GENEVA, NY (WHEC) — For some, coaching is more than a passion; it’s a lifestyle. Aliceann Wilber, the William Smith women’s soccer coach, embodies this after 45 years in the role. She recently announced her retirement, and sports reporter Ian Mills sat down with the Hall of Famer to reflect on her remarkable career.

This past season, the William Smith Herons experienced a slow start. “We had one win and tied one in conference to that point,” Wilber recalled. However, she motivated her team with a historical reference. “Julius Caesar, when he decides he wants to be emperor of Rome, that’s when he makes the decision to cross the Rubicon River and then it’s under the sword like from here on, it’s fight and there we went.”

The Herons ended the season as national championship runner-ups, a testament to the program’s growth since Wilber first took the job. Reflecting on her early days, she said, “I don’t think anybody else applied.” Back then, winning any game was a challenge. “We’re just trying to figure out how to win a game, how to score a goal.”

Wilber retires as the winningest coach in Division III, with two national championships and numerous Coach of the Year awards. Yet, she remembers the tough times vividly. “Our first game, nine-nothing drubbing by little Wells College,” she said. “The seventh goal goes in and this goalkeeper screams, ‘I can’t take this anymore.'”

Despite the challenges, Wilber cherishes the connections she made. “There has been just the growth of our family here, and family just keeps percolating,” she shared. Her bond with players extends beyond the field. “We crashed a wedding with our bus and our team in Albany area this fall of one of my alums. And she was moved to tears when the players show up, jumping off the bus to our theme song, Top Gun.”

As Aliceann Wilber enters retirement, she won’t dwell on the wins but rather her process and her players. “So I’m competitive and stubborn, and it’s kind of a good combination when you want to get stuff done or, well, it worked for me,” she said.

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