University of North Texas Athletics
Thursday, August 11
Riverside, CA
TBD
University of North Texas
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UC Riverside (Exhibition)
Soccer Wins First Exhibition Match, 3-0
8/12/2022 7:23:00 AM | Women's Soccer
RIVERSIDE, California — The North Texas women's soccer team won its first of two preseason matches this week with a 3-0 victory at UC Riverside Thursday.
Due to a last second schedule change, the Mean Green played the match the same day they traveled to Riverside, California, and the match didn't start until 10 p.m. CT.
"I'm really happy with the result tonight," said head coach John Hedlund who begins his 28th season at the helm of UNT. "We beat a very skilled and athletic team on the road, which is never easy especially when you're traveling on the same day. I thought our team's depth was the difference in the game."
UNT got its scoring started in the 39th minute when junior Taylor Tufts scored off an assist from newcomer Grace Dennis. Tufts scored five goals last season and led the team in points with 20.
Dennis joined North Texas in the spring after two seasons at Oklahoma State. She was named to the Big 12 all-freshman team in 2020-21 but missed the entirety of her sophomore year due to an injury. Due to the injury and the COVID pandemic, Dennis still has four years of eligibility remaining.
Dennis got in on the scoring just two minutes after Tufts' go-ahead goal. The Allen native gave the Mean Green a 2-0 advantage in the 41st minute off of a Devyn Flannery assist.
North Texas took its 2-0 lead into the half but pushed the score to its final 3-0 in the 70th minute when senior Jenna Sheely blasted home a goal off of a Madi Starrett assist. Sheely joined UNT last season from Oklahoma and saw her role expand late in the year as she became more familiar with the team. Sheely started the final seven matches last season and scored two goals over that stretch.
UNT, which has won more Conference USA women's soccer championships than any program in the league's history, is aiming to claim its ninth league title since 2014 this season before making the move to the American Athletic Conference in 2023. They'll play their final preseason exhibition match Saturday with a road contest at DII Point Loma in San Diego.
The Mean Green's season opener is on Aug. 18 when they host Abilene Christian at 7 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Due to a last second schedule change, the Mean Green played the match the same day they traveled to Riverside, California, and the match didn't start until 10 p.m. CT.
"I'm really happy with the result tonight," said head coach John Hedlund who begins his 28th season at the helm of UNT. "We beat a very skilled and athletic team on the road, which is never easy especially when you're traveling on the same day. I thought our team's depth was the difference in the game."
UNT got its scoring started in the 39th minute when junior Taylor Tufts scored off an assist from newcomer Grace Dennis. Tufts scored five goals last season and led the team in points with 20.
Dennis joined North Texas in the spring after two seasons at Oklahoma State. She was named to the Big 12 all-freshman team in 2020-21 but missed the entirety of her sophomore year due to an injury. Due to the injury and the COVID pandemic, Dennis still has four years of eligibility remaining.
Dennis got in on the scoring just two minutes after Tufts' go-ahead goal. The Allen native gave the Mean Green a 2-0 advantage in the 41st minute off of a Devyn Flannery assist.
North Texas took its 2-0 lead into the half but pushed the score to its final 3-0 in the 70th minute when senior Jenna Sheely blasted home a goal off of a Madi Starrett assist. Sheely joined UNT last season from Oklahoma and saw her role expand late in the year as she became more familiar with the team. Sheely started the final seven matches last season and scored two goals over that stretch.
UNT, which has won more Conference USA women's soccer championships than any program in the league's history, is aiming to claim its ninth league title since 2014 this season before making the move to the American Athletic Conference in 2023. They'll play their final preseason exhibition match Saturday with a road contest at DII Point Loma in San Diego.
The Mean Green's season opener is on Aug. 18 when they host Abilene Christian at 7 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
Midfield
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Defense
/ Women's Soccer
Midfield
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