Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Denver
No. 8 Tech Soccer ready for exhibition at DU
August 07, 2024 | Women's Soccer
The Red Raiders and Pioneers will face-off Thursday at 6 p.m. for the lone exhibition of the preseason
DENVER – No. 8 Texas Tech Soccer opens its 2024 season on Thursday night, with its lone scrimmage at Denver. First touch from Denver Soccer Stadium is set for 7 p.m. (CT)/6 p.m. (MT).
The Red Raiders and Pioneers are meeting in an exhibition contest for the second consecutive year, as the Red Raiders defeated DU 2-0 last season.
In that contest, 2023 Freshman of the Year Sam Courtwright scored and tallied an assist, while Elise Anderson also found the back of the net.
Following Thursday's contest against DU, the Red Raiders will open the 2024 season with a marquee matchup at No. 4 Penn State. The Red Raiders and Nittany Lions were among the countries last three unbeaten squads in 2023.
No stream or live stats will be provided for Thursday's match at DU, but live updates will be provided on @TexasTechSoccer.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
MATCHUP (2023 Records): Texas Tech (16-2-5) at Denver (9-2-7)
LOCATION: Denver, Colo. (Denver Soccer Stadium)
TIME: 7 p.m. (CT)/6 p.m. (MT)
STREAM: None
STATS: None
UPDATES (Twitter): @TexasTechSoccer
STORYLINES:
NEW RANKING, MORE HISTORY
Fresh off a record breaking 2023 season, the Red Raiders have already made history in 2024, as Tech slotted in at No. 8 in the first United Soccer Coaches Association Top-25 poll on Tuesday. The ranking marks a pair of firsts, as it sets the highest preseason ranking in Tech Soccer history and marks the first time that the Red Raiders begin a season ranked inside the top-10.
NEW PLUS A STRONG RETURNING CORE
Through the first six days of preseason training, Stone and the Red Raiders have been busy as the team looks ahead to Thursday's exhibition and the season opener at Penn State (Aug. 15). After a successful spring that featured the addition of three newcomers in SMU transfer Peyton Annen, IMG Academy product Logan Russo, Portland Thorns Academy product Alana Harry and Sting FC product Peyton Dyess all arrived in Lubbock ahead of the spring semester. The four early enrollees were joined by five more newcomers in freshmen Millie Elwood, Jules Burrows, Grace Pilling and Kendall Jones, as well as UCLA transfer goalkeeper Faith Nguyen. The nine newcomers combine with a strong returning core that features a pair of All-Americans in Sam Courtwright and Macy Blackburn as well All-Big 12 honorees Ashleigh Williams (14 G, 6A) and defenders Cassie Taylor and Kylie Bahr. In total, Tech returns 18 players from its 2023 roster and returns nearly 60 percent (55.6) of its goal scoring from a season ago.
On the rosters younger players and who might be standing out:
"There are few that have stood out. It's hard to miss, Millie Elwood. She can play either holding or attacking midfielder. Her 'Soccer IQ' is really high. The way that we look at Sam [Courtwright] and trust her to make good decisions, is Millie has served herself up as soon as she got here. And for an international she's come in killed the fitness. That's not knocking internationals but it's a different climate than she's used to, and she's come across the world. The American teams are known for their fitness, and she crushed our fitness test. Millie is someone that stands out right away. Kendall Jones has been awesome, and her physicality has been great and her and Ashleigh [Williams] have been making each other better which has been fun to watch."
On how many young players he looks to play in the exhibition at Denver on Thursday:
"We're going to try and play as many of them as we can. It's never a preset thing. We tell the girls that we want to win the preseason games, but we get unlimited substitutions. We only get one exhibition game, and we need to act like we would in a normal game and care about winning it. But we won't do that at the expense of playing the starters 90 minutes. We will sub, it's just a matter of how many and when. We just want to see a good performance, and a good performance should lead to a win, so both would be best. But we would rather not stumble into a win and play poorly, because that win doesn't count. It's a preseason game so we'd rather the performance be great and the winning take care of itself."
A HOMECOMING OR THREE ON TAP FOR THURSDAY:
In what has turned out to be an yearly or annual tradition, the Red Raiders will head up to Denver this weekend for the lone exhibition game of the 2024 season. And while the trip always features a game against a strong opponent in Denver, it also serves as a homecoming of sorts as the Red Raiders always feature a strong Colorado contingent. In 2024, four different Red Raiders hail from the Denver Metropolitan area including defender Kylie Bahr who went to Valor Christian, forward Peyton Parsons who also attended Valor Christian as well as Grand View High School product Molly Skurcenski. Rising sophomore Skylar Haase is the fourth Coloradoan, as she hails from Fort Collins which sits just over an hour from Downtown Denver. Parsons, Skurcenski and Bahr all played for the heralded youth club "Real Colorado" while Hasse starred for Bloomfield Blast.
Stone on the annual trip to Denver:
"Historically, I think this is like our 10th trip up to Denver. We love going to Denver for a bunch of reasons. We always recruit the Denver area well, and have gotten tons of big time players from the Denver area. We love taking them home…. It's a Colorado connection, and Real and Rush have a bunch of guys that I used to work with that we primarily recruit out of. It's been a great place. Then the weather is always good, it's going to be 81 and overcast which will be a nice break from the heat. And then we always take a day and go up into the mountains and turn our soccer brain off. We bond, hang out, relax and recover. When we get back to Lubbock it's the countdown for the opening game. There are a lot of reasons to go and it breaks up camp. It's a nice play to get a really good game because DU is a really good team that we like playing."
NEW KEEPER:
For the first time since the 2019 season, Tech Soccer will feature a new goalkeeper, as 2023 Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Year Madison White has exhausted her eligibility is now playing professional soccer. With White gone, a major opportunity awaits Tech's four goalkeeper is in 2024. The group features a pair of returners in sophomore Madison Mueller and graduate student Sydney O'billovich and a pair of newcomers in freshman Grace Pilling and UCLA transfer Faith Nguyen. Heading into Thursday's scrimmage at Denver, the race remains wide open as the four keepers battle for the starting nod on Thursday in Denver and the opener a week from Thursday at Penn State.
Stone on the goalkeeper competition:
"It's new for us to have a goalkeeper competition because we haven't had one in 10 years, because anytime we've had a number one, she's been so superior she hasn't given up any room to anyone coming in. We've graduated from one pro goalkeeper to the next, and now we have a full on battle. It's fun to watch because all four are training their tails off and are in it. Blair [Quinn] is doing a really good job of keeping them all getting reps and having them understand what their job is. I don't think we'll name a starter heading into Denver, but we'll need to know who is going to play the first half by the first game."
BLACKBURNS BACK… GOOD:
After a stellar first half to her 2023 season that saw her lead the country in total assists deep into October, defender Macy Blackburn is back once again after missing the final matches of the regular season, Tech's two Big 12 Tournament matches, and the three NCAA Tournament matches against FGCU, Princeton and North Carolina.
Playing in the first 15 matches, Blackburn was sensational, scoring twice and tallying 11 assists. And while the numbers were good, her impact was also felt across the pitch, as the Red Raider attack scored 39 of its 45 goals with Blackburn healthy. After averaging 2.6 goals over the season's first 15 matches and scoring at least once in all 15 contests, the Red Raider offense managed just five goals over the final matches and were shut out three times in that stretch. After scoring multiple goals in 11 matches, the Red Raiders managed multiple goals just once over the final 8 games. Heading into the 2024 season after suffering the season-ending knee injury on Oct. 8 against the Horned Frogs, Blackburn looks to be in great form heading into 2024.
Stone on Blackburn:
"Macy's fitness looks fantastic, and her ability and how much she can run is also fantastic. She's looks like she's closer to returning then we thought she'd be at this point. I cannot say much more at this point because we don't know. But she looks like other than getting tackled and knocked over at full speed she's doing everything. We're excited about her return because she's a difference maker for us."
NEW CAPTAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A WHILE:
With the closing of the 2023 season, Tech Soccer also saw its lone captain for the 2023 season, Hannah Anderson graduate and move on to professional soccer opportunities in the NWSL. With Anderson gone, Tech will look to fill that void in 2024 with plenty of options available…
Stone on the potential captains for the 2024 season:
"We've got a strong leadership core of about seven or eight players that all have different roles for us. I lean heavily on [Macy] Blackburn and Elise [Anderson] for communication to with the team, but we usually just let that happen organically in the preseason. By Denver it will be obvious to the team."
NEW YEAR NEW LEAGUE:
As the 2024-25 athletic season arrives, so too does a new Big 12 Conference that bolstered by the addition of Arizona State, Arizona, Colorado and Utah will look to strengthen what was already one of the best conferences in all of soccer. The four new Big 12 teams went a combined 35-28-18 (.543) in 2023, as Colorado and Arizona State both advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The league was also bolstered by the addition of BYU in 2023, as the Cougars went back to the College Cup in their first season in the Big 12, a year ago.
Stone on the new Big 12:
"The teams we added are all good and they're legit. They all have great rosters, big athletic departments and are putting resources into soccer. In some cases, everyone needs to look at how the standard bearers of the Big 12 host and what their facilities and priorities look like. We're happy that they'll get to that point with us. Colorado is on the schedule this year and immediately we have a top four team from the PAC-12 coming in, and it makes us better. We're thrilled for the teams that have come in and our league is as tough as it's ever been."
WELCOME TO THE THREE STRIPE LIFE:
One of the biggest news on Tech's campus this offseason was the announcement and switch of apparel companies, as Tech Athletics switch from Under Amour to Adidas. As part of the 10-year partnership, all Texas Tech programs including Tech Soccer will now wear and be outfitted by the historic brand. Beginning with the unveiling of the new uniforms earlier in the summer, Tech Soccer has made the full transition to the "Three Stripe Life" and will proudly wear Adidas this season and for years to come.
On the new Adidas apparel:
"It's been an A+ switch. You start with the shoes and work your way up. It's a soccer company as Adidas made some of the first soccer shoes, 70 and 80 years ago. And we're benefitting from it now. The girls are loving the shoes and as we get more gear in by the day, it looks great on us. It's great performance wear. It's been nothing but a positive. We loved what we had before, but for it to be even better, is quite a statement. We feel fortunate to be in the relationship with Adidas and look forward to all they're going to do for us. The shoes are the big thing, for Track, Football, Soccer and Basketball no question. For a soccer player probably more than anything. So it starts with the shoe. We had a really good-looking uniforms from our previous brand, so we didn't want to go backwards. And Adidas took us up another level. This uniform is cut for our ladies, fits them great and they like it. It feels great performance wise and is lighter and airy. It's great for this climate. They knocked our socks off when the uniforms arrived. They look great."
UP NEXT:
Following the lone exhibition contest at DU, the Red Raiders will turn their sights on a top-10 clash next Thursday at No. 4 Penn State. First touch is set for 7 p.m. (ET)/6 p.m. (CT). The match will be aired live on Big Ten Network.
