University of North Carolina Athletics
Anson Dorrance, Tar Heel players and UNC Asheville Head Coach Quotes
November 10, 2006 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 10, 2006
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UNC Head Coach Anson Dorrance:
On today's game:
"We were thrilled to not only advance, but to advance without injury and it is also great for us to be able to play our roster. If you look at the schedule we've played this year, we just haven't had very many opportunities to play the kids that kill themselves for us in practice. One thing I really enjoyed about today's game was to see those reserves with a lot of playing time and then playing very well. I really felt like the kid that distinguished herself today was, obviously, other than Yael with her hat trick, which certainly is an achievement, and to have Ashlyn back which is tremendous for us, but I really thought Casey Nogueira played the best minutes of her life in a Tar Heel uniform to date and I'm excited because if she can keep her game at that level and continue to improve, she's gonna have a great career for us."
On putting Ashlyn Harris in the game:
"What I told her is that Anna (Rodenbough) was our starter. She also had the option of trying to fight for a sixth year, but she has been in school so long that she decided not to select that and we told her we had no issue splitting this game between her and Anna but that, basically, Anna was still the starter. What we think is gonna happen right now, and we can certainly tell from this match right out of the gate, is that you could hear Ashlyn the whole game, when she was out there, and what a leadership presence she gives us every time the ball was moving anywhere you could hear her organizing the defense on the weak side, you could hear her basically commanding the game and that is a benefit to us. These are things that she can contribute, even though she hasn't played a match in a while. She has a presence already; we could see it from the sideline."
On the team's preparation for the game:
"Actually, to be honest, we had an absolutely miserable week of training. We didn't have much focus in training. We didn't get that much done this week in training. What I appreciated, I didn't really think we did that well in the first half either, but in the second half we got things together. We gave the starters 15 minutes in the first part of the second half and they played well. The reserves went in there and, I thought, played well. You come off an ACC Championship like that where you're playing so many quality teams in a short period of time; you're physically, but also mentally and emotionally, exhausted. To some extent, I didn't really mind the recreational week we had. I didn't really appreciate that we were recreating in the first half, but by the second half we pulled it together and hopefully it will launch us into the game on Sunday."
On playing today:
"Obviously, it's my first college game. I felt nervous and my emotions were going fifty million directions but when I stepped on the field, this is what I love; this is what I've been waiting for, for a long time; I've been waiting to step on that field, play for my college team and wear that jersey for well over six, seven years now, it just feels so good to be actually able to do it. And I'm willing to play this season and not get another redshirt for my teammates, for myself, I feel like this was the right choice for me. I feel like I can contribute, on and off the field. Obviously, nothing is going to be handed to me. I'm not going to get handed a position but this is what it's about, it's about fighting; fighting for your team, fighting on the field, battling for your position and that's what I'm trying to do."
On what the team gains for the game:
"I think it was great that a lot of our players could get a chance to play and I think a lot of people had great performances. These kinds of games are a good opportunity for our team to focus and work on certain things like our shape in the back and combination play up front. I think it was good that we could use the game to improve on a lot of areas."
On her hat trick:
"I think it was a little bit of luck, possibly, but I just focused on keeping my shots on frame and I think it paid off."
UNC Asheville Head Coach Michele Cornish
Her thoughts on the game:
"The game went pretty much as we had expected it to. They are the number one team in the nation for a reason. The girls came out and they weren't afraid. I thought the girls played with a lot of heart tonight. It is disappointing to lose a game, but it's not disappointing to have a first time try at the NCAA Tournament."
On how UNC Asheville prepared for the game:
"We pretty much prepared as though we were going to play the other team. When you look at where our level is versus where Carolina is, it's vastly different. You can just look at the height, the size, the speed, their speed of play; everything is different from the way we play. There is really nothing you can do, outside of maybe playing a lower level men's team that would prepare. We just finished our conference tournament last weekend, so there is not a whole lot of preparation time and the kids still had classes and things to go to. It is difficult to prepare for something like that, cause I don't really know that you can."
