University of North Texas Athletics
Making Of A Dynasty: Home Field Advantage
6/23/2020 9:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
DENTON – The North Texas soccer program, the most successful team in UNT history and led by the school's most accomplished coach, enters the 2020 season this fall with a target on its back, as usual.
It comes with the territory of having won a league title in eight straight years and 16 since 2001.
But what's led to this dynasty is much deeper than just the goals and wins.
Over the coming weeks as the team prepares for its 26th season, we'll highlight a few of the outstanding people, places and moments that have led this program to its elite status.
"So many players, coaches, staff members and of course our fans have made our program what it is today," said head coach John Hedlund after the Mean Green won the 2019 C-USA Tournament championship. "To win this at home is huge! We know what playing at home means to us. So when we found out we were going to be hosting the tournament, we were all determined to hoist the championship trophy in front of all of our wonderful fans. Today it became reality and we all achieved our main goal."
When Hedlund meets with his team before the start of every season, protecting their home field is always one of the main points of emphasis. He stresses having the grit to not let a visiting opponent ever feel comfortable in "your house". And that you're not just protecting home field for your team but for the community that North Texas represents and the fans that come see you play. Furthermore, you have pride in the home field edge that the women who came before cultivated.
There are many facts and numbers that make the program exceptional but one of the most impressive is its active home conference unbeaten streak of 53 straight — a NCAA DI Women's Soccer record. North Texas has not lost a home conference match since Oct. 31, 2008 and during its 11-year-run has only tied a conference opponent at home three times.
The last time North Texas lost a home conference match, incoming freshman Amelie Faa — the youngest player on the 2020 roster — was four years old.
North Texas' home field dominance extends beyond just conference opponents. The Mean Green are 191-28-15 all-time at home. They've beaten Vanderbilt, Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh and SMU at home in just the last 12 years alone.
Defense has always been the hallmark for Mean Green soccer but even more so at home. When UNT scores two or more goals at home they're nearly unbeatable. Over the program's 25 years, they've played 234 home matches and scored two or more goals in 166 of them.
In those 166 home matches where they scored two or more goals they're 155-6-5 and are unbeaten in 62 straight. They scored two or more goals in six of their nine home matches last year.
Last season the Mean Green moved into their new long-awaited home, the UNT Soccer and Track & Field Stadium and Facility.
Though they changed homes, the tradition of winning remained the same as North Texas went a perfect 9-0-0 in its new facility and 12-0-0 when including the conference tournament. During the regular season, the Mean Green outscored its opponents at home 19-1 and currently have not allowed a goal in 550 consecutive minutes of action.
Over the last two seasons combined, UNT has outscored its opponents at home 45-4.
The 2020 home schedule, which will be released soon, will feature possibly the program's toughest collection of opponents and they'll enter the season with another streak on the line and thus another target on their backs.
North Texas is on a 16-match home winning streak. The program record, which was set between 2015-17, is 17 straight wins.
Since the program's record-setting home winning streak was snapped in 2017, UNT has yet to lose at home and has tied just three times. Its active 30-match home unbeaten streak is not just a program record but is the longest active home unbeaten streak in the nation and is tied for the 11th longest home unbeaten streak in NCAA women's soccer history.
Twenty-five consecutive winning seasons and 16 conference titles couldn't be possible without a home-field dominance.
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