Colorado University Athletics

Tuesday Press Conference Quotes

Tuesday Press Conference Quotes

BOULDER ? University of Colorado women’s soccer coach Bill Hempen spoke to the media at Dal Ward Tuesday to address the team’s selection into the NCAA Tournament and the upcoming first round game against Colorado College on Friday, Nov. 10. Freshman defender Jess Quador was also on hand to field questions. The following are quotes from the session: 

 

Head Coach Bill Hempen 

ON HOSTING NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME?“It is so cool to finally be hosting an NCAA tournament game at home.  The way the NCAA works, we needed DU (Denver), CC (Colorado College), Air Force, Northern Colorado and Wyoming to have good seasons and two of those did.  That allowed us; again because how they do the first two rounds geographically it set us up for a real good opportunity to host here at CU.  I mentioned earlier that we left Tuesday night to go to the Big 12 tournament, and that’s a long time away from school, away from your families, my family and the thought of going on another plane was not a pleasant thought.  So, when we saw Boulder my wife was in tears because we have two small kids and when you are away there is no help.  It was a great day for our program; I think a great day for the state of Colorado, to be able to host this event with three Colorado teams involved so it should be a great event for the state.”

 

ON SIGNIFICANCE OF HOSTING?“Again its geography and they are a long way away.  A couple of years ago, we had won the Big 12, we came in the No. 1 seed going into the tournament, granted we lost and it shouldn’t have effected it that much but they shipped us off to Portland or UCLA or someplace.  So I guess it happened, and we are very fortunate but it has everything to do with the success of the other teams in our state.”

 

ON BECOMING AN ELITE TEAM?“I’m not convinced of that yet, I was having this discussion earlier and I think it takes a lot more time, and if it takes four more years of getting to the NCAA tournament and having a deeper run in the tournament that gets us on the same plane as some of the more elite programs.” 

 

ON EXPERIENCE?“It can help and it can hurt, I think at this point we have enough kids that have been in this environment now, over the course of their careers that they know what is at stake.  You have worry about Colorado College; it’s an NCAA tournament game no matter who it is so I think the kids are just excited to get out there.”

 

ON MIDSEASON TURNAROUND?“Well we tell our kids all the time, ?Be ready you don’t always know when your time is coming.’  It’s hard to do, take Jessica (Quador), she played on and off a little bit early on in the season and then she became a starter because we changed the way we were playing a little bit and she was the right piece to put in there.  She has been a factor, there are so many factors that go into our sport, and sometimes you play 11 sometimes you play 16 depending upon the moment.  I just credit all of our kids for being ready, it could have been pack it in time and they really decided to turn it around.

 

“Five and a half hours on a bus from Columbia, Missouri to Des Moines, Iowa had something to do with it.  We had a good little training session on a patch of grass about 50 yards by 60 yards in a lumpy hotel parking area.  That was a challenge for our kids, mentally and physically and then a bounce of the ball.  We could have just as easily lost the game at Iowa State as we did to Missouri but the ball hit the bar and went out as opposed to hitting the bar and going in.  I would attribute that just gut-wrenching environment that you lose and you’re done.  Again in our sport some days it bounces right in front of you, and some days it bounces ten yards from you and you can never ever get a hold of it.  From that moment on they understood that bounces are going to go one way, and then the other and everyone is going to get their share.  We fought to get our share back.” 

 

ON HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE AND FANS?“Great, great that is a good point.  The place that we play is awesome.  It took people a little bit longer to find it, but once they did and I mean you go to these athletic events at (Invesco Field at Mile High) and you are far away and if you are lucky enough to have the money to sit down close enough to hear all the grunting and groaning that’s great.  But, here there is nobody that can’t see the desire and the heart of these kids out there competing to be as good as they can possibly be, and that has brought people back.  I think my whole neighborhood comes to the games, that weren’t soccer people before but once they watched this up close and personal they were like whoa this is pretty neat I want to bring my daughter, I want to bring my son.  That has contributed greatly to a home field advantage I had hoped we could create here at CU.   I know at the University of Portland they have it and Texas A&M, they have it and I think we are developing it.  I think that this event will be a great opportunity for the people of the state, even the soccer haters, to come out and be up close and personal and see what these kids do for 90 minutes.  I mean it is nonstop, you are going to walk away going ?Holy cow how do they do that?’  The crowds here at CU have been awesome and I think that the Boulder Valley School District is closed Friday; it will be a great day for them to come.  Hopefully, it will be a sunny day in Boulder, Colorado.”

 

Defender Jess Quador 

ON HOSTING NCAA TOURNAMENT?“I was just really happy, I didn’t want to miss anymore school because my teachers are kind of getting upset about that.  So, I’m pretty happy and I just know the significance of this.  We’ve never had this happen before and as a freshman I’m just really happy to be a part of history here at CU.”

 

ON DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BIG 12 AND NCAA TOURNAMENT?“I don’t know, I haven’t been before I hope it’s not different because we did so well in the Big 12 tournament, but I’m pretty sure it will be (different).  The competition, everybody in the NCAA tournament is really good and we just have to come out every game and play like it is our last.”

 

ON HAVING 1,200-1,500 PEOPLE AT HOME GAMES?“It’s amazing, I’ve never had that happen before.  In high school soccer we had 50 people and now it is so many people.  And most of the time it is a lot of the student athletes that come out and watch us, it really is a good sense of unity between us and the other sports that come out and watch us.  It is just all-around exciting, and I want to play well for the crowd.”