have a lot of confidence in him.”

Whitney said that while she was ready to be a head coach, she reconsidered for Dedini and wouldn’t have been an assistant for any other coach.

The Hornets have started out strong under their rookie head coach, beginning the season with three straight wins and losing only one out of their first five games. During that span, they have also allowed only 1.4 goals per game and recorded two shutouts.

“I think it’s evident by the way we’ve started that coach Dedini has enhanced the program,” Wanless said. “The team is playing very team-oriented soccer, and our record shows that.”

“(Dedini) has guided us to where we are,” Gray said. “We have full confidence in where he’s leading the program.”

“He has the passion that we need to drive us to meet our goals,” Fraser said. “That’s been the backbone of our success so far.”

Dedini said he has even higher aspirations for the future of the program.

“My long term goal is to make this program a national power and a top 20 program,” Dedini said. “I think it’s realistic because of our location and some of the new facilities that are going up here at Sac State.”

“We are transitioning into a program that expects to compete for a championship on a yearly basis,” Wanless said. “Last year was the first step.”

As for their goals this season, the Hornets are aiming to go even further than last year’s near-championship.

“I expect us to go on to the (NCAA tournament),” Fraser said. “We’re ready for it.”

“(Dedini) is doing everything that he can do to help us win the conference championship this year,” Burton said. “And maybe win a game or two in the NCAA tournament.”

“The team is definitely capable of making it to the NCAA tournament,” Dedini said. “Without a doubt.”

Fernando Gallo can be reached at [email protected].