In theory, what Lake Travis soccer head coach Ian Dillon inherited when he took the job was a playoff program.

Coming off the team’s best season in history, which ended in a regional semifinal loss, expectations are at their peak.

But that’s also not saying much.

“I’ve kind of been told that this program has always been the black sheep of athletic programs at Lake Travis,” Dillon said. “But it seems like it’s in a really good place right now, and I think we can build on it.”

Lady Cavalier head coach Jeff Gamble agreed.

“When Ian took the job, I told him that the kids were halfway there,” he said. “A few years ago they hated playing and didn’t want to show up and had no direction. Now they really enjoy it and want to show up, but they definitely need some direction.”

Dillon thinks he can provide it, being hired after serving as an assistant in the highly successful Dripping Springs soccer program, and before that – serving in a similar capacity at a highly regarded prep school in San Diego. His background also includes a college career at Tulane and service time in the Navy, so he said he could tell by the player’s reactions that they understand he knew what he was talking about on the first day.

“I think it was obvious,” Dillon said. “I’m very direct and definitely want there to be a lot of discipline in the program. You could tell the guys were excited, but that they also understood I was serious.”

That hasn’t gone over terribly well on some days.

“There’s been some clashing of heads on philosophy, for sure,” Dillon mused. “But I think the guys understand what it’s going to take for us to be successful in the playoffs. It’s going to start with our discipline and strategy.”

Well, first, it started with a change in attitude, even for a team ranked fifth in Region IV by TASCO to start the season.

“In our scrimmage against Hays – Hays is a very physical team. They’re not big, they’re just physical, scrappy and work really hard,” Dillon said. “We had more opportunities, had a slight edge of possession but still drew 2-2. We just looked gun shy, like we were afraid of the contact and getting hit. Which I thought was ridiculous. I told the team at halftime, ‘Look across from you, you outweigh those guys 30 pounds per guy. So if they want to play physical, let’s play physical and they’ll back down.’ And we came out in the second half, played a more physical game and they backed off a bit and we played a lot better. It was a good lesson for us.”

It was a key early moment for Dillon, who saw that his team could take some direction and make an adjustment when asked to do so.

“We still have some things to work on,” Dillon assured. “They are playing the ball in every direction a bit better, and they’re showing some patience. Last year’s highlights looked like the all-star show, a lot of flash and not much of a plan. So we’re really focusing on working together on runs and moving up together with the ball.”

Overall, Dillon just wants there to be a winning ethic in the program. The goal is to win a district title, and start knocking off playoff rounds from there, year after year.

The district slate looks pretty good for the Cavs, too. A tough Hendrickson team lost some key starters from last year’s squad, and the Hawks always present the biggest threat to anyone in the district. District additions Leander Rouse and Vandegrift could be surprise teams, though.

But before Lake Travis jumps into the most important part of the season, it will get a month to iron out the kinks, starting with this weekend’s Governor’s Cup in Georgetown.

Lake Travis takes on Montgomery at Southwestern University to open the tournament, Thursday at 2 p.m.