DENTON — Looking for offense, the Mean Green soccer team brought it early on Friday night versus FIU as UNT won 5-0 against the Panthers.
North Texas (7-3-3) had scored just five goals over the previous four matches but scored all five of its goals Friday in the first half to take a commanding lead over FIU (1-10-2) in route to its second conference win of the year.
“We took a lot out tonight,” said sophomore Madi Drenowatz who scored two goals. “We’ve been looking to score and it felt good to get them early and a lot.”
It took North Texas just eight minutes to score Friday night when sophomore Taylor Tufts scored her then fourth goal of the year. The Southlake native got a clean look at the net when Haley Robertson crossed a pass in to an unmarked Tufts and she was able to tap it in pass the FIU keeper.
UNT’s second goal came just eight minutes later when Jenna Sheely scored her first career goal. The transfer newcomer headed in her first goal off of a corner kick from Tufts.
Tufts was involved in the first three goals on Friday. The left-footer scored the third goal of the match when she juked and hesitated the goalie and scored an unassisted goal to put the Mean Green up with still 24 minutes left in the first half. Tufts now has eight assists on the year to go along with her five goals to give her a team-leading 18 points.
Madi Drenowatz finished off FIU as she scored the final two goals of the match, both of which came in the first half.
“We got open looks and finished them today,” said Drenowatz.
North Texas went up 4-0 when Drenowatz shielded off the defender in the box and fired in her first goal of the match, which came in the 31st minute. Drenowatz’s first goal came off of an assist from senior Olivia Klein. It was Klein’s third assist of the year.
Klein and Drenowatz would connect again 14 minutes later when Klein passed it forward to Drenowatz who beat the Panthers’ keeper to score her team-leading seventh goal of the year and give UNT a 5-0 lead still in the first half.
“We played great today as a team,” Drenowatz said. “I’m excited we got back to our winning ways.”
UNT doesn’t play again until next Friday when they travel to UAB and play the Blazers. North Texas can secure its 27th consecutive winning season — in what is its 27th season — with a win next Friday at UAB.
