WELCOME
RED RAIDER SOCCER - 2012
WELCOME TO TEXAS TECH SOCCER Fans and Media,
On behalf of the entire Texas Tech soccer team and staff, I would like to personally welcome you to our home at the John Walker Soccer Complex on the beautiful campus of Texas Tech University. We are extremely grateful and excited about your support and coverage of our team as we look forward to an incredible opportunity during the 2012 season. The 2012 season provides our program yet another exciting chance to take a step forward both in the ultra-competitive Big 12 Conference as well as the national stage. We took significant strides in 2011, tying for the best Big 12 finish in school history (4th), defeating Texas for the first time since the 1999 season and Missouri for the first time since 2007 while ranking No. 13 nationally in home attendance. Now, with 19 returning letterwinners and a freshman class that features an exciting blend of speed and athletic ability, we are poised to compete for a Big 12 Championship and a NCAA postseason play.
We can’t do this without the unbelievable support from the best fans in the country. You make the John Walker Soccer Complex not only one of the most fun places to watch a college soccer match, but also one of the toughest places for opponents to play. Again, we thank you for your support of our program and hope to see you this year as we host an exciting set of matches.
Guns Up!
Tom Stone - Head Coach
THE TOM STONE
BRAND OF SOCCER T
hroughout his five-year tenure at Texas Tech, head coach Tom Stone has constructed the distinct brand of Texas Tech soccer. It’s a carefully crafted identity now clearly visible each fall weekend as thousands of Red Raider fans flock to the the John Walker Soccer Complex and bring to life one of the unique atmospheres in college athletics. After averaging just 349 fans per contest before Stone arrived in Lubbock, the John Walker Soccer Complex has emerged as a national leader in attendance. Texas Tech ranked No. 13 in the country in home attendance during the 2011 season averaging 1,332 fans per contest. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders broke the single-game attendance record twice in 2011 en route to the 12 percent increase in average single-game attendance in just one year. Through the combination of building a successful program, one that matched its best Big 12 finish in school history in 2011, with a thrilling style of play - Texas Tech soccer has emerged into a powerful program on the South Plains. The true brand of Tech soccer has been cemented in its suffocating defense. The Red Raiders have established themselves as one of the top defenses in the Big 12 Conference and maintained that reputation by totaling 10 shutouts during the 2011 season. Tech tied for second in the Big 12 with just
18 goals allowed through 20 games last year - the total also tied for the fewest in school history. In the five years of Stone’s tenure, the Red Raiders have reduced opponents’ shots-on-goal by over 33 percent while also reducing goals-per-game by over 42 percent. The stifling 2011 Texas Tech defense was anchored by four-time Big 12 Player of the Week recipient Victoria Esson. Esson, who transferred from New Zealand prior to the start of the 2011 season, recorded a total of seven shutouts through 14 starts in front of the net. It marked the second most shutouts in a single season by a Tech goalie in school history and her four Big 12 Player of the Week awards set a new Big 12 record. Meanwhile, Texas Tech has proven its offense can exploade at any time. The Red Raiders twice scored five goals in a single match last season, shutting out Arizona State 5-0 on the road before defeating Northern Arizona by the same score at the John Walker Soccer Complex a week later. The combination of a suffocating defense with an explosive offense has given the Red Raiders a unique and intimidating identity throughout both the Big 12 Conference and the nation – and it’s a brand of soccer played in one of the most intimidating atmospheres in the game.
TEXAS TECH SOCCER
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