Ian Carry already made UK history nearly a whole year prior to his head coaching debut for the 2017 season.

In Nov. 2016, Carry was announced as the new head coach for the women’s soccer team after being an assistant coach on the team for the past four seasons. This makes him only the third head coach in UK women’s soccer history.

The season started back up Aug. 18 with an away game against Wisconsin. Carry and his team are eager to start this new journey, build a whole new mentality and to start chasing championships.

“We want to bring these titles back to the Bell (soccer complex),” Carry said. “It’s a mentality piece, it’s a coaching piece. It’s young women that are willing to go and work hard every single day with a focus. It’s not an easy task but we believe in the players that we have, and we know that the recruiting classes that are coming in in the next couple of years, Kentucky will take itself to a new level that it’s never been before.”

Team captain Katy Keen is excited to have Carry as the new head coach for her senior season.

“He’s great. We are just trying to move the program forward and Ian has been a great look on that,” Keen said.

“He’s changed the program in the sense of helping us get a new direction, and a new goal. Our goal is to make the SEC tournament and really make a run post-season play this year,” Keen explained.

According to Keen, the all-around atmosphere within the team has been nothing but positive with having Carry as head coach along with his two assistant coaches, Jason Goodson and Melissa Charole.

“(Carry), Melissa, and Goodie (Goodson) are really changing the program and helping us make good steps forward,” Keen said. “Ian has been doing a great job as head coach as well as his two assistants, Goodie and Melissa. I think we are just trying to have a new, positive outlook and that’s how it’s been going so far.”

The ultimate goal the team is trying to reach is to win a championship as well as rebuild this program’s reputation into a positive one. The players and the coaching staff are determined to make these things happen this season.

“I think if we just stick to what we know and listen to the coaches and everything they have to say, we should really make good strides this year,” Keen said

“We want to be something that the Big Blue Nation can be proud of, something that the students can come in and have some fun watching us play and ultimately get some W’s here at home in the Bell,” Carry said.

The Cats will host Eastern Kentucky University in the first home game of the season on Aug. 24 at 7:30 p.m.