Mean Left Foot Green

DENTON – Everyone knows left-handed individuals are far more rare than right-handed, but in a recent study at the University of Vienna, they discovered that left-footedness is even more rare.

You'd never know it if you attended a North Texas soccer practice.

Though the study concluded that only 8.2 percent of the world's population were dominant with their left foot — 10.6 percent are left-handed — the Mean Green soccer team boasts a whopping nine on its current 29-woman roster who are left foot dominant.

Kelsey Brann, Miriam Espinosa, Michelle Gonzalez, Desiree Ramirez, Haley Roberson, Quincy Sheppard, Taylor Tufts, Hadley Williams and Ashlyn Zingelmann are all North Texas lefties on the soccer field.

That's 33 percent of its roster.

But does having a heavy left-footed squad help the Mean Green in their pursuit of a seventh straight year winning a conference championship?

According to the studies performed by the University of Vienna, which tested the sporting performance and motor abilities in the general population…

Well, they don't know.

The results didn't directly say if it'd help the Mean Green.

One of the team's captains believes it will.

"Having this many left-footed players only adds to our depth," said senior right-footed captain Berklee Peters. "We've never had this many left-footers before and it allows us to play more people in certain roles where being left-footed is advantageous."

The program's founder and head coach John Hedlund, who is beginning his 26^th season with the Mean Green women's soccer team in 2020, couldn't recall if this is the most he's ever had but guessed it probably is.

Similar to Peters, Zingelmann, a freshman who is left-footed, said it gives Hedlund more options and diversity in skill.

Last season, the Mean Green featured four left-footed players — Brann, Gonzalez, Ramirez and Sheppard — which is still considered a lot. But of the nine on this year's team, five are newcomers.

Nearly half of UNT's incoming freshman class are left-footed.

Though the team is comprised of an uncommon amount of left-footed individuals, of the nine, Brann, Roberson and Ramirez are the only ones who also write left-handed.

So why so many left-footers?

While having 33 percent of its roster being left-footed is a big anomaly in its own right, the fact that most of their left-footers are right-handers is an even bigger anomaly, according to results from the University of Vienna. The study found that most left-footed individuals are also left-handers, most likely because of "brain interhemispheric communication," which is something none of the interviewed student-athletes had heard of.

In the world, only three percent of right-handers are left-footers. On the UNT soccer team it's 23 percent.

In most sports being left-handed has a strategic advantage so at a young age athletes are influenced to strengthen that skill to the point where it's their dominant hand. Essentially changing evolution.

But at UNT the majority of the left-footed soccer players said that they learned at a young age that the left side was their natural strong side.

When asked how she found out she was left-footed, Sheppard simply said "I just kicked the ball a few times and realized I was a lot better with my left."

Obviously.

Espinosa said her dad taught her how to play and when she was six they realized she was left-foot dominant. "My dad had to teach me how to use my right foot," she said.

Zingelmann said it was shocking to her to find out she was left-footed.

"My coach told me to go kick the ball and I went up and hit it with my left naturally," Zingelmann said. "We were all surprised because I had previously been a gymnast and did everything with my right."

A couple of the Mean Green admitted that naturally they are right footed but as soon as they were old enough to walk they trained themselves to improve their left foot until it actually became their dominate foot.

Tufts said her dad taught her at a young age to use her left foot more so it'd be stronger and then her right foot would more naturally come along. Now she, like many others, is very confident with both feet.

"There's a huge advantage on the field because defenders expect people to be right-footed," Tufts said. "It can be harder to defend left-footed players because they aren't entirely used to it."

Gonzalez also admitted that she's a natural right-footed player but at a young age realized that improving her left foot so she could use both well would make her more skilled. Over time, her left became stronger than her right.

All of the world's greatest soccer players are extremely skilled with both of their feet.

But it's probably no coincidence that someone like Messi's greatest strength is his left foot.

"It's an advantage when attacking," said Williams. "Harder for some defenders to read because they're used to right-footed. Lefties are also more difficult to read for goalkeepers, especially in penalty kicks."

In 2017 UNT won the Conference USA Tournament on penalty kicks.

"Being left-footed meant I was going to play on the left side of the field most of the time, which is ok because I love playing on the outside," said Roberson. "In soccer it's an advantage being able to cross the ball from the left, which isn't most righties strengths.

So what's the disadvantage?

It's a righties world and lefties are just living in it.

Like with desks in class, spiral notebooks, scissors or can openers, many things in soccer are designed and thought of by righties.

"As a kid all the drills in practices were designed for right-footers," Roberson said. "Because we were so young, working on our left foot was impossible. Every drill was for improving our right since that's what everyone else was. However, that ended up being an advantage for me because now my feet are more equal than most."

What else do they do left-footed?

There are many skills outside of soccer that involve foot dominance that most people probably don't even realize.

Williams and Roberson snowboard and skateboard left-footed (a stance also known as "goofy").

Espinosa wakeboards left-footed and when she ran track her left foot was her lead foot.

While the University of Vienna was unable to determine if having nine left-footed dominate players on its roster would help North Texas win their 17 overall conference title in 26 years and its seventh straight year winning a trophy, the team feels confident it will.

If nothing else, it's an extremely unique characteristic of this team and one that certainly "the lefties" are proud of.

"Left-footed people can't fit into a typical mold," Zingelmann said. "They're definitely powerful players."

Gonzalez added that "being right-footed is basic."

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Players Mentioned

Kelsey Brann

Michelle Gonzalez

Berklee Peters

Desiree Ramirez

Haley Roberson

Quincy Sheppard

Taylor Tufts

Hadley Williams

Ashlyn Zingelmann

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