Coach of the Year: Mike Cannon

Mike Cannon, women's soccer head coach, came within a game of leading the team to its first Final Four in Truman history last November. But if it wasn't for a gutsy effort and a coaching decision he made during a game more than a month earlier, the 'Dogs season could have ended long before the Elite Eight.

After starting the season 8-0, including two wins against ranked teams, the Bulldogs hit a skid midway through the season. They entered their March 16 matchup against Northwest Missouri State University in desperate need of a victory. The Bulldogs had played eight of their last nine games on the road. Truman found itself down a goal early but battled back to tie the score on a goal by junior forward Riley Mahn, who Cannon sent in off the bench. With the score tied at two late in the second half, the Bulldogs caught a break when they needed it most. Junior midfielder Katie Reuck found the back of the net off a deflection by a Bearcat player. Truman won the game 3-2.

The rest is history. Truman went 9-1-0 in its next 10 games before bowing out to Seattle Pacific University in the Elite Eight.

"To me that was the one game that I go, 'If we don't win that game, I don't know [if we can keep winning]' because after that we kind of had a run into the playoffs where we got results," Cannon said.

Junior midfielder Theresa Bauler agreed with Cannon's assessment of the victory against Northwest.

"We were kind of in a slump before that," Bauler said. "… Northwest was to the point where we realized that if you're going to be successful in the season you really need to just start turning it up."

Truman got off to a blistering start this season. The Bulldogs started off the year 8-0 before hitting a rough five-game patch in the middle of the season where the team went 1-3-1.

During Truman's struggles, Cannon said the team continued to compete well, but that the team struggled to catch breaks when they needed them. He added that the game against Northwest stood out in particular because he went to his bench more, something he said he thought he hadn't done as often in the previous five games. Cannon's move paid off for the Bulldogs when Mahn came off the bench to score the game-tying goal.

Success is nothing new to Cannon. Under his leadership, the Bulldogs have advanced to the NCAA Tournament six times, have won the MIAA regular season championship eight times and won the MIAA Tournament in 2007, its only year of existence. He has won 217 games during his career and taken the team to the Elite Eight three times. He has coached six All-Americans and has had 42 players, including five this season, earn all-region-honors. Two Bulldogs have been named Academic All-Americans under Cannon's watch as well.

His winning ways have not just been limited to making decisions from the sidelines.

Cannon was a member of the men's soccer team from 1988-91. He was named the team's most valuable player his senior season.

Cannon said that he owes a lot of success to the work of assistant coach Martin Clayes and that the coaches lay the groundwork for the team. He said that ultimately how successful the team becomes is up to the players and their work ethic.

"Almost all of our success goes to the kids," Cannon said. "They are the ones that are playing the games. We've just been lucky over the years to keep getting kids that want to buy into what we are doing and work hard."

Other coaches have taken notice of Cannon's preparation for games. Washburn University head coach Tim Collins said the Bulldogs are almost unbeatable when they grab the lead. He said the possession style of offense the Bulldogs play means Truman constantly puts pressure on their opponents.

"He just has a terrific mind for the game," Collins said. "Every year I use him as an example as how they are tactically prepared, and that's something we want to work to achieve."

During his time at Truman, Cannon has also been able to build a strong relationship with potential recruits when they are deciding where to go to college.

"I came here, and I wasn't really sure if I was interested in playing soccer," Bauler said. "I came here and met with him, and he kind of discussed with my parents several things, and I decided that I really did want to come here and play."

Collins added that players who play under Cannon will be well versed in areas beyond soccer.

"We tend to recruit some of the same kids, and as much as I hate losing a player to him, I know that in the grand scheme of things it's all about those kids getting a good education and being that much more prepared in life and for the real world," Collins said. "Going through his program is just one step that is going to launch them that much quicker into another stratosphere."