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Sept. 16, 2008

LUBBOCK, Texas -

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STARTING OFF...
Entering its final non-conference match before resuming conference play, the Texas Tech soccer team hosts Oral Roberts Thurs., Sept. 18, beginning at 7 p.m. from the John Walker Soccer Complex.

SCOUTING ORAL ROBERTS
After opening its season with two-straight losses, Oral Roberts is riding a three-match win streak after defeating Arkansas State, 3-2, and Middle Tennessee State, 3-0, last weekend in the ORU-TU Invitational. Oral Roberts returns 14 letterwinners, including seven starters, off its 2007 squad that finished 8-9-3 overall and sixth in The Summit League. Offensively, the Golden Eagles are led by Natalya Manyan, who has five goals in five matches this season. Amanda Wheeler has played the majority of minutes in goal, allowing 12 in 405 minutes, while collecting 30 saves. Ryan Bush is in his first year at the helm of the Golden Eagles after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach for the school's men's soccer team.

KEEP AN EYE ON...FRESHMAN Lauren Yelinek
Only seven matches into her freshman campaign, Lauren Yelinek is already among the top 10 all-time for assists in a single season as the Massachusetts native has four assists, the Big 12 high among conference freshmen. Yelinek has started in five matches and is tied for second in the conference in total assists.

HARRISON COMPLETES HAT TRICK AGAINST NORTHWESTERN STATE
A week after connecting on the quickest goal in school history, Brittney Harrison completed the quickest hat trick in school history against Northwestern State as the junior netted three goals within the match's first 15 minutes. Entering this weekend, Harrison now leads the conference in goals with six, while last weekend's performance was just the sixth hat trick and school history and the first since Chessa Purser connected on five goals against Prairie View A&M in 2006.

TECH ONE GOAL OFF 2007 TOTAL
Tech enters Thursday's match one goal off its 2007 total of 21. The Red Raiders have scored three or more goals four times this season, one match more than last season. Tech had a player with multiple-goals in three matches, a feat only accomplished twice in 2007. In the latest NCAA statistics, the Red Raiders were ranked as the 16th rated scoring offense, trailing two Big 12 schools, Oklahoma State (fourth) and Texas A&M (tied for fifth).

TECH REMAINS No. 15 IN SOCCER BUZZ CENTRAL REGION
The Red Raiders remained ranked No. 15 in the Soccer Buzz Central Region poll for the second-consecutive week. Tech has been as high as No. 13 in the poll this year. The Big 12 holds six of the top 10 spots in this week's poll with Texas sitting atop the rankings.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Red Raiders resume conference play next weekend in Stillwater, Okla. for a 7 p.m. match at Oklahoma State before returning home for a 1 p.m. match with the Oklahoma Sooners.

RED RAIDERS OPEN NEW STADIUM
After using temporary seating for the beginning of the season, Tech officially opened its new grandstands in last weekend's match against Arizona as 748 fans filled the complex, the largest attendance at a home match since 1,231 people crowded Tech's former home, R.P. Fuller Stadium, in a 2006 match against Texas. The grandstand portion of the complex is not expected to be completed until October as construction will begin next week on Tech's state-of-the-art press box.

FROM ONE HALF TO THE OTHER
With only two goals in the first half all of last season, many concluded that Tech was a quality second half team. This season, however, the Red Raiders have turned into more of a balanced squad as the Red Raiders have connect on 13 goals in the first half and nine in the second period. Tech has scored in the first half in five of Tech's seven matches this season.

RINCON STILL SITTING ON 11 CAREER SHUTOUTS
With Tech's 5-0 victory over Alabama A&M, Tina Rincon tied Stephanie Carter atop the school's career all-time shutout list with each player having 11 over their careers. Rincon has posted shutouts in three of Tech's five matches this season, which is tied for tops among Big 12 goalkeepers. Here is a look on how Rincon stands when compared to Big 12 opponents:

  • Her .800 save percentage is fourth in the conference;
  • Has 28 saves so far, which is tied for second among conference goalkeepers;
  • Her nine saves against Colorado are tied for an individual conference high;
  • Trails Megan Knauss by 21 saves for second place on the school's career save chart.

    CLOPTON SCORING FROM THE BACK LINE
    Junior defender Sarabeth Clopton has already netted a career-high three goals this season, with two coming last weekend against both Arizona and Northwestern State. She is the second Red Raider to have goals in consecutive matches this season as Zhaleh Rezaie accomplished the feat in the season's first two matches.

    HARRISON BEGINS SCORING EARLY
    Brittney Harrison put the Red Raiders ahead earlier than normal against Alabama A&M as the junior connected on the Red Raiders' first goal only 12 seconds into the match, a new Tech record. The quickest a Red Raider had previously recorded a goal was 29 seconds by Ashley Reed in 2004.

    LYTLE STARTING SEASON STRONG
    Finally healthy after sitting out the entire 2007 season because of injury, redshirt freshman Taylor Lytle has begun the 2008 campaign off strong, totaling six points through seven matches, while also scoring her first goal in Tech's 3-0 win over UTSA. Lytle connected on her first career game-winning goal in Tech's 5-0 victory over Alabama A&M earlier this season.

    FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTING EARLY
    Prior to the 2008 season, Tech head Tom Stone said he knew he would have to rely on his incoming class of 12 freshmen. Already five matches into the season, the freshmen have contributed 18 of 58 total points this season. Seven matches into the 2007 season, the Red Raiders had only three points coming from freshmen.

    HINDS HELPING OFFENSIVE ATTACK IN SECOND SEASON
    Sophomore Katie Hinds not only scored her first career goal against Alabama A&M, but she also added another one in the second half. Hinds also attempted a career-high three shots in the match, with all three coming on-goal. A week later, Hinds added two assists against Northwestern State, which had previously not been accomplished in a single match by a Red Raider since Amy Reinhart in 2006.

    REZAIE PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
    Late in the 2007 season, possibly no other Red Raider was finding their stride offensively like junior forward Zhaleh Rezaie as the Plano, Texas, native had five goals over the final seven matches, including two against Missouri in the first round of the Big 12 Championship. So far in 2008, Rezaie has two goals and two assists through three matches, while trailing only Brittney Harrison in points with six.

    TECH LEADING AT THE HALF
    After not leading a match at the half once in 2007, the Red Raiders have entered halftime with the lead in all five of its seven matches this season. Prior to the start of the season, Tech had not gone into the half with a lead since Oct. 10, 2006 when the Red Raiders led 1-0 over Texas State. The Red Raiders ended up defeating the Bobcats, 3-0.

    HOME STREAK COMES TO THE END
    Dating back to the 2007 season, the Red Raiders were riding a four-match home winning streak enterring last weekend's loss to Colorado. The streak was Tech's longest such streak in Lubbock since the beginning of the 1996 season when the Red Raiders opened the year with four-consecutive home victories.

    STONE LOOKING FOR STRONG PERFORMANCE IN NON-CONFERENCE
    After getting over the learning that was his first season, Tech head coach Tom Stone is looking to strengthen the one part of Tech's 2007 record that was less than desirable, the non-conference. The Red Raiders opened last season with a 2-3-1 non-conference schedule, but had two matches against Stephen F. Austin and Jackson State cancelled.

    HARRISON OPENS SEASON WITH BIG GAME
    Red Raider junior defender Brittney Harrison continues to show why she is one of the top players in the country. The Plano, Texas, native connected on two goals in last Friday's season opener against Lamar, with both coming within less than a two-minute stretch. Harrison now has 15 goals over her Tech career, which is tied for seventh on the school's all-time list.

    JOHN WALKER SOCCER COMPLEX
    Tech's newest facility on campus, the John Walker Soccer Complex, officially opened in Tech's season-opening 4-0 victory over Lamar. Named after Tech alum and donor John B. Walker, the stadium is not expected to be completed until Sept. 12, when the Red Raiders face Arizona. Complete with seating for around 1,400 fans, an awning and a pressbox, the John Walker Soccer Complex will quickly become one of the nicest soccer facilities in the country. Prior to the 2009 season, the Red Raiders will move into a new field house that will be equiped with state-of-the-art locker rooms, coaches' offices, a players' lounge and athletic training facilities. The John Walker Soccer Complex is located on 10th Street off the Texas Tech Parkway, which is west of University Medical Center.

    RED RAIDERS SELECTED SEVENTH IN PRESEASON CONFERENCE POLL
    If the Texas Tech soccer team is going to finish in the top half of the Big 12 for the second-consecutive season, it will once again have to defy the odds as the Red Raiders were selected to finish seventh among the league's 11 participating schools in a preseason poll of conference coaches. The Red Raiders were predicted to finish 11th in 2007 before finishing fifth and advancing to the Big 12 Championship for the first time since 1999. Texas led the poll with 94 points, while Texas A&M and Missouri completed the top three with 93 and 77 points, respectively.

    RINCON, SIMS NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS
    Prior to the season, the Red Raiders voted seniors Shannon Sims and Tina Rincon to serve as the team's captains. Sims, a midfielder from Plano, Texas, started all 17 matches last season, while Rincon added to her already impressive career numbers, adding 97 saves and five shutouts in 2007. Rincon is third all-time in career saves and shutouts with 217 and eight, respectively.

    MIHELICH JOINS THE RED RAIDERS
    Sophomore Leanne Mihelich joins the Red Raiders this season after transferring from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Mihelich led the Trojans as a freshman in both goals with nine and points with 22. She will miss the first several weeks of the season with a foot injury.

    STONE ADDS 12 FRESHMEN FOR SECOND SEASON
    In his first recruiting class, head coach Tom Stone found much needed depth to an already talented Tech roster, adding 10 freshman - Lexi Castellano, Maggie Fete, Hope Hanson, Kacy Hardie, Casey McCall, Kendyl Mygatt, Madison Terry, Erin Villareal, Dawn Ward and Lauren Yelinek - on signing day last February. Both Lauren Clary and Jordan Johnson walked-on to the team during preseason practices.

    DE LEON, WARD OUT FOR SEASON
    Both sophomore Karen De Leon and freshman Dawn Ward will miss the entire 2008 season with injuries. De Leon, one of Tech's top freshman a year ago, connected on two goals and provided two assists in 2007, while Ward was the top prospect in the 2008 recruiting class.

    TECH TO HOST TEN MATCHES IN 2008
    The Red Raiders will find a more favorable schedule in 2008 as Tech will host 10 home matches. Tech will also lose its "Lone Ranger" status from a year ago where the Red Raiders had to play a Big 12 opponent on both Fridays and Sundays, while each other conference opponent had an open date within its schedule. On top of five non-conference home matches, Tech also hosts national-powers and in-state rivals Texas (Oct. 12) and Texas A&M (Oct. 24). Four of Tech's five road conference matches are against Big 12 North opponents, Kansas (Oct. 3), Missouri (Oct. 5), Iowa State (Oct. 17) and Nebraska (Oct. 19).

     

     

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