Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Open Spring with Wildcats
February 20, 2020 | Women's Soccer
Tech kicks off spring exhibition schedule with Abilene Christian.
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech soccer's spring exhibition schedule will begin Saturday at 1 p.m. with Abilene Christian, a now-frequent visitor to the John Walker Soccer Complex.
"ACU were the conference champs two years ago and went to the NCAA Tournament," said head coach Tom Stone of the Wildcats. "We're so happy that this team has developed into what they are because they're basically our closest neighbor in Division I, and they're legit. It's a great way to start off the spring."
Stone's squad, which went 15-4-3 in the fall, will return eight of 11 starters in 2020. This group of Red Raiders includes First Team All-American and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Kirsten Davis, Third Team All-American Cassie Hiatt and Big 12 Freshman of the Year Madison White, among several others who turned in exciting seasons in 2019.
Regardless of how many starters he returns each year, Stone always sees the spring as an opportunity to develop both individual players and the team as a whole.
"The spring is the time of year where you want to find that balance between really testing yourself, but giving every player a chance to show what they can do," he said. "The second last season is over, you're brand new, because you have freshmen coming in and graduates on their way out. You have players dying for their chance, and that's what the spring is all about: giving them that chance and seeing what they do with it."
Saturday will see four of those new faces suit up in the Scarlet and Black for the first time. This batch of Red Raiders includes forward Gisselle Kozarski and midfielder Avery Chaney, two mid-year enrollees who recently arrived in Lubbock after graduating high school early. The duo is part of a strong five-player, all-Texas signing class Stone welcomed as part of Signing Day in November.
The experience of starting a semester early provides the invaluable opportunity to get a head start on both the student and athlete parts of being a collegiate student-athlete.
"In my experience, the players who have put themselves in a position to graduate high school early and come to Tech in the spring have benefited," said assistant coach Nick Hallam. "They are able to move away from home and get through all that comes with that transition. They get a spring semester of classes under their belt, learning how to manage their time. And, of course, they get the benefit of training with the team and get to get in the weight room, all in preparation of day one of their first fall season. That's a great benefit."
Hannah Anderson and Macy Schultz, who last fall wrapped their debut campaigns with Freshman All-Big 12 and, for Anderson in addition, All-Region, accolades, are two current Red Raiders who exemplify the benefits of enrolling early.
Also joining the squad are two walk-on transfers. Madison Michel will hop into the midfield after transferring in from Dallas Baptist, while Madison Martin will provide depth at goalkeeper. Martin, the younger sister of current Red Raider Brittany Martin, transferred into Tech after a semester at Texas A&M.
First touch between the Red Raiders and Wildcats will be at 1 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. The game will not be streamed, but there will be live updates on Twitter at @TexasTechSoccer.
"ACU were the conference champs two years ago and went to the NCAA Tournament," said head coach Tom Stone of the Wildcats. "We're so happy that this team has developed into what they are because they're basically our closest neighbor in Division I, and they're legit. It's a great way to start off the spring."
Stone's squad, which went 15-4-3 in the fall, will return eight of 11 starters in 2020. This group of Red Raiders includes First Team All-American and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Kirsten Davis, Third Team All-American Cassie Hiatt and Big 12 Freshman of the Year Madison White, among several others who turned in exciting seasons in 2019.
Regardless of how many starters he returns each year, Stone always sees the spring as an opportunity to develop both individual players and the team as a whole.
"The spring is the time of year where you want to find that balance between really testing yourself, but giving every player a chance to show what they can do," he said. "The second last season is over, you're brand new, because you have freshmen coming in and graduates on their way out. You have players dying for their chance, and that's what the spring is all about: giving them that chance and seeing what they do with it."
Saturday will see four of those new faces suit up in the Scarlet and Black for the first time. This batch of Red Raiders includes forward Gisselle Kozarski and midfielder Avery Chaney, two mid-year enrollees who recently arrived in Lubbock after graduating high school early. The duo is part of a strong five-player, all-Texas signing class Stone welcomed as part of Signing Day in November.
The experience of starting a semester early provides the invaluable opportunity to get a head start on both the student and athlete parts of being a collegiate student-athlete.
"In my experience, the players who have put themselves in a position to graduate high school early and come to Tech in the spring have benefited," said assistant coach Nick Hallam. "They are able to move away from home and get through all that comes with that transition. They get a spring semester of classes under their belt, learning how to manage their time. And, of course, they get the benefit of training with the team and get to get in the weight room, all in preparation of day one of their first fall season. That's a great benefit."
Hannah Anderson and Macy Schultz, who last fall wrapped their debut campaigns with Freshman All-Big 12 and, for Anderson in addition, All-Region, accolades, are two current Red Raiders who exemplify the benefits of enrolling early.
Also joining the squad are two walk-on transfers. Madison Michel will hop into the midfield after transferring in from Dallas Baptist, while Madison Martin will provide depth at goalkeeper. Martin, the younger sister of current Red Raider Brittany Martin, transferred into Tech after a semester at Texas A&M.
First touch between the Red Raiders and Wildcats will be at 1 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. The game will not be streamed, but there will be live updates on Twitter at @TexasTechSoccer.
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's SoccerForward
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's SoccerGoalkeeper
/ Women's SoccerMidfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Goalkeeper
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