Not Football, BUT.........................

MeanGreen61 · April 4, 2006

New soccer field draws fresh set of opponents

UNT to take on under-19 Chinese national team

07:16 AM CDT on Tuesday, April 4, 2006

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

Kelli Lunsford can still remember watching a game that helped put women’s soccer on the map.

The University of North Texas sophomore was still kicking around in youth leagues back in 1999 when Brandi Chastain lined up and scored what turned out to be the game-clinching goal in a shootout with the Chinese national team in the World Cup finals.

The memories of that game are a little fresher for Lunsford and the rest of the UNT soccer team today as they prepare for a showdown with the under-19 Chinese national team at 8 p.m.

“I watched the game and dreamed about what it would be like to play on that level and in front of that many people,” said Lunsford, a starting midfielder for UNT. “I am excited to see how we will stack up.”

That opportunity is just one reason UNT’s game against the Chinese ranks as a monumental moment in the history of the program. The game also will be UNT’s first at the Mean Green Soccer Complex, a new facility across from the Mean Green Athletic Center.

Texas Woman’s University will play the Chinese “B” team before UNT takes on the “A” team.

Landing a game against the Chinese is the latest sign that the Mean Green are moving up in the soccer world, thanks to in part to a new field. UNT spent the last few years playing on a small field adjacent to recreational fields on the edge of campus.

“We were never able to consistently bring in the big teams because of the field we played on,” UNT coach John Hedlund said. “It was small, which some teams felt was to our advantage. This field is much larger and is part of a nice facility. We already have teams like LSU, Oklahoma and SMU coming in next fall. The facility will help with scheduling and recruiting down the road.”

UNT converted the old Liberty Christian High School football field into its new soccer field after purchasing the campus. The old bleachers were kept in place, giving the Mean Green a field with the seating capacity to rival other Division I soccer programs across the state.

The new field and some good timing helped the Mean Green land a high-profile opponent for its first game at the new facility. The Chinese are traveling through Texas on the Panda Cup and contacted several of the top Division I teams in the state to set up games during their tour.

The Mean Green made the list of teams the Chinese wanted to play, thanks to its new field and success of the last few seasons. UNT advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of the last two years by winning the Sun Belt Conference tournament.

UNT has built a reputation as a growing regional soccer power during that time. The Mean Green knocked off traditional power SMU and Rice last season before the Mustangs ended UNT’s season in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

UNT is hoping its rise in the ranks of soccer programs nationally will continue tonight with its game against the Chinese, a team that is somewhat of a mystery to Hedlund and the Mean Green. Hedlund has never seen the team play and has no contacts with knowledge of the under-19 Chinese national team.

The best UNT can do is take a look at how the Chinese national team has performed in international competition and use that as a gauge to prepare for tonight’s game.

The squad UNT will take on tonight is a feeder program for Chinese national team that several of the Mean Green’s players and coaches remember from their showdown with the U.S. national team in 1999.

Tonight’s game will be UNT’s first against an international opponent.

NORTH TEXAS VS. UNDER-19 CHINESE NATIONAL TEAM

When: 8 p.m.

Where: Mean Green Soccer Complex

Admission: Free

Note: TWU will face the under-19 Chinese “B” team at 6 p.m.