Christian Sopkowiak/Winonan

In the past twenty years, Ali Omar, the head coach of Winona State University women’s soccer, has been able to create a culture of excellence for his teams.

In 19 seasons as the head coach, Omar has led the team to 11 NSIC Championships and six NSIC Tournament titles. He led his teams to eight successive conference crowns from 2004-2011, and his teams have been named champions in 10 of the last 14 years.

This type of success begins with recruitment. Omar’s philosophy originates with finding students who want to come to Winona State for the education.

“If they feel that Winona State is the place for them and they do the homework themselves, they can go. And obviously, if they have some soccer skills, I am much more interested in seeing if she fits into what we have,” Omar said.

Omar will spend time looking up recruits online, looking at highlights and inviting them for a visit. He does not believe in visiting their homes, because he wants them to create their own home at Winona State.

Omar is looking for a student who is committed to furthering her education at Winona State. He sees soccer as a secondary concern and the student’s education as the primary.

“We try not to convince them. We want you to be convinced that this is the place for you,” Omar said.

The students are cultured into understanding they must look towards their future outside of soccer.

“If you come here because of soccer only and you don’t care about your education, that is not how we work. At the end of four years, you are actually going to the next step of your life: finding a job. You are not going on to play soccer,” Omar said.

Omar wants students to understand soccer is a part of their life, but only a minor portion. He wants players to be comfortable at Winona State, and he wants them to pursue their future.

“We make sure that this is clear. You are here for school, and soccer is your number two. This is a choice and you have to be committed,” Omar said.

Omar’s current team has an average 3.55 GPA. His success has stemmed from the students understanding of how committed they must be to their education and then to their sports.

“We sometimes find one gem, and she is very good. But, her academic interests are something that we don’t have,” Omar said. “So that’s when I stop communicating because I don’t want to convince her to give up those interests to just play soccer here.”

But Omar still enjoys the little pleasures associated with being a coach of one of his favorite sports.

“We are soccer junkies. Going out and watching soccer, it is a hobby. And knowing that we are getting the kids who will bypass the bigger schools. Figuring out who the kids are and just discovering how they work. Seeing them excel in the classroom and the soccer field. Those are my favorite parts,” Omar said.