UNT Insider, article on soccer team

[NT80]

UNT INSIDER

By Jeff Wilson, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DENTON - Locked-out hockey players might have flashed their toothless smiles when hearing the news of Alyssa Carrier's shining moment.

The North Texas midfielder kept her smile intact during the Mean Green's landmark 1-0 victory Saturday in Miami, but the soccer player did borrow a page from the NHL Players Handbook.

The senior suffered a gash over her left eye in the first half against Florida International, but, in hockey parlance, barely missed a shift. She ran to the sidelines, took a few butterfly stitches and returned moments later. She capped the game with the winning goal -- off a header, no less -- with eight seconds remaining.

The six stitches she needed could wait until after the Mean Green realized and celebrated its No. 1 moment: its first Sun Belt Conference tournament title and the program's first berth in the NCAA Tournament.

"I don't know how many kids could have done that," said coach John Hedlund, whose team plays a first-round game against Texas at 7 tonight in Austin. "Those are the kids I like to recruit. Those are the kids I want on the field. Those are the kids who are going to win games for you."

Carrier was selected as the tournament MVP with two goals in three victories, giving her a measure of vindication after being left off the all-conference teams.

"I was very proud of her because after the banquet, she didn't win an award," Hedlund said. "I told her, 'You deserve an award. You need to show these coaches what they missed during the regular season.' "

The coach was left stunned after the title-clinching goal, which Carrier said almost didn't find the net.

"I actually debated not making the run-in," said Carrier, who scored off a direct kick by Andrea Marak. "There were 30 seconds left in the game. We were thinking there's no way we're going to score, and I was dead tired. Then, I was like, 'Oh, what the heck. I'll make a run-in.' "

Good decision, but one she and UNT's seven other seniors have been making since they arrived in Denton. Each year, though, the Mean Green fell one gut-wrenching win short as the runner-up the previous four conference tournaments.

"It's been really frustrating, and it would have been even more heartbreaking this year," said Carrier, an Arlington High School graduate. "I felt like, you look at all the teams, and we were the most talented. Last year when we lost the conference tournament final, I thought we should have won that game, too."

The Mean Green was felled in 2003 by its nemesis, Denver, but got the best of the Pioneers last week in the semifinals. The 3-0 victory was UNT's best game of the season, gave the Mean Green (16-5-1) a single-season record for wins, and gives the team confidence against the nationally ranked Longhorns (13-6-2).

"We didn't just beat them; we killed Denver," Carrier said. "I think Texas will take us lightly; they're not expecting anything from us. If we play like we did, we'll definitely come out the winner."

IN THE KNOW

Calendar

TODAY

Men's basketball vs. SE Oklahoma St., 7 p.m. (exhibition)

Soccer

NCAA Tournament: at Texas, 7 p.m.

Volleyball at Louisiana-Lafayette, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY

Cross country

NCAA South Central Regional, Waco

Football vs. Idaho, 6 p.m.

Tennis at Houston Cougar Classic

SUNDAY

Volleyball vs. Western Kentucky, 1 p.m.

THURSDAY

Football at Arkansas State, 6 p.m.

Volleyball

Sun Belt tournament, New Orleans, TBA

ONLINE:www.meangreensports.com Jeff Wilson, (817) 685-3873 jwilson@star-telegram.com