I had a chance to ask first year Oregon State Beavers women's head coach Linus Rhode some questions on the eve of this years Civil War soccer match against the Ducks in Eugene. Both squads will be looking for their first win the tough PAC-10 conference.

How long have you been in Corvallis and how did you find yourself at OSU?
I have been in Corvallis for 8 years and I found myself here through Steve Fennah who recruited me as an asst. coach when I was coaching club soccer for McKenzie United down in Eugene.

Please tell us about your playing experience and don’t be modest. What is your favorite moment as a player?
My playing experience started in British Columbia where I made my way through the provincial programs and onto the youth national teams at U18 and U 20. At 15 I joined the Vancouver 86ers as a youth player looking to make it onto the 1st team where I had a few experiences, one of which was an NASL All Star game vs. Vancouver at which point Clive Charles saw me play for the first time.

After the U20 CONCACAF championships I joined the university of Portland I 1992 where I had a good career leading the team to the final four as captain my senior year. I finished as 4th all time leading scorer. After that I joined the Olympic team for CONCACAF qualifying in Edmonton for the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta, where we finished 2nd to Mexico, who got the birth.

At that point I pursued a pro career as at Bayer Leverkusen for a brief stint, then New Orleans in the A-League and then Wynberg St. Johns in the SA 2nd division. That is my playing career in a nut shell.

My favorite memory, well that is tough…. Well it is between the Final Four Match in Richmond Virginia in front of 25,000 plus or a game we played against Mexico in San Jose in front of 20,000 plus wish we tied but after the game fans rushed the field and we had to be escorted off the field for safety.

When did you know you wanted to be a professional soccer coach?
As soon as I started coaching, when I was still a player, I knew I wanted to stay in the game, so I would guess at the age of 19

What do you like best the sport? What do you like best about coaching soccer?
What I like best about the sport is the friends you make from all walks of life, the passion in games and that soccer is a players game where there are really no set plays unlike any other sport. What I like best about coaching is the smile on players faces when I give them info on different ways to solve a problem on the field and they have that look, like the light bulb just turned on.

After several years as an assistant coach at OSU you were just hired as the new head coach. What’s been the biggest difference for you?
The biggest difference has been that the buck stops with me now and staff and players are looking at me to be the leader in difficult situations.

What differences would you like for fans to notice about the team under your guidance?
Oh, I think just a different style of play and a group of players that are playing for each other, the university and with pride.

Based on your experience, what are the biggest differences between men’s and women’s soccer?
I would say just the overall athleticism, in the men’s game it is pretty equal, but in the women’s game there can be a big difference that is very difficult to make up for.

The PAC-10 is such a competitive conference. All four California schools are nationally ranked teams. How can OSU be successful in the PAC-10?
I think we have to play like the Italians, defend with a block of eight and when we get the ball look to keep it through smarts and good speed of play. Last obviously is to take the chances that we get in front of goal.

PAC-10 matches begin this week for OSU. Do you have any conference competition goals set for the team this year?
Yes, for this year our goal is to be competitive, reach for .500, and try to make all games a one goal game so we always have a chance for a victory.

Can you share some advice for young players that would like to play soccer at OSU or another school?
Yes, make sure you are doing well in school, play at the highest level you can at all times and be aggressive in pursuing the team of your choice.

Is there anything that you would like to share with fans about the OSU women’s program?
Yes, come and support us, because we are looking to build a program that will make the community proud and to put on a show on game day that will be exciting for people to watch.

The Beaver women are 5-6-1 despite fielding an extremely young team and being short-handed all year due to injuries. OSU will finish up in the PAC-10 with UCLA (#4) and USC (#7) at home.

Can Linus and the ladies give OSU a second upset win over USC this year? How do you think the Beavers can succeed against the California power houses?