Aug. 6, 2008
Day One Photo Gallery
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU soccer team began its preparations for the 2008 season on Wednesday, as the team opened two-a-days with an early morning practice. Below are comments from TCU head coach Dan Abdalla.
TCU returns nine starters, including its top-three goal scorers from last season's 8-11-0 team.
The Horned Frogs will open their regular season at home on Aug. 22 against 2007 NCAA qualifier Stephen F. Austin. TCU will have one exhibition match at Oklahoma State next week.
Head Coach Dan Abdalla
On the start of practice...
"It was fun and exciting to get back out on the field. Overall, I was very pleased with not only the level of play, but also the fitness level. I am very excited with our returnees and the leadership they took onto the field. Their communication and direction they gave on the field was really nice to see and that is something that we have never really had in the past. It is going to make a huge difference for us."
On the mentality of the team...
"They are following through on making this program their own. My wife commented last night on how much more mature this group seemed in every aspect and that makes it a lot more enjoyable from our standpoint."
On anyone stepping up on the first day...
"The freshman Alex Mechalske was impressive from a work standpoint, but everyone was impressive. On the field, Chelsea Cody was fun to watch and you can tell that Chelsea and Jordan Calhoun have a chemistry between the two of them. Goalkeeper Kelsey Walters looks very sharp with everything and that was good to see on the first day."
