Aug. 28, 2000

Baylor's head soccer coach and head football coach spoke Monday at Baylor's weekly media luncheon.

Head Soccer Coach Nick Cowell

On the season opener at SMU:
"The SMU game was one of the ugliest soccer games I've ever seen. Their field is kind of rough, and neither team was able to overcome the environment. SMU is a very prolific goal-scoring team. We did an okay job in holding them to two goals, but we didn't do well offensively."

"For our young team, it was a good measuring stick of what we need to do."

On the TCU game:
"We played the first half real even, in the second half, we really came out on top and we really put the game away."

Head Football Coach Kevin Steele

On getting things off on the right foot:
"We kick off the 2000 season smiling big, because we get a chance to get this ship turned around in the harbor."

"I don't think you can overstate the importance of early success. I've always heard that the two biggest games before the season are the first game and the first conference game... It's major that with what our players have invested in the offseason, that they see success."

"Any time you can start out with a victory, it's key to a program, but at the stage we're in, it's critical."

On Thursday's game vs. North Texas:
"There are three things that are going to decide how the game goes, as always: penalties, turnovers, and the kicking game. Those are the three areas that you can control."

"The fact that Baylor is 10-0 against North Texas now really has nothing to do with Thursday night. We've got a totally different team, and I think their coach would say they have a totally different team."

On the difference between now and one year ago:
"This year, we've got the makings of establishing a foundation for a very solid football program. This time last year, I'm not sure any of us knew what we had for that season."