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University of North Texas

University of North Texas Athletics
 Athletic Center - 1155 Union Cir Denton, TX 76203
Division 1 Texas South
Public Very Large National competitor
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John Hedlund

John Hedlund, the winningest coach of any sport in North Texas Athletics history, has molded the Mean Green soccer program into one of the nation’s elite that has never had a losing season and hauled in now 16 conference trophies in 28 years.


Hedlund started the UNT women's soccer program in 1995 and has been its only head coach. He has led North Texas to a 385-147-42 record (71.0 percentage), 16 conference championships, seven NCAA Tournament appearances and a top 25 national ranking in 2018.


He is just one of two women's soccer head coaches to have never had a losing season while coaching at one university for 20+ seasons. The other is Anson Dorrance (North Carolina).


What has been a winning tradition program for decades, Hedlund built an even greater dynasty while in Conference USA (2013-22). In the ten seasons the Mean Green were in C-USA, they won eight league trophies. That's more than any active or past C-USA women's soccer program in the league's history. UNT won the league regular season and/or tournament championship in each season from 2014-2019.


Hedlund built the program from the absolute beginning when they played their home matches at public parks but now he calls home to the North Texas Soccer & Track and Field Stadium, which is one of the premier soccer facilities in Texas. Protecting home field has always been a priority for Hedlund. The Mean Green are 208-34-19 (.833) all-time in home matches.


From Oct. 31, 2008 through Sept. 18, 2022, UNT went on a NCAA record 65-match home conference match unbeaten streak. A record that will likely never be broken.


In total, the Mean Green have had 114 all-conference selections, 63 all-tournament selections and 27 all-region selections. Alum Dominique James in 2018 became the program's first NCAA All-American honoree and MAC Herman Award Watch List recipient.


Hedlund was the only DI women's soccer coach to offer Dominique James a scholarship. A three-year captain who was the team's centerback, she played at UNT from 2016-19 and the Mean Green went 59-18-9 overall and 31-5-4 in conference during her four seasons with the Mean Green. UNT won five conference trophies and made three NCAA Tournaments over her time span. In home matches, James guided UNT to a 33-2-3 record. She played in all 86 matches and started the last 80 straight.


In 2018 the Mean Green made program history by being ranked No. 24 in the nation after a 9-2-2 start to the season. It marked the first time in program history North Texas soccer earned a national top 25 ranking. The Mean Green went on to post a 15-3-3 overall record in 2018 and win the Conference USA regular season and tournament title. They earned an automatic bid into the 2018 NCAA Tournament where they took No. 16 Texas A&M to double overtime in the first round.


Hedlund’s association with North Texas began in 1990 as an assistant men’s soccer coach. He served briefly as the head coach of the men’s program in 1994 before the university discontinued the sport.


In 1995, Hedlund concluded a 12-year professional playing career, in which he played defender for the United States Men’s Olympic qualifying team (1983-84), the New York Express (1984-85), the Dallas Sidekicks (1986-87 and 1992-95) and the Dallas Rockets (1988-91).


In four seasons with the Sidekicks, he scored 15 goals in 78 games over four seasons, and ranks 19th in team history in shots blocked and 33rd in games played. He was a member of the 1986-87 and 1993 Sidekicks championship teams, blocking a total of 20 shots during his playoff career, the 12th-most in Sidekicks history. He scored five goals in the 1994 CISL playoffs for the Sidekicks, and ranks 20th in club history in playoff goals.


In the outdoor game, Hedlund played with the Richardson Rockets, who won the 1991 SISL Championship and reached the 1991 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final. Hedlund helped the Rockets reach new heights in American soccer by reaching the fourth round of the 1992 CONCACAF Champions Cup. The Dallas Rockets were one of only three United States teams to reach the fourth round of the Champions Cup in the pre-Major League Soccer era (1969-1994), but fell in the fourth round to Club America in Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. He played with the United States Olympic team under Manfred Schellscheidt in the lead up to the 1984 Summer Olympics, but missed the Olympic Tournament due to injury. With the United States,


Hedlund played tournaments in South Korea, Sweden, Finland and Malaysia.


A four-year letterwinner at Midwestern State University, Hedlund was twice voted to the NAIA All-America team in college. He scored 26 goals and added 12 assists playing several different positions on the pitch. He was named the Most Valuable Player in the 1983 NAIA National Tournament, as he led the Mustangs to the championship game. He is a member of Midwestern State’s Athletic Hall of Honor. The Plano native holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Midwestern State and resides in Denton with his wife, Julie. They have two sons: Chad, who played football at Wake Forest and SMU and Cole, who kicked for the Mean Green football team and set the national high school football record for field goals made for Argyle High School in 2011.

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Dylan Burnett

Dylan Burnett joined the Mean Green soccer staff prior to the 2021 season.


In his two seasons as an assistant coach, the Mean Green have won a combined 20 matches and have a .621 winning percentage.


Burnett has been instrumental in helping guide UNT to 11 all-conference honors including 2022 Conference USA Player of the Year Olivia Klein who led the league in goals scored that season.


In addition to his coaching, Burnett has helped recruit standout talent. In 2022, the Mean Green had three freshmen named to the league's all-freshman team honor and prior to the 2023 season the Mean Green had the No. 11 ranked incoming transfer class in the nation per Chris Henderson of the WoSo Independent.


Joining the Mean Green was somewhat of a return to North Texas for Burnett as he was hired as a volunteer assistant for UNT in 2020 but due to the postponement of the season those plans were put on hold.


Burnett took the opportunity to teach health and coach the girls soccer team at Denton's Braswell High School for the 2020-2021 school year. At Braswell, Burnett coached five 5-6A All District selections and the team improved their win total by three from the previous season.


Prior to coming to UNT, Burnett had plenty of experience coaching against the Mean Green. The 2014 Lincoln Memorial University alum was an assistant coach at UNT conference rival Southern Miss from 2017-18, which were two of the Golden Eagles' most successful seasons in program history. Burnett was responsible for helping recruit some of the most talented Dallas/ Fort Worth student-athletes to Hattiesburg. USM's 2018 C-USA Tournament finals appearance was the first time in program history they had reached the finals of a conference tournament.


The Golden Eagles saw three all-conference selections, three all-conference tournament selections and two all-south region selections for their 2018 effort.


Burnett also has head college coaching experience. He served the 2019 season as the head men's soccer coach at Mississippi University for Women where he led the program to its first appearance at the USCAA National Tournament and improved its previous win total by two. He was responsible for coaching three All-Academic Americans, two National Player of the Week accolades and two National Goalkeeper of the Week accolades.


Burnett earned his Bachelor's of Science Degree in Kinesiology with minors in health and strength and conditioning. Burnett also holds his Texas & Tennessee Practitioner Teaching license, a NSCAA National Diploma, USSF E License, NSCAA Level 1 Diploma, NSCAA Goalkeeping 2 diploma, a NSCAA Futsal Level 1 diploma, an Advanced National Diploma & is working on his Premier Diploma. He has his Master's of Science in Sports Coaching Education from Southern Miss.

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Alexsis Cable

Alexsis Cable, a 2017 North Texas alum, joined the Mean Green soccer coaching staff as an assistant coach prior to th 2021 season.


In her two seasons as an assistant coach at her alma mater, the Mean Green have won a combined 20 matches and have a .621 winning percentage.


Cable has been instrumental in helping guide UNT to 11 all-conference honors including 2022 Conference USA Player of the Year Olivia Klein who led the league in goals scored that season.


In addition to her coaching, Cable has helped recruit standout talent. In 2022, the Mean Green had three freshmen named to the league's all-freshman team honor.


Cable played for head coach John Hedlund and the Mean Green from 2015-16 and was a member of the elite 2015 squad that won a program-best 19 matches and won the 2015 C-USA regular season and tournament titles. As a senior in 2016, she guided the Mean Green to the 2016 regular season title however her season was cut short due to an injury.


Prior to joining UNT coaching staff, Cable was the interim head coach at Nicholls State where she coached for two seasons. She also served as a graduate assistant at Northwestern State University for two seasons before heading to Nicholls.


Cable earned a Bachelor of Science in Integrative Studies from North Texas and a Master of Science in Health & Human Performance from Northwestern State in May 2019. She grew up just down the road from the UNT campus and is a 2013 graduate from Marcus High School.

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