Kaia Anderson, online publishing coordinator

Danielle Mendez recently took over as head coach of the Augsburg women’s soccer team for the current season. The decision was announced in July after Clara Webby resigned at the end of the 2025-26 academic year. Mendez began her journey at St. Catherine University, where she majored in exercise science. She then earned her master’s degree at the University of Minnesota. During her time at St. Catherine, she was a goalkeeper on the Wildcats’ soccer team and also played semi-pro for two seasons with the Minnesota Twinstars after finishing her schooling. Mendez has coached club soccer, girls’ youth teams and university teams such as St. Olaf, Concordia-St. Paul and the University of North Dakota. She has led teams to championship competitions, team records and All-MIAC honors.

I spoke with McKenna Nachreiner, one of the captains of the team. Nachreiner has played for Augsburg since her freshman year, starting all 19 games her first season. She plays as an outside forward. We discussed her experience on the team and what Mendez has been like as a coach.

As captain, Nachreiner is a leader for her team on and off the field. She said being a leader means being “someone who is there for the team, trusts and supports everyone and values relationships with coaches and teammates.” She also said everyone on the team must step up and be a leader, not just the captains. This aligns with the encouragement given to student-athletes to set examples for their peers by balancing sports and academics and bringing their best to everything they do. As a senior, she hopes to leave a legacy at Augsburg within the soccer program. “I want to make a difference in this program and leave it better than when I arrived […] I want to enjoy this season, appreciate the time with my teammates one last time and enjoy playing the game I love for one last year. Winning a MIAC championship would be pretty fun, though.”

Nachreiner also provided insight into what training has been like under Mendez. “Training with Danielle has been great. She pushes us to be our best selves and is a very good coach with lots of knowledge of the game.” She added that the culture of the team has not changed significantly since the coaching change, but there has been more competition during practices and a greater push for athletes to improve.

Their next game is Sept. 16 at Edor Nelson Field. Best of luck to Danielle Mendez on your first year with this incredible team, and to McKenna Nachreiner during your final season at Augsburg. I hope you get your MIAC championship.