2025 marked Trinity head women’s soccer coach Dylan Harrison’s 10th season in charge of the program. Under his tenure, Harrison has led the Tigers to a conference championship and an NCAA playoff appearance nine times. At Trinity, he has an overall record of 166-22-15 and a winning percentage of 85.5% across 203 games. Harrison has also won Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach Of The Year six times, winning NCAA regional honors twice.

The stats only tell one part of the story, Harrison’s philosophy and approach complete the picture of his tenure at Trinity. Harrison explained that a coaching philosophy can be difficult to define. Yet, he indicated that certain core principles remain constant.

“For me, it goes back to the chance to share lifelong memories with people I care about,” Harrison said.

Whether it’s playing abroad, winning titles or even day-to-day practice, that human motivation drives Harrison. But desire alone isn’t enough; players have to put in the work to earn those moments. For Harrison, that process starts with recruiting.

“I love to watch good players play,” Harrison said. “That’s our recruiting style. Who am I going to enjoy watching play for four years?”

Once they’re on the team, Harrison focuses on growth without sacrificing individuality. He said that he doesn’t want to transform his players; he recruited them for who they are.

“We’re not putting round pegs in square holes,” Harrison said. “We let them be who they are and encouraging them to continue to improve and to want more of themselves. I don’t want to change somebody. Will they change while they’re here? Completely. That’s the growth.”

According to Harrison, practices often revolve around giving players “problems” to solve, and in turn, opportunities to learn and grow. But 11 individuals expressing themselves independently doesn’t automatically translate to conference titles.

“Soccer is one of the most creative sports,” Harrison said. “It’s about being yourself, but also understanding that it’s much bigger than just you.”

This balance Harrison strives to instill in his program has its roots in Harrison’s own time playing at Trinity. Under head men’s soccer coach Paul McGinlay, Harrison learned it’s okay to compete and have high expectations while still being yourself when you step off the field.

As a student at Trinity, Harrison said he wasn’t planning to be a coach. After graduating, he spent a summer in San Antonio, and McGinlay gave him and two teammates the chance to attend a coaching course for free. According to Harrison, coaching was suddenly a very real path, especially given his career as a Trinity player.

“There’s a running joke,” Harrison said. “The best players don’t always make the best coaches, and so I figured I’d be a decent coach. I’ll let you read into that.”

After that summer, Harrison became a graduate assistant at the University of the Incarnate Word for a year before moving to Sewanee as an assistant coach. At Sewanee, Harrison worked under the former Trinity women’s soccer head coach Nick Cowell. When Cowell left Sewanee, Harrison shared that he was given the opportunity to step into the open head coaching position at a “pretty young” age.

Harrison then moved to be a Division I coach at Nicholls State University for seven years. When the Trinity job opened up, he wasn’t planning to move, but he looked into the opportunity.

“It became a no brainer,” Harrison said. “Even more so now with everything that’s fallen in place with my family and the roles that we have at Trinity. It’s been a bit surreal in the best way possible.”

After 10 years in charge of the Tigers, Harrison is still motivated by the opportunity to coach his alma mater.

“I feel a responsibility to try to provide an experience similar to what I had as a player for our team,” Harrison said. “One of the coolest parts about being in the college setting is seeing somebody’s growth between 18 and 22. Moving out of the house for the first time and into a really high academic setting demands that you learn and question things that you may have believed your whole life. Helping them grow without losing their identity is huge.”

Harrison and women’s soccer held their first day of spring practice in preparation for Harrison’s 11th season in charge of the Tigers on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Eleven years in, Harrison still said that he was excited for the first day back, and for new memories to be created.

Updated Feb. 11*