University of North Texas Athletics
Photo by: Luke Della
Mean Green Prepare For Season 25
8/14/2019 2:43:00 PM | Women's Soccer
DENTON — When the North Texas soccer team takes the field on Aug. 22 to open the 2019 season, it'll be the 25th time the Mean Green and their one and only head coach John Hedlund have done so.
As defending conference champs for a fifth straight year, they'll walk out of a new facility and into their new stadium with targets on their backs, which they carry with a cavalier pride.
A far contrast from where the program was 25 years ago when Hedlund literally walked on to UNT's campus and recruited players he found kicking soccer balls around to form his very first team.
But despite the success of winning 15 conference championships, what hasn't changed is the characteristic that makes the Mean Green. No matter who is wearing the uniform and how many conference championships they have won.
"I still remember the first game," Hedlund said. "I ran onto the field to argue," he added with a laugh. "I didn't care if people saw us as some small school rag-tag team playing some big-name Southwest Conference school. I believed and always have in our teams that hard work could get us far."
While it'd be difficult to portray the 2019 Mean Green team as "rag-tag" there is still clearly a chip on the collective unit's shoulders.
Seven players of the 26 players on the team are transfers including three-time Mean Green captain senior Natalie Newell.
And then there's fellow senior captain Dominique James.
The 2018 all-American defensiveback was given basically no looks by division one teams in high school and even told by a coach that she couldn't play at the college level. Now the 2019 MAC Hermann Trophy watch list honoree is aiming to leave North Texas as one of its most decorated and successful athletes ever.
What needs to be done next is accomplish something no former UNT soccer player has done and that's win a NCAA Tournament match.
With the new facilities and stadium, the Mean Green are able to not just host the conference tournament for a first time, which they're doing Nov. 6 through Nov. 10, but also host a NCAA Tournament match. It's something they would have been in the running for last year as a top 30 team.
What should help the Mean Green in achieving that goal is its depth, size, experience and difficult non-conference schedule.
DEPTH
Before every season Hedlund stresses the importance of having depth and strength in numbers to his team. North Texas' athleticism at every positon and coming off the bench has been key to the program's recent success of seven C-USA titles.
But its depth this season might be the best its ever been.
"Right from the start, everyone knew that the dynamic of UNT soccer was going to change with 15 new players," said junior midfielder Elle Marie DeFrain. "Everyone wants a ring. Everyone wants that next title and are all willing to work for it together."
At the top with its forwards and in the midfield is where North Texas has seen the most depth early in the preseason. With the talented additions, even returners who have won multiple titles are being forced to step up their play.
SIZE
In 2019 North Texas will feature a team whose average height is 5-foot-6 and potentially put out a lineup that has an average height of 5-foot-9.
The addition of size furthers the program's emphasis on depth.
If Hedlund can continue to have size on the field the Mean Green who are already more athletic than most teams they will play will have another advantage with its size.
EXPERIENCE
Though UNT is adding 15 players this season and has an average age of 19 years old, key members of the last two teams still remain.
Along with James, North Texas returns seven other primary starters who have all won multiple conference championships as well as sophomore forward Olivia Klein who was crucial for the team's late tournament run last season.
THE SCHEDULE
North Texas opens the doors to the 2019 season and its new facility on Aug. 22 with a home match against Northwestern State at 7 p.m.
UNT showed last year that defense travels and that they are capable of playing with any opponent anywhere with strong defensive performances at No. 12 Santa Clara and at No. 16 Texas A&M in 2018.
The Mean Green will have a tough stretch this year in non-conference when they face nationally ranked Texas Tech on Sept 1 and nationally ranked Memphis on Sept. 6 in consecutive road games. They conclude the non-conference schedule with a road trip to Alabama on Sept. 15. North Texas and the Crimson Tide tied 1-1 last season in Denton.
Positive results in those three games could create a momentous run into conference play, which begins on Sept. 20 versus Old Dominion. The Monarchs are the only C-USA team to beat UNT over the last two seasons.
North Texas ends the regular season with another tough stretch of matches. The Mean Green travel to Florida Atlantic on Oct. 25 and then end the regular season at rival Rice on Nov. 1. FAU and Rice were picked to finish second and third in the conference's preseason poll.
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
For the first time in program history, the Mean Green are hosting a conference tournament. UNT will host the tournament from Nov. 6 through Nov. 10. The Mean Green have won the last two conference tournaments, which earned them automatic bids into the NCAA Tournament. UNT has never gone to three-straight NCAA Tournaments.
CURRENT STREAKS
-North Texas has never had a losing season
-The Mean Green haven't lost a home conference match since Oct. 31, 2008. They've either won or tied 49 straight home conference matches and posted a 46-0-3 record during the stretch.
- North Texas has won either the conference regular season and/or the conference tournament title in five straight seasons.
- North Texas has won seven straight home matches
- UNT hasn't lost a home match in 18 straight games posting a 15-0-3 record during the streak
- The Mean Green have won 20 straight matches where they scored two or more goals. The last match they didn't win when scoring two or more goals was on Sept. 10, 2017 in a 3-3 tie versus Indiana. North Texas has gone 25 straight matches without a loss in games where they scored two or more goals.
TICKETS
Season tickets for the Mean Green are on sale now either online or by calling (940) 565-2527.
As defending conference champs for a fifth straight year, they'll walk out of a new facility and into their new stadium with targets on their backs, which they carry with a cavalier pride.
A far contrast from where the program was 25 years ago when Hedlund literally walked on to UNT's campus and recruited players he found kicking soccer balls around to form his very first team.
But despite the success of winning 15 conference championships, what hasn't changed is the characteristic that makes the Mean Green. No matter who is wearing the uniform and how many conference championships they have won.
"I still remember the first game," Hedlund said. "I ran onto the field to argue," he added with a laugh. "I didn't care if people saw us as some small school rag-tag team playing some big-name Southwest Conference school. I believed and always have in our teams that hard work could get us far."
While it'd be difficult to portray the 2019 Mean Green team as "rag-tag" there is still clearly a chip on the collective unit's shoulders.
Seven players of the 26 players on the team are transfers including three-time Mean Green captain senior Natalie Newell.
And then there's fellow senior captain Dominique James.
The 2018 all-American defensiveback was given basically no looks by division one teams in high school and even told by a coach that she couldn't play at the college level. Now the 2019 MAC Hermann Trophy watch list honoree is aiming to leave North Texas as one of its most decorated and successful athletes ever.
What needs to be done next is accomplish something no former UNT soccer player has done and that's win a NCAA Tournament match.
With the new facilities and stadium, the Mean Green are able to not just host the conference tournament for a first time, which they're doing Nov. 6 through Nov. 10, but also host a NCAA Tournament match. It's something they would have been in the running for last year as a top 30 team.
What should help the Mean Green in achieving that goal is its depth, size, experience and difficult non-conference schedule.
DEPTH
Before every season Hedlund stresses the importance of having depth and strength in numbers to his team. North Texas' athleticism at every positon and coming off the bench has been key to the program's recent success of seven C-USA titles.
But its depth this season might be the best its ever been.
"Right from the start, everyone knew that the dynamic of UNT soccer was going to change with 15 new players," said junior midfielder Elle Marie DeFrain. "Everyone wants a ring. Everyone wants that next title and are all willing to work for it together."
At the top with its forwards and in the midfield is where North Texas has seen the most depth early in the preseason. With the talented additions, even returners who have won multiple titles are being forced to step up their play.
SIZE
In 2019 North Texas will feature a team whose average height is 5-foot-6 and potentially put out a lineup that has an average height of 5-foot-9.
The addition of size furthers the program's emphasis on depth.
If Hedlund can continue to have size on the field the Mean Green who are already more athletic than most teams they will play will have another advantage with its size.
EXPERIENCE
Though UNT is adding 15 players this season and has an average age of 19 years old, key members of the last two teams still remain.
Along with James, North Texas returns seven other primary starters who have all won multiple conference championships as well as sophomore forward Olivia Klein who was crucial for the team's late tournament run last season.
THE SCHEDULE
North Texas opens the doors to the 2019 season and its new facility on Aug. 22 with a home match against Northwestern State at 7 p.m.
UNT showed last year that defense travels and that they are capable of playing with any opponent anywhere with strong defensive performances at No. 12 Santa Clara and at No. 16 Texas A&M in 2018.
The Mean Green will have a tough stretch this year in non-conference when they face nationally ranked Texas Tech on Sept 1 and nationally ranked Memphis on Sept. 6 in consecutive road games. They conclude the non-conference schedule with a road trip to Alabama on Sept. 15. North Texas and the Crimson Tide tied 1-1 last season in Denton.
Positive results in those three games could create a momentous run into conference play, which begins on Sept. 20 versus Old Dominion. The Monarchs are the only C-USA team to beat UNT over the last two seasons.
North Texas ends the regular season with another tough stretch of matches. The Mean Green travel to Florida Atlantic on Oct. 25 and then end the regular season at rival Rice on Nov. 1. FAU and Rice were picked to finish second and third in the conference's preseason poll.
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
For the first time in program history, the Mean Green are hosting a conference tournament. UNT will host the tournament from Nov. 6 through Nov. 10. The Mean Green have won the last two conference tournaments, which earned them automatic bids into the NCAA Tournament. UNT has never gone to three-straight NCAA Tournaments.
CURRENT STREAKS
-North Texas has never had a losing season
-The Mean Green haven't lost a home conference match since Oct. 31, 2008. They've either won or tied 49 straight home conference matches and posted a 46-0-3 record during the stretch.
- North Texas has won either the conference regular season and/or the conference tournament title in five straight seasons.
- North Texas has won seven straight home matches
- UNT hasn't lost a home match in 18 straight games posting a 15-0-3 record during the streak
- The Mean Green have won 20 straight matches where they scored two or more goals. The last match they didn't win when scoring two or more goals was on Sept. 10, 2017 in a 3-3 tie versus Indiana. North Texas has gone 25 straight matches without a loss in games where they scored two or more goals.
TICKETS
Season tickets for the Mean Green are on sale now either online or by calling (940) 565-2527.
Players Mentioned
Midfield
/ Women's Soccer
Defense
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Defense
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