UNTDude

As a good father I just emailed her instructions of how to log onto ESPN3

Head out to the game at the Mean Green Soccer Stadium before the pep rally! 7:00 p.m.

I just purchased two tickets together this morning (Sec 201 Row 3)... Thank goodness for two scoreboards! lol It's getting really close to a sell out! I have two daughters at UNT one that's an athlete and one that could give a crap about anything sports related. The not give a crap daughter is going to the game with a group of friends from her dorm and they expect to walk up and show their ID's at game time. I told her it's a bad idea and she should go get her ticket early...do ya think she listen to go ole' dad....NOT Edit... Hope to see some of you at the soccer game tonight before the pep rally

That's awesome...pack your car with two or three others ... For the most part the soccer team has had respectable turnout for road matches when games are within a reasonable driving distance. Waco is an easy drive from the metroplex so I'm hoping we have a nice turnout...... GMG

Last year they were in the south region. My recollection is that it may have changed last year.

Soccer Rankings try to keep conferences together in their regional rankings thus the Big 12 is in the central and Sunbelt in the south. The ladies should take care of business on Friday night (Sam Houston), but Baylor is now ranked #10 in the central region! A win in Waco on Sunday would be huge in boosting the Mean Green up the regional rankings! GMG

Gut check win for the Mean Green... UNT only had one day of rest after the win over SMU on Friday. This was Houston's only game this weekend. Houston's had a lot of incentive to win their first home game after road losses UNC, Duke and U of Texas. UNT played the first half with a stiff wind at their backs and had to hold a 1-0 first half lead against the wind... Ladies were pretty gassed heading to the bus after the match. Great weekend for Mean Green soccer! GMG

I'll also add the UNT student turnout for the soccer game was outstanding. Last year there were significantly more SMU fans attending the match, in contrast to last nights game where it was all GREEN! The university spirit was outstanding from the guys that painted themselves green,Scrappy engaging the fans, and the awesome chants supporting the team. I saw players from football, basketball, swimming and softball supporting the girls...that kind of home field support is a significant advantage. I spoke with a couple of freshman that were blown away at the support soccer received on a holiday weekend, they said they would definitely attended more games this year. Great win! GMG

Rumors have been out there the last couple of weeks about Big 12 conference realignment (blow up). There have been blogs and talks about Kansas and Kansas State bolting to the Big East as well as A&M moving to the S/E conference along with Mizzou. I believe the big 12 had meetings earlier this month with the intent of nipping the rumors in the bud, my guess is the realignment talk is more than rumors and their meetings didn't go so well. Lots of buzz on the web...Here is one link: http://www.pitch.com/plog/archives/2011/08/01/missouri-to-the-sec-kansas-to-the-big-east-the-conference-realignment-rumors-are-back

Every year they seem to modify the uniforms slightly so I'm not sure if they are going to have the same stripes. I do know they jerseys will incorporate stripes but I'm not sure how thick. My guess is they will be closer to the white uniforms in the poster (last years thin stripe uniforms). They will have three colors white w/ stripe; green w/ stripe and all black for matches they want to send a message I believe whatever uniforms they wear will be NIKE so there is a good chance you can pick up a similar jersey.

Here is a sneak peak of the talented senior class... The first game is right around the corner, an exhibition game verse Monterrey (Mexico) Friday, August 19 @ 7:00 p.m. at the Mean Green soccer complex.

I believe the UNT soccer program is positioned better than ever to continue to land the highest quality D1 recruits out of the metroplex. One additional factor that comes into play is woman's soccer is an equivalency type scholarship. Meaning, Woman's soccer is allowed 14 scholarships which at the D1 level can be full or partial rides. With rosters exceeding 20 players these days they are used and divided very carefully. The value of an athletic scholarship can very greatly between institutions with out of state and private schools valued much higher (Say $35,000 - $50,000 per year). In these economic times, many top athletes and their families are now weighing the value of a partial scholarship at more expensive schools verse the value of staying in state at a great school and program like UNT. Some of the best players in the country are invited walk-ons at schools like ND, NC or TAMU and contrary to what their parents may tell you, those that do get scholarships may only be getting a 20%-40% scholarship,(in some cases just books). Unless you are fortunate to get a full ride the cost of financing an education is very pertinent in most families decisions. As we see in the article and with recent recruiting classes, UNT Soccer is now filling their scholarships very early with highly rated athletes sooner than many other D1 programs. It's a tribute to a great school, soccer program, and winning! It appears a number of UNT's sports are becoming a primary destination for many top athletes and it's really cool to see the perceptual change before our eyes. GMG

These three have "verbally" committed to UNT from Guyer. Verbal commitments are non-binding. They will sign their binding LOI in February 2012.

Nice BV article in the DRC regarding three Denton Guyer commits for the Class of 2012. Link: http://www.dentonrc.....368091e2b.html . Coach Hedlund and women’s soccer program is really doing well in landing early recruits. The 2011 class was announced last February, 2012 is all wrapped up and the program even has one of the stronger players in the Metroplex signed for 2013. I agree with BV’s article in that recruits want to play soccer at UNT because: 1.) It’s a winning program. 2.) They play a tough D1 schedule… and beat larger conference teams. 3.) Very nice facilities (Although a permanent ticket office with snack bar and restrooms would be nice..hint, hint) Hopefully in the not too distant future this model will work for Coach Mac and the football program. Basketball, Soccer, Golf, T&F are all doing a great job of recruiting some of the highest D1 caliber athletes. All it takes is a few wins to open the flood gates………GMG Click here to view the article

Yep..the turf will be coming soon. Here is a good link that show the stages of laying a synthetic turf field. Link: http://www.aturf.com/index.php/general_info/understanding_synthetic_grass_systems/

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am in favor of implementing the UNT brand into athletics. Frankly, I wish the athletic department would meet half way and incorporate multiple logos/slogans like other universities. As a fan I would like to see more flexibility from the athletic department....what I mean by that is at the UNT bookstore all you can purchase is athletic gear that reads "North Texas" (North Texas Football, North Texas Volleyball, North Texas Soccer and some Mean Green associated gear). Having a number of slogans does not diminish the brand. As many have stated in the thread...we call our University by many names..UNT, North Texas, University of North Texas, North Texas Mean Green. I would just like the option to display my spirit with a varity of approved official gear. Other university athletic departments offer their fans a choice without compromising their brands. Example: Someone earlier mentioned BYU, take a look at BYU gear in their bookstore Link: http://www.byubookstore.com/ePOS/form=cat.html&cat=937&store=439 . You can purchase items representing the athletic department that read BYU, Brigham Young Cougars, Brigham Young "Sweet Sixteen" etc. My point is one does not diminish the other but ultimately provides their fans a choice. The same holds true at many universities i.e. Oklahoma State could have a basketball practice tee that state's "OSU Basketball" or South Florida "University of South Florida Athletics or USF Football". For me, I hope I can pick up a "Property of UNT Athletics" someday at the bookstore..and if others want North Texas Football or Mean Green Volleyball, I hope there are nice folded piles for you too.

For athletics I am all for the UNT brand. The North Texas connotation in sports represents the regions youth/club athletics. Google North Texas Volleyball and "The North Texas Region of USA Volleyball" is the first hit. Do the same for North Texas Soccer and you get half a dozen regional soccer clubs and organizations. The same holds true for swimming and golf and would be the same someday when we bring on baseball. In my view UNT brand clearly distinguishes the university, North Texas better represents a region of Texas.

Seeing the devastation in Alabama from the tornado's, I now have a clearer picture of why they canceled the golf tournament. This wasn't just a thunderstorm, but a significant regional disaster. Glad the team made it home safe. GMG

UNT wrapped up their spring season with a 0-0 draw verse the Sooners in Norman. The defense limited OU's chances for the most part to manageable shots from distance, and Haley Newsom played well in goal preserve the shut out. Offensively, UNT won the possession game against a very physical OU squad. UNT had their chances with Kelsey Perlman and Michele Young having multiple near misses on goal. What was most impressive was the big turn out of UNT supporters....lots of UNT students showed up to support the girls ...even friends from OU made mention of the great UNT support. All in all the girls played very well this spring against high quality opponents from the Big 12, SEC, and Conference USA (Record 3-2-2) All matches were played on the road away from the Mean Green Soccer Complex. With a strong freshman recruiting class (added depth), there is a lot to be optimistic about heading into next year.

Tulsa 2 UNT 0 - The match started almost immediately after the Arkansas game in which the starters played heavy minutes. Coach Hedlund seemed very pleased with the way the girls played, with the Tulsa game allowing him the opportunity to provide increased minutes to some key non-starters. Understandable that the girls would be a bit dead legged with such short turn-a-round...

Unfortunately I'm not at the match but my daughter called to let me know that our ladies beat the Razorbacks 2-0 in the first of two spring soccer matches at Tulsa University. Kelsey Perlman and Michele Young scored for UNT. We play University of Tulsa in the second match at 5:00 this evening. Way to go ladies!

Coach Hedlund does a better job than most soccer coaches of building relationships with schools in other conferences, but for the most part he won't settle for just away "in season" games and require the opposing school to home and away schedules. Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas Tech & SMU have been pretty good at reciprocating over the past few years. Most big time schools are very hesitant to play UNT on our home field. Even this year's spring matches (which don't account for much more than bragging rights), Arkansas, Tulsa, Oklahoma, OK State, LSU, Houston, TCU all were played away or at neutral sites. Per the UNT media guide, "UNT is one of just three schools in the nation to have two unbeaten streaks at home of 23 game or more in NCAA history". UNT does not loose at home very often and the vast majority of more prominent programs are not willing to risk a non-conference loss to UNT at home. So kudos to the above larger conference schools willing to build some regional rivalries. I think it will be a while before you see a Texas A&M or Texas schedule UNT! Metroplex recruiting is pretty fierce in women's soccer and you can see by the youth soccer turn out at Saturdays match that a win in the spring does carry some weight on the recruiting front. Way to go ladies! GMG

UNT beat TCU 1-0 in front of a really large crowd at Pizza Hut Park. Lots of youth teams walked over from their respective fields to watch the match. Both schools heavily recruit the metroplex, so it's a nice spring "bragging rights" victory. In the first half UNT had a 20 mph wind at their back and scored early (about 5 min into the game), when Kelsey Perlman knocked in a loose ball in front of the net. UNT controlled play in the wind aided first half. In the second half, play was much more balanced with TCU having more shots on goal (majority of them from 30 yards out) and a few more corner kicks. Our defense played really well and goal keeper Haley Newsom made a couple nice saves to preserve win. Overall the girls looked in great form and continue to play well in the spring.

Ladies take on TCU at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday....closest match to Denton this spring.