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10/19/2011
Soccer Interview With Erica Demers
The seventh episode of GOL TV: The Dave DiIanni Show, a weekly look at the GVSU soccer team during the 2011 season
Erica Demers is in her eighth season as the assistant women's soccer coach at Grand Valley State University and was named the Associate Head Coach in December 2011. Over the past eight seasons, Demers has helped the Lakers capture back-to-back National titles and become one of the strongest offensive programs in Division II. Demers has helped the team win nine straight GLIAC championships and eight NCAA Regional Championships.
GVSU has an impressive 145-9-12 record with Demers as head assistant, which is an astounding 91 winning percentage. Grand Valley State has tallied season-best goal totals under Demers in each of the last six seasons, culminating with a school record 92 in 2010.
With Demers on the sidelines, the Lakers outscored opponents by 3.68 goals per game in 2010. Working primarily with the offense, Demers has seen 13 student-athletes garner All-America honors, six of which were forwards and midfielders, and more than 20 players earn All-GLIAC selections.
GVSU has also won GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year in five out of the last six seasons. Besides focusing on in-game performance, Demer helps with student-athletes' classroom successes. Under her tenure, Demers has had two Academic All-American of the Year, eight Academic All-American selections, one Elite 88 Award winner and more than 40 athletes awards GLIAC All-Academic honors.
Demers was responsible for the development of All-American forward Katy Tafler who holds the top spot in career points in the GVSU record book with 269 points (114 goals and 41 assists). Tafler is also one of 23 student-athletes in Division II history who has recorded at least 40 goals and 40 assists, while ranking third in the NCAA record book in career points.
Currently, Demers is responsible for seniors Ashley Botts and Kayla Addison who have proven to be an offensive threat, both individually and alone. Botts and Addison have tallied double-digit goal totals in each of their three seasons and rank in the top five in the GVSU record book in points and goals.
Besides her daily coaching tasks, Demers is the recruiting coordinator, camps coordinator and camp instructor, strength and condition instructor and fundraising director. She handles NCAA Compliance paperwork and monitors team academics.
Before coming to Grand Valley State, Demers played four years of Division I soccer at Oakland University. Following that, she spent one year as a graduate assistant at The Citadel.
In addition to coaching collegiate soccer, Demers was also an instructor for the U-18 girls and U-6 boys and girls at Oakland University's soccer camps. She also trained the U-17 girls' Mesa Soccer Club. Demers played in 81 games during her four years as a Golden Grizzly. In her senior season, she was named the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament MVP after leading her team to its fourth consecutive conference tournament title and third straight NCAA appearance. She was a two-time Mid-Continent Conference First Team selection and earned Mid-Con Player of the Year honors in 2002. Demers ended her career at OU with 15 goals, 25 assists and 55 points.
Demers also played for the Canadian U-21 National Team Pool and was part of the Canadian National Championship team in 2000. In 1997-98, she played for the National Training Centre team and was a member of the Ontario Provincial Team for five years.
In 2004, Demers graduated from Oakland University with a Bachelor of Science in Health Science and in 2009 she graduated from GVSU with a Master's of Education.
A native of Welland, Ontario, Canada, she graduated from Centennial Secondary High School.
