Grant Lucas

Review staff writer

After Yi Lin Liu stepped down from the position of women’s head soccer coach, a void was left on Linfield’s squad. That void was filled when men’s soccer assistant coach Dominic Doty was appointed interim head coach.
Doty now has the task of turning a frustration-filled season around, helping a program recover from a mid-season coaching change.
“I was excited,” he said. “I take it as a challenge. I was eager to take the job and see what we can do.”
Liu resigned as head coach after players voiced frustrations with his
coaching style.
Doty said he and the team talked about the players’ approaches to this change, as well as their
commitment level.
“It’s all a byproduct of them working hard and of them being committed to each other,” he said, adding that the players are adjusting to the situation.
He said they’ve come out to practices and games with a renewed sense of energy.
Doty said a lot of things exist that he wants to work on with the team, but there’s just not much time to do it.
He said there isn’t anything specific he plans to focus on except knowledge of how to be a good coach and how to approach the game.
After assuming the role of head coach Oct. 21, Doty and his squad worked hard as they prepared for an Oct. 25 game, the first since the change.
The Wildcats tallied a win against Lewis & Clark College, thanks to sophomore Rachel Miles, who scored the game’s only goal.
On Oct. 26, Linfield was shut down by the Pacific University Boxers, bringing the Wildcats’ record to 3-9 in Northwest Conference play and 5-11 overall.
Doty said he hasn’t even thought about the future for the women’s head coaching position.
“That’ll all take care of itself in good time,” he said.
Next up for Doty’s squad is a matchup against George Fox University on Nov. 1, followed by the University of Puget Sound on Nov. 2. Both home games are the next chapter in Doty’s narrative of steering the program through rough waters.