Every Wednesday UT head coach Chris Petrucelli will respond to at least five fan questions submitted to TexasSports.com.
Name: Courtney
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Question: What kind of training would you suggest to a young player who wants to eventually play college soccer? What type of league should they play in? Do you recommend "Select" teams at an early age?
Petrucelli: "In terms of your first question, I would suggest training as much as you can in environments that are similar to games -- facing full pressure from opponents and going to goal. Anything that makes your training realistic is helpful. With that in mind, you always want to play in the most competitive league situation that you can and one that suits you best for developmental purposes."
Name: Amy and Gabby (Coach's daughter)
Hometown: Lake Travis, Texas
Question: What is the radius of a college soccer ball?
Petrucelli: "The radius of a college soccer ball is approximately 4.5 inches. Now, the two of you need to get off the computer and do your homework."
Name: Mark
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Question: What are the tiebreakers that the Big 12 uses when teams are tied in terms of points? For example, last year, Texas tied Colorado on points and also tied them in the teams' head-to-head match, but Colorado was seeded ahead of Texas in the tournament.
Petrucelli: "After the head-to-head, there are three tiebreakers that the Big 12 employs to determine seeding for the tournament. First, it's goal difference (how many goals you score as compared to how many goals you allow in conference play). If the tie is still in tact, the determination is then made by goals allowed in conference play followed by goals scored in conference play."
Name: George
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Question: Do you see any of your current UT players playing for the United States or Canadian national teams in the World Cup or Olympics in the future?
Petrucelli: "I think there are a number of our current players that have the potential to play at the national team level. Stephanie Gibson is our lone player from Canada, but she has spent some time on various Canadian youth national teams and will probably have an opportunity to play for her country's full national team at some point. In terms of the U.S. National Team, many of the players on our roster have played for U.S. youth national squads and if they continue to develop, will have a chance to compete at the next level."
Name: Coach Rivas
Hometown: Lewisville, Texas
Question: What are the chances of you placing some of your workouts on your Web site for coaches that want to increase their knowledge of the game? There are many of us that would like to have access to some of the same drills that you put your players through.
Petrucelli: "That's a great idea. We would love to help as many coaches as we can. We will work with our Web team here and see if we can start this kind of a feature. On a side note, thanks for helping develop and sending us Kelly Wilson."
Name: Pete
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Question: What is the hardest position to coach?
Petrucelli: "I would have to say the goal scorer because scoring goals is a special talent. Scoring requires a large set of skills as well as a unique attitude in order to be successful."
Name: Mary
Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas
Question: Which of this year's UT freshmen has played an important role without a whole lot of notoriety?
Petrucelli: "The player that has had the biggest impact without a lot of attention would have to be Jill Gilbeau. She's been a dangerous player going forward and is an outstanding defender for our team."
