UNT Lookin To Repeat As Sun Belt Champs

[MeanGreen61]

Mean Green soccer = Top notch program and still movin' up!

Player of the Year: Heather Hutyra, So., F, North Texas

Freshman of the Year: Kelli Lunsford, MF, North Texas

Coach of the Year: John Hedlund, North Texas

Soccer: Title quest II

UNT looking to repeat as SBC champs

09:42 AM CST on Wednesday, November 2, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

The North Texas soccer team will enter the Sun Belt Conference Tournament today in an unfamiliar situation.

North Texas head soccer coach John Hedlund leads his team in conditioning drills during practice on Oct. 18 in Denton. Hedlund and his team are looking to repeat as Sun Belt Conference champions when the tournament begins at 10 a.m. today when the Mean Green take on South Alabama.

In previous years, the Mean Green answered questions about if and when they would break through to beat Denver and win the tournament title. Today, it’s UNT that every other team in the league will be looking to knock off when the tournament kicks off in Mobile, Ala.

UNT won the 2005 Sun Belt regular season title and is the tournament’s No. 1 seed. That title is just the latest achievement the Mean Green have posted since a breakthrough campaign last year that saw UNT win the Sun Belt tournament title and earn an NCAA tournament bid for the first time in school history.

UNT (13-3-2, 8-1) will look to extend its run of success and begin a charge at a second straight SBC tournament title today against Louisiana-Lafayette (4-9-3, 2-6-1).

“I can’t even explain what it felt like to win it last year,” UNT sophomore forward Heather Hutyra said. “It was a great feeling. We want to win it again and go back to the NCAA Tournament. We are ready to go.”

UNT will enter the tournament as a decided favorite after a standout regular season. The Mean Green posted a 15-game unbeaten streak that lasted 63 days and didn’t lose a game until Middle Tennessee knocked them off in their regular season finale.

Freshman forward Kelli Lunsford called that 3-0 loss a wakeup call that has provided the Mean Green even more motivation to get back on track heading into the tournament.

“It was a tough game for us because we clinched on Friday and didn’t have anything to play for against Middle,” UNT head coach John Hedlund said. “They had their senior day and were physical with us.”

UNT appears to have the ability to bounce back from that season-ending loss in time to make a run in the tournament. The Mean Green rank second in the Sun Belt in both goals scored with 46 and goals allowed with 16.

Few other teams in the league are as balanced as UNT, which also features some of the top players in the conference.

Hutyra was named the league’s Player of the Year on Tuesday after finishing the regular season ranked among the national leaders in both points per game (ninth, 2.35) and goals per game (tied for seventh, 1.0).

What has made UNT even more dangerous this season is the balance it has developed offensively. UNT’s opponents frequently double-team Hutyra, which has opened up opportunities for Lunsford and Kristen Campbell, who are tied for fifth in the Sun Belt with seven goals each on the season.

Lunsford, defender Angela Hawkins and goalkeeper Kandice Ellis joined Hutyra on the All-Sun Belt team. Hedlund was named the Coach of the Year, while Lunsford was the Freshman of the Year

“When teams double-team Heather in the middle, it leaves the outside open,” Lunsford said. “We are going to have to take advantage of that.”

UNT has pressed the issue offensively this season because of its abundance of offensive weapons and does not plan on changing its approach this weekend.

“We have to be aggressive and use all of our weapons,” Hedlund said. “With the players we have, if we attack, we can make it tough on opponents.”

UNT followed that plan last year and made it to the NCAA Tournament, where the Mean Green fell to Texas in the first round. Hedlund said repeating as conference champions and getting back to the national tournament will be a challenge.

The Mean Green only beat ULL 1-0 in the regular season. UNT will also have to deal with being the favorite instead of filling the underdog role.

“The girls are confident and feel good about our chances,” Hedlund said. “Beating SMU and Rice earlier in the year really helped and showed us we could win the big games.”

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com .

Edited November 2, 2005 by MeanGreen61