K-State soccer growing in spring with help from new assistants

MANHATTAN (KSNT) - K-State women's soccer is underway with spring scrimmages.

The Wildcats played host to Nebraska on Saturday, April 6 for their first of five spring exhibition games. Plus, the team will hold a purple and white intrasquad scrimmage on Wednesday, April 17.

The program, which was launched in 2016, is still searching for its first winning season. To help, head coach Mike Dibbini brought in three new assistants for the 2024 season.

"They all bring a strong skillset, some experience," Dibbini said.

The Wildcats added Jaycee Ackerman, Mario Felix and Sammy Boateng to their staff.

Ackerman comes to Manhattan after playing collegiately at the University of Nebraska and professionally with three different NWSL teams, including the KC Current.

"Jaycee is very, very relatable with the players and has a really good coaching background as far as knowledge of the game," Dibbini said. "Playing at Nebraska and playing in the pro level brings a lot to the table and we're excited about what she's doing for our program."

Felix was most recently the Kansas Rush Soccer Club girls' academy director. Before that, he coached collegiately on staff with Missouri, Southern Utah, Westmont College and Bethel College.

"Mario has done a good job," Dibbini said. "He's been a head coach before, has experience. [He's] good in the recruiting trail and good on the coaching side of things."

Dibbini says Felix will work closely with the goalkeepers, too.

Boateng was an assistant in the Big 10 with Michigan for two seasons before joining the 'Cats. He also brings head coaching experience, having served as the head women's soccer coach at Western Michigan from 2019-2022.

"[Boateng] brings a lot to the table as far as soccer knowledge and recruiting and helping this program," Dibbini said.

Despite the lack of ideal results early in the program's existence, Dibbini believes the Wildcats have the right people, in the form of both coaches and student-athletes, in place to build momentum.

"It's always a challenge starting a program from scratch but [I] feel pretty good, confidently seeing the growth and development of players on the field, it's just been fun to watch," he said. "There's been challenges, don't get us wrong, there's been a lot of heartbreak. But there's a lot of growth and potential and the future is definitely bright."

K-State visits Colorado on Saturday, April 13 before returning home for the purple/ white scrimmage and a round-robin hosting Washburn and Fort Hays State on April 20.