University of North Texas Athletics
Friday, November 9
College Station, TX
7:00 pm CT
University of North Texas
vs
Texas A&M
Longtime Friends Clash At NCAA Tournament
11/9/2018 2:46:00 AM | Women's Soccer
COLLEGE STATION — When North Texas soccer head coach John Hedlund and Texas A&M head coach G Guerrieri meet on Ellis Field Friday night for their first round NCAA Tournament match, it will not just be a meeting of two longtime friends, but two friends whose paths to that field that day are strikingly similar.
"It's a neat story," Hedlund said. "It's one of those moments that makes the world feel small."
While Hedlund and Guerrieri have known each other since they were adolescents playing for the same top club team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in the 1970s, over the past 24 years they've built two powerhouse women's college soccer programs and become two of the most successful coaches of all-time.Â
Not only are they their respected program's only head coaches, in their 24-plus years at their respected schools, neither has had a losing season. They are just two of three active coaches who can say that.Â
"He's done an incredible job at Texas A&M," Hedlund said of Guerrieri. "Never would we have ever imagined doing what we do now when we were kids."
After their prep, college and professional careers were over, Hedlund and Guerrieri made their way through the coaching ranks with different men's programs. Both eventually landed as assistants in the early 1990s at North Texas. Hedlund remained at UNT until the men's program was discontinued and Guerrieri moved on to Richland Junior College in 1991.Â
Once the men's team was dropped, Hedlund, an assistant on the team, was approached about taking over the women's team as its head coach for its inaugural 1995 season.
Despite having little experience in coaching women's teams, Hedlund accepted the offer and began building his program from scratch.
At the same time, Guerrieri, who had consecutive successful seasons at Richland, was offered the job at Texas A&M.Â
"We both started our program's from nothing really, and probably didn't know a whole lot what we were doing but we've found our way," Hedlund said with a laugh. "We talk regularly so Friday will be a lot of fun."
Friday at 7 p.m. CT, Guerrieri, Hedlund and their respected program's clash with an opportunity to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament at stake.Â
The match can be streamed live online on ESPN's SEC Network+.
"It's a neat story," Hedlund said. "It's one of those moments that makes the world feel small."
While Hedlund and Guerrieri have known each other since they were adolescents playing for the same top club team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in the 1970s, over the past 24 years they've built two powerhouse women's college soccer programs and become two of the most successful coaches of all-time.Â
Not only are they their respected program's only head coaches, in their 24-plus years at their respected schools, neither has had a losing season. They are just two of three active coaches who can say that.Â
"He's done an incredible job at Texas A&M," Hedlund said of Guerrieri. "Never would we have ever imagined doing what we do now when we were kids."
After their prep, college and professional careers were over, Hedlund and Guerrieri made their way through the coaching ranks with different men's programs. Both eventually landed as assistants in the early 1990s at North Texas. Hedlund remained at UNT until the men's program was discontinued and Guerrieri moved on to Richland Junior College in 1991.Â
Once the men's team was dropped, Hedlund, an assistant on the team, was approached about taking over the women's team as its head coach for its inaugural 1995 season.
Despite having little experience in coaching women's teams, Hedlund accepted the offer and began building his program from scratch.
At the same time, Guerrieri, who had consecutive successful seasons at Richland, was offered the job at Texas A&M.Â
"We both started our program's from nothing really, and probably didn't know a whole lot what we were doing but we've found our way," Hedlund said with a laugh. "We talk regularly so Friday will be a lot of fun."
Friday at 7 p.m. CT, Guerrieri, Hedlund and their respected program's clash with an opportunity to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament at stake.Â
The match can be streamed live online on ESPN's SEC Network+.
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