Sept. 2, 2003
WACO, Texas - Three of Baylor's head coaches spoke to the media at Tuesday's press luncheon. Below are excerpts from their comments.
Head Soccer Coach George Van Linder:
"We didn't know what kind of team would show up. It turned out to be a defensive game and was boring for the fans. But we ended up with a 2-0 win. Sunday's game was a big one for us; North Texas is a rival and has one of the best teams in the state. It's one of those teams you hate to lose to. We were disappointed because we had given up two goals in 15 minutes, but we were also excited because they had given up three. In the second half, we had things under control. It was 3-3 for most of the time, then we won in overtime 4-3. Hopefully this will set the tone for the rest of the season. Friday, we go down to Houston and play their home-opening game, so it will be tough for us. Sunday, Utah comes here and it will be our first big challenge."
Head Volleyball Coach Brian Hosfeld:
On opening weekend:
"It was a good weekend for us; unfortunately we stubbed our toe a little bit against Wyoming. We knew they were going to be a good challenge, and we had to take the loss. We will have the opportunity to face them again later in the season. We got a really good performance from Nicole LeBlanc; she did a great job blocking in the front. Desiree Guilliard-Young has improved her attacking percentage during the tournament. Schwartz and Nicholas did great jobs in all the matches. If we get everybody evened out, we will do well. We are looking forward to Hawaii; they are a good team, and we will have to be prepared for them. They will be a good challenge and will get us ready for the Big 12."
Head Football Coach Guy Morriss:
On the team's loss to North Texas:
"I thought the kids played hard. You know, you go back and have to look at things on tape, so I try not to overreact during the game -- things like missing a tackle on their first touchdown. We were fortunate enough to only lose one ball, but it could have hurt us a lot more than it did. We have to keep focused on hanging on to it. I think the players mind set is good. They realize they could have won the game. I think we are in good spirits, and will go up to Denton and get the win.
"Yes, we dropped too many balls, but that is something that can be corrected. We will rotate guys out there and see which ones will be players. If Daniel [Sepulveda] can punt the ball inside the 10 instead of out of the endzone that would help us, but that is a minor detail, I'm more worried about the snap than anything. On kickoff return, we just have to run; sometimes it looked like we were striding."
On the upcoming game against North Texas:
"We just have to be able to handle the distractions of a road trip, try to play a mistake-free game and see what happens. I think our kids in the middle held up well; I think that was the most pleasant aspect of that game. I don't know how loud it gets up there, but it will be an opposing crowd. I think a lot of their yards came between the tackles. We don't care where are opponents are from; we want to beat them. We need to focus on our conference and try to beat those guys. I think UNT runs pretty well. They have two good corners and some fast linebackers."
"We need to be in the mindset to try to correct our mistakes, and it might take a whole season to get it right. It's a week-to-week kind of deal; then we will know what kind of team we have. Everything that happens from this day forward is something new, like this will be our first road trip together.
"I like being the underdog; I think it's a good motivator. I think the kids know that too. They understand that we have to go play hard for four quarters. I don't think getting them ready to play will be a problem. The only stat I care about is the score at the end of the game. We are not interested in moral victories; we need real victories. We will tell the kids to throw a blanket over the scoreboard and play hard as hell for four quarters."
