Julie Colhoff was named the fifth women’s soccer head coach in program history March 8 after spending the last four seasons as a assistant coach at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

This is Colhoff’s first head coach opportunity, and she said shelooks forward to hitting the ground running.

“My first days here have been during spring break, so I haven’t been able to really dive in yet,” Colhoff said. “To be able to join NIU and work from this side of things is really exciting for me.”

Colhoff said one of the things that attracted her to NIU was the culture of the athletic department and how it aligns with her personal values.

“Her energy, enthusiasm and knowledge of the game of soccer, as well as her experience as a champion student-athlete, set her apart during the search process,” said Sean T. Frazier, associate vice president and director of athletics, according to NIU Media Services. “I’m excited to see what she will do here to take our team to the next level.”

Colhoff will take over the controls of a team who has not finished with a positive record since going 10-6-5 in the 2008 season. She said she hopes to adopt a new style of play to help pave the way for a successful future.

“I have some exciting stuff in the future coming your guys’ way,” Colhoff said. “I think you will see a new style coming from our women’s team, one that hopefully fans will enjoy watching.”

Colhoff saw a glimpse of NIU when the two teams faced each other this past season. Colhoff said she noticed the team’s talent in the Huskies’ 2-1 overtime win Aug. 30 over the Flames.

She will begin having individual meetings with players this week, but she said sheis already looking forward to helping the team with its individual and team goals.

“Seeing the talent on the team right now makes me really excited to work with them,” Colhoff said. “These players are super hungry to be pushed, and they want to work and improve. As a coach, that makes me very excited to see where we can take this.”

Colhoff said one of the most important things for her in the process was making sure the job was a good fit for her.

“This was kind of a perfect storm,” Colhoff said. “[NIU] has the opportunity, extended me the offer, and I realized this was a great fit and a great opportunity and I’m loving the opportunity to to go forward with this.”