They said it …

Browsing for what coaches and players had to say from team site video.

Texas coach Chris Petrucelli on Leah Fortune
“Leah was gone all year; we hadn’t seen her much. We just got her back this week, and we’re happy to have her back. She created the first one with her throw-in and got the game-winner and was dangerous the whole game.” — Link

Texas defeated NC State 2-1, with Fortune scoring the second goal and setting up the first with a flip throw. The redshirt freshman sat out last season but competed over the summer for Brazil in the Under-20 World Cup.

Penn State coach Erica Walsh on her back line at West Virginia
“I thought Christine [Nairn] played an integral part tonight in switching the point of attack. It was a good field and she did a nice job of finding our outside backs. Emma [Thomson] did well to get into the attack, and [Megan Monroig] did as well. I’m especially proud of that back line. I thought they came together well with Krissy Tribbett and did a nice job keeping some shots away from our goal. ” — Link

Keeper Tribbett has as tough a job as any player in the game this season, stepping in for Alyssa Naeher, who has herself wasted little time emerging as a starter for Boston in WPS. Tribbett missed last season for the Nittany Lions and the redshirt sophomore had three career starts prior to the game in Morgantown, W.V. With Thomson, Monroig, Lexi Marton and Carly Niness in front of her, only one of West Virginia’s 10 shots required a save.

Tennessee coach Angela Kelly looking ahead to Maryland
“I thought we had some flashes of great things and some really attractive series, but I think that facing our opponent in the University of Maryland next Friday night, we need to be learning exponentially and our leaning curve has to be huge and we still have to be hungry each and every day.” — Link

Tennessee beat Western Kentucky 3-0 to open the season. I’ve been around Brian Davis (who did the interview on the video) from Tennessee’s athletic communications plenty, and it’s impossible not to crack a smile around the guy, but Kelly manages, even after a shutout win. Then again, consider recent history. A year ago, the Lady Vols blanked East Tennessee State during the opening weekend, only to lose to Arizona State the next weekend. Two years ago, it was a 5-0 opening win against Chattanooga followed by a 2-0 loss against Indiana a week later. Both of those seasons ended with Tennessee a game under .500. No wonder Kelly is so focused on the Terps.

Maryland coach Brian Pensky on Amy O’Sullivan
“She hasn’t been a key contributor the last couple of years, and I’ve always known since recruiting her that she had something special about her mentality. And I’ve continued to think that over the last couple of years; we just haven’t had the right place that was going to allow her to fit in. She came in this summer, this preseason, as the most fit kid on our team. absoutely determined to prove to me and our wheole coaching staff that she belongs on the field. I just talked about her in the postgsame team talk — I absolutely take my hat off to that kid. She’s gone for it. She’s gone through some tough times and … those tough times ahven’t allowed her to get down.” — Link

A junior, O’Sullivan scored a goal in Maryland’s 3-2 win against Missouri (she also had an assist in a 6-0 season-opening win against Iona. Coming off their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2004, the Terps return eight starters this season, including double-digit goal scorer Jasmyne Spencer. Continuity can be a good thing, but it can also create stagnation. But if O’Sullivan, who made just nine appearances last season, is any indication, perhaps the Terps aren’t taking their improvement for granted.

North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance on Crystal Dunn
“Crystal Dunn came in with her reputation already built as an elite defender, even though she can probably play any position on the field — and even though we recruited her to eventually play flank midfield. Her experience playing as a starting central defender for the U-20 national youth team in the World Cup — and those matches these played, to win player of the match twice in the games the U.S> played in the U-20 World Cup, she came in as a polished, experienced defender and has stepped in for us at left back.” — Podcast link

North Carolina pitched a pair of shutouts against Texas A&M and Michigan State, respectively, despite playing with three new defensive starters for all but 45 minutes of those games. Personally, I wonder if Dunn ever makes it to midfield. I have no doubt she could play there, as Dorrance suggests, but she looked like one of the nation’s best college defenders before she even played a game in college. If she gets locked up against Christen Press at points in Friday’s game, it could be the best one-on-one battle of the season.