Carol Bonnes has certainly left her mark on Concord Women's Soccer.
In three years as a player, she earned All-WVIAC honors each season and was a member of CU's 2002 conference championship team.
In two years as head coach, Bonnes won more than 61% of her games and guided the Lady Lions to back-to-back appearances in the conference tournament final.
Now, Bonnes will look to leave her mark somewhere else.
Bonnes has accepted the position of head coach at Carson Newman College in Jefferson City, TN. C-N announced Bonnes' hiring on April 27th. [www.carsonnewmaneagles.com/sports/w-soccer/2009-10/releases/20100427b92xe2 ]
“This was not an easy decision for me to make, especially as a Concord alum,” Bonnes said. “I've invested a lot of time here at Concord, so it's going to be difficult to leave.
“I was proud to have gotten this opportunity at Concord. The girls have really stepped and made the program as strong as it is, becoming one of the top programs in a very competitive league. I'm very proud of them.”
Bonnes, a native of Ballyclare, Northern Ireland, came to America in 2000 to play at Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, VA. As a freshman, she helped the Cobras rise to a ranking of #5 in the country.
Bones transferred to Concord for the 2001 season, and her impact was immediate. She led the Lady Lions in scoring as a central midfielder and her teammates named her player of the year. She also earned a spot on the All-WVIAC 1st Team.
In 2002, Bonnes played an integral role as CU won its first WVIAC championship. The Lady Lions shared the regular season title with Wheeling Jesuit, then defeated the Cardinals 3-2 in to take the league tournament title. Bonnes again earned a spot on the All-WVIAC 1st Team.
Injuries plagued Bonnes' senior season, although she still received All-WVIAC Honorable Mention honors.
Concord went 16-5-1 against the WVIAC in Bonnes' three years as a player.
She joined Steve Barrett's coaching staff as an assistant in 2006. That year, Concord went undefeated in league play but dropped the WVIAC final to Wheeling Jesuit, 1-0, in overtime. CU went 9-3-1 in conference play in 2007. After that season, Barrett moved to take over the revived Men's Soccer program at Concord, and Bonnes took over as the Women's head coach.
Bonnes said she wants the players to get to where they can “plan that half-a-step ahead in the game. I came in with that philosophy. And that goes for me as a coach as well as the players.
“They need to perform with a purpose. They need to come out in practice, the way they want to play their games. The intensity has to be there. The hard, intense training will prepare them for that. I really want us to create that this year.”
As she spoke, a handwritten note on the board behind her read, 'Great players are great everyday, not just on game day.'
“This is a dream, an absolute dream. It's great to know that I'm doing something I love.”
-- Tom Bone, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, February 5, 2008
2008 was nearly a dream season for Concord. CU went 12-8-1, 9-1-0 in the WVIAC, reaching the conference tournament final. Concord and West Virginia Wesleyan met in Buckhannon for what proved to be an epic contest, playing through a scoreless draw before the Bobcats took the title with a 4-3 edge in penalty kicks.
In 2009, the Lady Lions finished 12-7-0, 7-3-0 in the WVIAC, good for fourth place. Concord stunned top-seeded Davis & Elkins 3-2 in the tournament semi-finals before again falling to West Virginia Wesleyan in the championship round.
The Lady Lions featured the nation's fifth-best offense (3.53 gpg) and WVIAC leading scorer Gemma Nortcliffe.
Ten Concord players earned All-WVIAC honors with Bonnes as head coach, including three on the 1st Team. Nortcliffe was named to the Daktronics All-Atlantic Region Team in 2009.
“I know the girls will continue to do well,” Bonnes said of the Lady Lions. “They have the makings of a very strong team and they'll contend for a conference championship.”
Bonnes was also the Senior Women's Administrator in CU's Department of Athletics.
“I wasn't looking for job,” Bonnes said of said moving to Carson Newman. “This one fell into my lap. When you consider the other applicants and finalists, I'm absolutely honored. It's a very strong program and I'll have some very big shoes to fill.”
In her playing days, aside from her collegiate career, Bonnes was a member of Northern Ireland's U-16, U-21 and Senior national teams. At the club level, she starred for the Newtownabbey Strikers and was the first person to score in the inaugural Nationwide Cup in 2004. The Strikers played in the UEFA Championship League in Sweden (2002) and Romania (2004).
“We're extremely sad, but extremely happy for Carol,” said Concord Director of Athletics Kevin Garrett. “On one hand, we hate to lose a coach and a person of Carol's caliber. On the other hand, we're happy that Carol will have an opportunity like this, that she's worked so hard to earn.
“We wish nothing Carol nothing but the best of luck and know she'll do very well with this opportunity and in her career.”
The search for Concord's new Women's Soccer coach will begin shortly.
