Mean Green Sweet 16: The Dynasty Continues

4/1/2020 9:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

MEAN GREEN SWEET 16

SOCCER WINS EIGHTH OVERALL CONFERENCE USA CHAMPIONSHIP

SIXTH STRAIGHT YEAR WITH A TITLE

IN THE PROGRAM'S 25TH SEASON, TOURNAMENT HOST NORTH TEXAS BEAT No. 28 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 5-2 IN THE FINALS OF THE 2019 C-USA TOURNAMENT TO WIN ITS 16TH OVERALL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP AND EIGHTH SINCE JOINING THE LEAGUE IN 2013.

The eighth Conference USA title is a C-USA women's soccer record and is two more than any active league opponent.
The Mean Green have now won either a C-USA Regular Season and/or C-USA Tournament championship in six straight years.
UNT has won three straight C-USA Tournament titles.
With the 2019 C-USA Tournament championship they earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. It was their third straight NCAA Tournament berth and seventh overall.
North Texas finished with a 15-6-3 overall record and still has never had a losing season ever.
Though the conference tournament games were played at home they counted as neutral site matches. UNT was a perfect 9-0-0 at home in 2019 and has won 16 straight home matches. The program record is 17 straight home wins (2015-17).
UNT is on a 27-match home unbeaten streak, which is a program record. The previous program record was 25.

“I can honestly tell you after 25 years of coaching there is absolutely nothing better than winning the conference tournament on your home field. Having your players, coaches and administration host the championship trophy in front of our great fans and knowing you have the NCAA Tournament bid wrapped up, well there is simply nothing better. I wish every team could experience this moment, it’s something I will always remember.”

UNT Head Coach John Hedlund

UNT's 2019 C-USA ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM SELECTIONS

Natalie Newell
Brooke Lampe
Dominique James (Defensive MVP)
Allie Byrd (Offensive MVP)

DENTON — The North Texas soccer beat Florida Atlantic 5-2 in the finals of the Conference USA Tournament on Sunday in front of its home crowd to claim its third straight league tournament title and eighth overall title since joining C-USA in 2013.

With the win, the Mean Green earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Sunday's win, which is the program's 16th overall conference title in its 25-year history was won behind goals from senior Natalie Newell, sophomore Olivia Klein, junior Logan Bruffett and two goals from freshman Allie Byrd.

Newell and Brooke Lampe were named to the all-tournament team while senior Dominique James was named the tournament's Defensive MVP and Byrd was named the tournament's Offensive MVP.

UNT will find out who they're playing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday with the NCAA Selection Show, which begins at 3:30 CT.

"So proud of my team throughout the entire tournament, they showed so much fight, will and determination to get the three wins we needed to become the 2019 tournament champions," said head coach John Hedlund. "We all circled this championship date a long time ago when we found out we were going to host the conference tournament and my seniors and captains were determined that we were going to host the championship trophy at home in front of all of our wonderful fans. Today became reality and we all achieved our main goal and now we're headed to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in school history, how exciting!"

North Texas, which hasn't lost at home game against a conference opponent since 2008, jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Sunday in the 13th minute. Newell, from just atop the 18-yard box fired her second goal of the year as she beat the FAU keeper. The lead, however, wouldn't last long as the top seeded Owls scored six minutes later to tie the match.

With momentum building they'd sneak another goal past the UNT defense to take a 2-1 lead in the 32nd minute and put the Mean Green in an unfamiliar situation.

It was the first time this season North Texas had allowed two or more goals against a conference opponent and only twice this year had the Mean Green scored more than two goals in a conference game.

But with one play right before the half, the game changed.

On a counter deep pass to the UNT attacking third of the field, the Mean Green's Berklee Peters saved a pass from going to the FAU defender and punted to the other side of the field where Klein was wide open and sprinting towards the net. Klein controlled the pass and blasted it into the net to tie the match with less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

With the match tied at two and the home crowd behind them, UNT took full advantage early in the second half.

Coming off of a corner kick from Michelle Gonzalez, junior Logan Bruffett snuck behind the Owls' defense and headed in the deep pass into the corner of the net. With the lead a sigh of relief seemed to come over all the fans at the North Texas Soccer and Track & Field Stadium. But that relief would turn into excitement as Byrd brought the fans to their feet with her eighth goal of the season.

After FAU's defense cleared a cross into the box, senior Madeline Guderian corralled the ball roughly 40 yards out and crossed the ball into the 6-yard box where Byrd was waiting. The 6-foot-0 freshman leaped over the smaller Owls defenders and headed the ball into the net to give her team a two-goal lead in the 58th minute.

Byrd then put the icing on the cake when James, the last line of defense, cleared a through ball from FAU, and punted it into the Mean Green's attacking third of the field. There to receive the kick was Byrd, streaking down the field. Byrd toe-tapped the pass from James past the keeper and UNT had a dominate lead in the 72nd minute.

DID YOU KNOW?!?!?

North Texas is the first Conference USA Women's Soccer program to win either the league regular season title and/or tournament championship in six straight seasons.

SINCE THE START OF THE 2013 SEASON, NORTH TEXAS IS 34-0-2 ALL-TIME IN DENTON VERSUS C-USA OPPONENTS

C-USA ALL-TIME WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS

NORTH TEXAS (8)*

CINCINNATI (7)

MEMPHIS (7)

CHARLOTTE (6)*

MARQUETTE (5)

RICE (4)*

COLORADO COLLEGE (3)

SAINT LOUIS (3)

EAST CAROLINA (2)

FLORIDA ATLANTIC (2)*

SMU (2)

DEPAUL (1)

SOUTH FLORIDA (1)

UCF (1)

*Active C-USA School

North Texas Conference Championships

2019 C-USA Tournament
2018 C-USA Tournament
2018 C-USA Regular Season
2017 C-USA Tournament
2016 C-USA Regular Season
2015 C-USA Tournament
2015 C-USA Regular Season
2014 C-USA Regular Season
2012 Sun Belt Tournament
2012 Sun Belt Regular Season
2011 Sun Belt Regular Season
2005 Sun Belt Tournament
2005 Sun Belt Regular Season
2004 Sun Belt Tournament
2004 Sun Belt Regular Season
2001 Sun Belt Regular Season

COACH HEDLUND QUICK FACT

John Hedlund is North Texas Athletics all-time winningest coach (total wins and winning percentage).

MORE UNT C-USA TOURNAMENT NOTES

North Texas' 30 points (10 goals and 10 assists) in the 2019 C-USA Tournament is a C-USA Tournament record
UNT's 10 goals in the 2019 conference tournament tied a C-USA Tournament record
The Mean Green's 10 assists in the 2019 tournament tied a C-USA Tournament record
Berklee Peters' seven points in the tournament is tied for the third-most in C-USA Tournament history
In just seven seasons, North Texas has now had 26 C-USA all-tournament team selections. The next most during the last seven years is Charlotte with 11.
The Mean Green have had both the conference tournament offensive MVP and defensive MVP in three straight years