The women's soccer coach of a Division 1 college program on the rise could relate a lot to the people in the audience Friday night at the Iberia Soccer Association's annual Coaches Appreciation Banquet.

After all, Scot Wieland, who guides the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Lady Cajuns, said he got into the coaching ranks much like the ISA's volunteer coaches have over the years since the association was formed in 2000. The difference was that he was a standout high school and collegiate player who never dreamed he would fall in love with coaching.

Wieland did, however, at all levels and still coaches young girls in Lafayette when he isn't coaching ULL. He started at the boys club soccer level, coached high school girls while he taught five years, then scratched an itch to coach the women's college game.

"It wound up taking over my life. It's a great game. I love to coach it," he said when he spoke to a crowd of about 50 people at the Cyr-Gates Community Center.

ISA officials and coaches hung on every word from Wieland, who last year in his third season as Lady Cajuns head coach enjoyed the winningest record at ULL. Before going to Lafayette, he coached women's soccer six years -- including three undefeated seasons -- at Belmont Abbey College, in Belmont, North Carolina, just outside of Charlotte.

Then Wieland was lured to Cajun Country, where he has assembled a formidable side, one that during the upcoming season will feature the first player from New Iberia. He announced that recent Catholic High School graduate Katherine Mixon has joined the team.

Mixon's father, Art Mixon, was a charter board member of the ISA.

Coaches in the audience nodded in appreciation when Wieland talked about his experiences not with high school graduates -- young women entering adulthood -- but with kids like a 9-year-old girl he coaches who stopped during the middle of a match and proudly said "Coach, I did the move!" while action continued around her.

Marty Dishman of New Iberia, who coaches the U-8 Swarm girls team in the ISA, said later that he appreciated the appreciation event and the words from Wieland. Dishman has three children playing in ISA, two girls and a boy, so he and his family spend plenty of time at the new Louisiana PepperPlex, which opened last fall and became the home of ISA. The Dishmans, dozens of coaches and hundreds of players were out at the Louisiana PepperPlex when the spring season opened Saturday.

He was speaking from the heart, like Wieland.

ISA president Dave Cavalier said he was pleased with the banquet's turnout and the presentation by Wieland.

"I thought hearing Coach Wieland's story was important just because like a lot of us he just happened to get in the game," Cavalier said.

"As you learn the game, you discover how beautiful it is.

"I was happy to get somebody of Coach Wieland's caliber to come talk to our league."

After shrimp fetuccini, sausage jambalaya, green beans, salad and bread pudding was served, ISA honored the league's Coach of the Year -- Nayson Smith, who coaches U-12 United, a boys team.

Then ISA director of referees Steve Koch honored the top local referees from the fall season: co-Rookies of the Year Alyssa Bienvenu and Anna Cavalier, High School Referee of the Year Dylan Pellerin, and Referee of the Year Zach Arceneaux.