DRC NT Notebook..Soccer, Volleyball,

OldTimer · October 16, 2002

UNT Notebook

Pina proves she?s back by putting up hat trick

10/16/2002

By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer

Melinda Pina put any doubt about her knee to rest with her performance for the North Texas women?s soccer team last week.

Pina, a sophomore forward who recently missed five games after injuring her medial collateral ligament, recorded her first career hat trick in the Mean Green?s 6-0 win Sunday over Middle Tennessee, snapping a three-game losing streak.

It was the fourth career multi-goal game for Pina, who also had an assist in last week?s loss to Western Kentucky.

"She?s moving around much better," coach John Hedlund said. "You?re starting to see her before her injury, which is great for our offense."

For her efforts, Pina is the Sun Belt and Denton Record-Chronicle Player of the Week.

Marin putting up monster numbers

Forward Marilyn Marin, who also had a hat trick against Western Kentucky, took the Division I lead for points with 47, an average of 3.62 per game. Marin ranks fourth in goals with 18.

Marin is eight points shy of breaking the school?s single-season points record, which she set her freshman year. She needs seven goals to break the school record, which she also established in 2000.

PF Britt will be out two weeks

Power forward Emily Britt, a junior transfer from Oklahoma, underwent arthroscopic surgery on her knee to repair damage to her meniscus and will miss two weeks of practice. Britt, who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, is expected to be a starter.

Web site: Jones is dapper dandy

Collegeinsider.com, a Web site that covers men?s college basketball, ranked North Texas coach Johnny Jones the 10th-best dressed coach in the nation.

"Give the credit to J.T. Clothier," Jones said.

Mean Green fired up for Florida International

UNT volleyball coach Cassie Headrick doesn?t expect to need much of a motivational speech prior to the Mean Green?s home match Friday against Florida International.

UNT was within one point of beating Florida International in the first round of the Sun Belt tournament last season, but the Mean Green made two mistakes when it could have ended the match. The Golden Panthers went on to win the conference title.

"That was a game that we walked away with a bitter taste in our mouth," said Headrick, adding that UNT?s moments of agony were included in a highlight tape the conference made of the tournament. "They rubbed it in a little bit. That?s good. We like games that we don?t need a whole lot of motivation from the coaching staff."

TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-381-9572.

ascchamp · October 17, 2002

i am very dissapointed in the girls play of late. They seem to prove that they can only win against teams of lesser quality! Is that the trade mark of a good team?? While UNT is 9-4 Middle tennessee is 6-8?? yeah, the team won but they were supposed to?? so she scored three goals?? she did nothing against WK!! the team will always struggle when they only have one player scoring! it becomes easy to shut down one player and then the team is left with virtually nothing when comparing the other girls to Marin! when will the team get a top notch midfielder that is truly dangerous on the flanks that wil draw pressure off of Marin, so you can stop hiding her in the midfield and allow her to run free up top! I tell you what! with 2 good outside mids with speed! wow what damage the team could do! they woudl spread a defense so wide that Marin coudl run 1v1 up top ! if the commit too many people to her and the mids beat there man, they have the whole flanks to attack? do you leave marin alone to cover the flanks?? that is when the team will truly have total domination! they need more speed and one more monster of a forward!