University of North Texas Athletics
Making Of A Dynasty: Defense Wins Championships
7/2/2020 9:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
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, characteristics, places and moments that have led this program to its elite status.
DENTON – Well before head coach John Hedlund began the North Texas women's soccer program in 1995, he was a two-time all-American defender at Midwestern State and two-time league champion with the Dallas Sidekicks. Â
With defense as his backbone, Hedlund has built his program around the phrase that "defense wins championships." And during its current run of six straight years as conference champs, the Mean Green have finished the year ranked in the top 33 in the nation in goals-against average at the end of every season, twice finishing in the top 10 including No. 2 in 2015.Â
They're just one of six soccer programs in the nation who over the last six years have finished in the top 40 in the nation every year in shutout percentage. They ended the 2015 season with 16 shutout victories, the second-most in the nation that year.
Hedlund believes if his team can score two goals it almost guarantees a win.Â
And he's right.
Over the 25 years as a program, North Texas has scored 2+ goals in 322 matches. They are 292-23-7 (.917) all-time in games where they score two or more goals. Since the start of the 2013 season when they joined Conference USA, they are 78-3-1 (.957) in matches when they score two or more goals. They haven't lost a match in which they scored two or more goals since Nov. 4, 2016. Since that loss they are 32-0-1 (.984).
From Briana Buchanan (class of 2004), to Amanda Johnson (class of 2008) and all-American Dominique James (class of 2019), some of the North Texas soccer team's greatest all-time student-athletes are defenders and goalkeepers.Â
In each of the last three C-USA Tournaments, the tournament's defensive MVP has come from the Mean Green and four of the last five C-USA Tournament defensive MVPs have been UNT defenders. They've had 14 defenders named to a conference tournament all-tournament team in just the last nine years alone.
Since they joined C-USA in 2013, they've had 13 defenders named all-conference. UNT has had more defenders named all-conference in C-USA than seven league opponents have had total all-conference selections over the same time span.
It's no wonder they've won more C-USA women's soccer titles than any other Conference USA school ever and they've done it in just the last six years.Â
Because defense wins championships.Â
Support North Texas student-athletes by visiting MeanGreenScholarshipFund.com.
Â
DENTON – Well before head coach John Hedlund began the North Texas women's soccer program in 1995, he was a two-time all-American defender at Midwestern State and two-time league champion with the Dallas Sidekicks. Â
With defense as his backbone, Hedlund has built his program around the phrase that "defense wins championships." And during its current run of six straight years as conference champs, the Mean Green have finished the year ranked in the top 33 in the nation in goals-against average at the end of every season, twice finishing in the top 10 including No. 2 in 2015.Â
They're just one of six soccer programs in the nation who over the last six years have finished in the top 40 in the nation every year in shutout percentage. They ended the 2015 season with 16 shutout victories, the second-most in the nation that year.
Hedlund believes if his team can score two goals it almost guarantees a win.Â
And he's right.
Over the 25 years as a program, North Texas has scored 2+ goals in 322 matches. They are 292-23-7 (.917) all-time in games where they score two or more goals. Since the start of the 2013 season when they joined Conference USA, they are 78-3-1 (.957) in matches when they score two or more goals. They haven't lost a match in which they scored two or more goals since Nov. 4, 2016. Since that loss they are 32-0-1 (.984).
From Briana Buchanan (class of 2004), to Amanda Johnson (class of 2008) and all-American Dominique James (class of 2019), some of the North Texas soccer team's greatest all-time student-athletes are defenders and goalkeepers.Â
In each of the last three C-USA Tournaments, the tournament's defensive MVP has come from the Mean Green and four of the last five C-USA Tournament defensive MVPs have been UNT defenders. They've had 14 defenders named to a conference tournament all-tournament team in just the last nine years alone.
Since they joined C-USA in 2013, they've had 13 defenders named all-conference. UNT has had more defenders named all-conference in C-USA than seven league opponents have had total all-conference selections over the same time span.
It's no wonder they've won more C-USA women's soccer titles than any other Conference USA school ever and they've done it in just the last six years.Â
Because defense wins championships.Â
Support North Texas student-athletes by visiting MeanGreenScholarshipFund.com.
Â
Players Mentioned
Defense
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