With the start of the 2006 season just weeks away, eighth-year women's soccer head coach Chris Petrucelli sat down with TexasSports.com in the days leading up to the season-opening, exhibition match against UT-San Antonio to provide insight on positions, the roster and the schedule.
In general, what attitude does the team have in opening camp? Are the players excited and ready for the season? I think it's a group that's excited. I think that everybody I've seen and talked to in the last week or so is excited. They have high expectations. They are definitely ready. They have worked hard this summer, probably as hard or harder than any team I've had.
What are some of the expectations floating around the locker room? I think they expect to be really good. What that means as far as results, we won't know until we get out there. But I think they expect the best.
Is that something that you find works with this team? Yes, I like that attitude. I think overconfidence is overrated. I like it when they feel good about themselves because they tend to play well that way.
You graduated one starter and lost three lettermen from last year but the bulk of your team and scoring return. Do you feel comfortable heading into the season with the experienced group you are putting on the field? Having an experienced group is probably our biggest strength. There's so much turnover in college athletics from year to year that it's rare that you have this situation. That gives me high hopes for the season.
Is there any one player from each area that stands out the most? As far as personnel, I don't know that there is one player who stands out. We have a lot of good players. We have a number of players who are capable of doing very well and coming through for us. I don't know that we're in a situation right now where we can say it's "this person's team" or "that person's team". It works best when there is not one player to focus on. In our sport, it's hard for one player to dominate. It works best when you have a team.
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