UNTDude

I think you hit the nail on the head. There was underlying tension between Lewin and Grieve all year.... I actually liked both of them in their roles as Rangers announcers, but at the end of the day if there was friction between the two of them "Mr. Ranger" Grieve wasn't going anywhere!

We need to win both games this weekend, then FIU needs to trip up Denver (they are capable of doing that)...that will set the stage for a big time game at Denver! Already have my ticket purchased to that one :-)

Two nice road wins this weekend....the girls are back in the conference race!

2 Goals by Lackey and 1 from Crocco....game switched from 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. due to lack of lighting on pitch.

touché ...without UNT stickers!

I wanted to get the message out early in the week that if you can free up your schedule to watch one soccer match this year ..... this is the one! Our ladies take on our metroplex rivals in a match that benifits the LIVESTRONG fight against cancer. This match should easily draw the largest crowd of the year and it will be one of those unique opprotunities to door ding a few Beemers and Mercedes! ...and watch some really intense soccer!

Appeared the ladies were a bit dead legged after their 2OT loss at Sam Houston. They did play 120 min slogging in mud on Friday. 240 minutes is a lot of soccer for one weekend. Was a very nice character builder for the ladies.

Yes this was a good result. New Mexico beat nationally ranked #23 Marquette last week 1-0 on the road.

I should have mentioned the prediction above is my first half prediction....7-0 second play from scrimage

Clemson 39 UNT 6

Agreed

I actually feel bad for Todd Dodge. As in any business I understand that you are judged on performance and there is no more scrutiny than a Div 1 Football coach. I've only followed/supported UNT's football program the last few years since my daughter became a student, but as a U. of Kansas grad I do understand the frustration of year after year of football futility and the joy when the program turns the corner to bowl success.....less I regress. I'm quite sure coach Dodge knew what he was jumping into with the UNT program, but frankly I'm amazed he could get any recruit much less top recruit to sign at UNT with the condition of Fouts field. When my daughter was being recruited for soccer the first place every D1 coach took us on the tour was the football stadium followed by the basketball arena. It clearly showed the university’s commitment to their athletics programs. From an athletics standpoint, one of the primary reasons she ultimately signed on at UNT was their visible commitment to women's athletics (Mean Green Village). Top rate facilities draw better athletes which puts a coach in position where there are no excuses. I'm a realist and recognize that there are many programs around the country with killer stadiums and facilities that have mediocre football programs (hope there aren't any Michigan fans on this board ! ) So I'm not completely letting Coach Dodge off the hook, but I just don't think he has ever been provided a full deck for success. Since UNT finally started pouring cement on the new stadium he's final on an even playing field..... I’m hoping he gets a chance to step on the turf.

Agreed! But it won't happen in our lifetime, appears there is too much momentum for baseball

I'm in agreement that UNT Soccer is not being shown the love, but from my perspective it's a deserved ranking. First and foremost the Sunbelt is a much stronger soccer conference than in the not so distant past. Most of the top Sunbelt teams are competitive if not better than their regional mid level BCS schools. We've seen this with our own Mean Green with victories over schools like Oklahoma, Baylor and TX Tech. Our top conference opponents are also now having success against like BCS schools. In the good old days it was Denver and UNT perennially battling for the conference championship.... it's not the case anymore. Does the Mean Green have a chance to win conference? The answer is unaquivacally Yes, but based on last season play they are fairly ranked. There are still big question marks going into this season. First, we have to see improvement with the offense. UNT's offense last year was at times anemic. In my view lack of goal scoring wasn't caused by a lack of talent, but a huge drop in overall team chemistry both on and off the field. From the chemistry perspective, it seems to have improved light years based on feedback from players and coaches alike., The alumni game at times provided us a taste of what good ball movement and chemistry this team has the potential showing. But did UNT add any prolific strikers from club play or transfers?..not really. Second, in an effort to boost offensive production you'll see a new offensive scheme this year. This year’s team will start the season playing a 3-5-2 (3 defenders, 5 midfielders, 2 forwards). The team is loaded with talented midfielders and this formation can be very potent on the offensive end - it's an attacking style offense very dependent on midfielders running the entire field. I believe we will see a spike in offensive production, but expect some ugly goals early as the girls learn the new system (i.e the alumni game). Third, Opposing coaches realized last year that UNT was not as physical as in past years. UNT added considerable size with this year’s class which hopefully will address that concern, (Four field players at least 5'10"). As for the lack of pre-season players named to the All SBC Poll... UNT have individual players more talented in "all" positions than girls named in the poll. We are really fortunate to live in one of the top three national hot beds for women's club soccer. Individually, we have players on this team that started on the highest level club teams in the country and stack up with some of the best players in the country...I really believe that. We may not have the depth, but we do have some girls that have proven they would be big time contributing assets at much more prominent soccer universities. I'm confident this year's more cohesive squad will allow more players to shine and be ultimately recognized. This year’s team does have the talent to win conference, but there are three other teams around the same level as us. Denver has proven year in and out that its program is a notch above the rest of the conference. But the great thing about preseason picks and polls is that they don’t mean squat! I can’t wait for the season to start tonight...! Hope to see everyone at the game!

How can you not love soccer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! USA, USA, USA

The 2010/2011 Mean Green Soccer schedule is now posted. Non conference games verse Texas Southern, Missouri State, Prairie View, Jacksonville, New Mexico, Sam Houston, Texas Tech, Lamar & SMU. This year’s schedule is balanced with 10 home and 10 away games. In my view, not quite as challenging non-conference as the past few years but there should be some entertaining matches. We should have some big crowds with home games verse SMU , and someone’s pony tail may get pulled by Elizabeth Lambert of New Mexico (Player made famous on ESPN for her rough play and suspension vs. BYU in the MWC Championships). The season will conclude with arch rival Denver at home. Link: http://www.meangreensports.com/SportSelect.dbml?spid=566&spsid=9154&db_oem_id=1800 Aug 14 Alumni Game (exh) Denton, TX 6:00 P.M. Fri, Aug 20 Texas Southern Denton, TX 7:00 P.M. Sun, Aug 22 Missouri State Denton, TX 1:00 P.M. Fri, Aug 27 Prairie View at Las Cruces, NM 5:00 P.M. Sun, Aug 29 Jacksonville at Las Cruces, NM 11:00 A.M. Fri, Sep 03 Sam Houston at Huntsville, TX 7:00 P.M. Sun, Sep 05 New Mexico Denton, TX 7:00 P.M. Fri, Sep 10 Texas Tech at Lubbock, TX 7:00 P.M. Sun, Sep 12 Lamar at Lubbock, TX 11:00 A.M. Fri, Sep 17 SMU Denton, TX 7:00 P.M. Fri, Sep 24 WKU * at Bowling Green, KY 7:00 P.M. Sun, Sep 26 Middle Tennessee * at Murfreesboro, TN 1:00 P.M. Fri, Oct 01 ULM * Denton, TX 7:00 P.M. Sun, Oct 03 Louisiana-Lafayette * Denton, TX 1:00 P.M. Fri, Oct 08 Troy * at Troy, AL 7:00 P.M. Sun, Oct 10 South Alabama * at Mobile, AL 1:00 P.M. Fri, Oct 15 FIU * Denton, TX 7:00 P.M. Sun, Oct 17 Florida Atlantic * Denton, TX 1:00 P.M. Fri, Oct 22 Arkansas-Little Rock * at Little Rock, AR 7:00 P.M. Sun, Oct 24 Arkansas State * Denton, TX 1:00 P.M. Fri, Oct 29 Denver * Denton, TX 7:00 P.M.

This particular accusation is going to be interesting to watch as it evolves. I want to preface my comment by saying I've heard horror stories coming out of SMU women's soccer regarding this very issues since Brent Irwin has been their head coach. As many of us that have had or have kids participating in D1 college athletics, and have been through the recruiting process know that everything is in good faith until you sign your letter of intent Feb. of senior year. I'm not an attorney, but my understanding is nothing is binding by either side until the LIT is signed. I'm sure coaches complain about kids changing their minds and bolting at the last minute all the time. What makes it even more difficult is that with equivalency type scholarships it's a nightmare for coaches each year to divvy up the pie and keep existing players happy while trying to bring in new talent. What makes this particular situation interesting is that this soccer player left high school a semester early, without ever signing a letter of intent (because it was too early by NCAA rules). The assumption is that this was all done with the SMU soccer coach’s approval. Because verbal commitments are based so much on good faith, parents and prospective athletes have to be very careful and thorough in their due diligence while selecting a program. With the rumors I had heard coming out of the DFW soccer community about SMU's program there is no way in the world I would have had my kid play there – better safe than sorry! DMN link: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/052210dnsposmulede.137ff365.html

It's tough enough to carry a high GPA without spending countless hours at practice,in the gym or traveling representing UNT. Congratulations to all 43 student athletes that were honored at this years Scholars Banquet. Link from MGS: http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=204948728&DB_OEM_ID=1800

I think in general terms offensive chemistry does take more time to develop. This team is made up primarily of freshman and sophomores (16 players) and offensively we had the most changes (With the exception of Perlman the fowards are all new and the same can be said for the attacking midfield with Juett being the exception.). Depending on the formation, our defense and defensive midfielder(s) are primarily the same group from last year, so the chemistry has come a bit quicker (I do have to note to date, Hall in the net has played the best soccer of anyone on the team). I do believe the offense will come around but I believe you are dead on in that playing such a tough non-conference schedule doesn't help the offensive statistics. What gives me encouragement is that we are out-shooting our opponents, so I can't help but think the goals will come.

I hope OSU is ranked high when the Mean Green leave Columbus with a Big 'W". USC won't be nationally ranked for long. 1-4 early in the season - really struggling.

The TX Tech game was very physical and it appears we suffered the worst of it. Loosing our starting center back (Kara Brooks) is a huge loss and I hope she can make it back to the pitch soon (maybe with one of those cool masks!). I doubt we will get any national votes yet, as the SMU loss hurt and TX Tech slipped up against Utah State prior to beating TCU. Now if we go on a run and beat Baylor and Ohio State and take care of business against Xavier and Prairie View...maybe. A lot depends on Baylor and Ohio State continuing to win but history tells us that Baylor gets punished in the Big 12 and Ohio State was 6th in the big 10 last year. Note: Tech came in 8th in the Big 12 in 2008, so on paper they are about the same caliber as Ohio State. As both were low seeds in their respective conference tournaments. Great way to come back today after a really disappointing loss to a SMU .... it showed big time character for this young team. Great goal in OT by Juett and the team played great! Way to go Ladies!

The glow around Denton can be seen in Dallas! ....I loved watching Riley Dodge give the claw after the victory!

Big weekend for girls soccer - Friday against crosstown rival SMU and Sunday at home verse TX Tech. I'm optimistic that this is our year vs. SMU, the pony-tails have a 10-3-3 record against UNT and we haven't won since 2005. This is SMU's home opener and they are 18-5 all time .....that being said, we have a better team than SMU and if our girls play to their potential we should be celebrating against the team we love to hate! SMU lost it's first two road games at Oral Roberts and at OSU where they suffered a 4-0 beat down. Hopefully, we have a large UNT crowd in Dallas as this one should be an exciting, chippy match. SMU does have a beautiful soccer facility.....so come out and support the girls!!!!! Sunday, UNT hosts Texas Tech who appear to have a stronger squad than SMU. Tech beat UTEP (4-3) on the road last weekend but showed they are vulnerable loosing to Utah State (3-2). UNT tied Tech last year 0-0 last year in Lubbock. Tech has to play a tough TCU match on Friday, so they should be prime for the taking in Denton. Tech has 16 players on their roster from the Metroplex so we should have a nice crowd at the Mean Green soccer complex on Sunday. It should be a beautiful day on Sunday....let's have a big turn-out. Go Mean Green !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Agreed!!! The new web site rocks and the new features show off the program really well!

Nice weekend overall. I'll take the two wins. It's not that unusual that the offense is taking a while to gel, but if they keep ripping 22 shots like they did vs. New Mexico State the goals are going to come. The Mean Green depth paid off over the weekend as quite a few starters were nursing nagging injuries. Hopefully everyone will be back at 100% next weekend as the ladies play two in-state high profile programs @ SMU and home verse TX Tech.