Before the first kick on Sunday, Roebuck, a third-year captain, was moved from defense to the center forward position by the head coach Johannes Hedlund to try to score more goals.
It was the first time in Roebuck’s college career that she played as a forward in a game.
“I’m very honored that John (Hedlund) trusted me to play up there,” Roebuck said. “We had some slow starts, so I tried to bring some energy to the game quickly (Sunday). I just shot and the ball went in and kept going in from there.”
In UNT’s last game last Thursday against Texas Southern, Roebuck was called upon to play further up the court in the second half to help the team score points after failing to score in the first half.
The Mean Green scored two goals in the second half against Texas Southern to win 2-0. Roebuck scored the first of the two goals.
On Sunday, she played 46 minutes and scored a career-high nine goals, six of which were on goal. The Royse City native entered the game having scored just three goals in her three-year career, including the goal she scored Thursday against Texas Southern. Now, Roebuck has scored five goals in her last two games and is just the ninth player in program history to score four goals in a single game, and the first since 2019.
“It was a good team win and our offense scored a lot of goals today and our defense worked hard to get us the shutout,” Hedlund said. “We used seven underclassmen today, so the future looks very bright with all the young talent on our roster.”
Three UNT players scored their first career goals on Sunday against the Lady Panthers (1-2). Hannah Phillips gave the Mean Green (2-2) a 3-0 lead in the 17th minute with a shot from well outside the 18-yard box. Rydlii Rives scored 4-0 for UNT and Senior in the 34th minute Jacqueline Barnes scored the final goal of the game in the 82nd minute when she converted a free kick from just outside the penalty area.
Seniors also scored points on Sunday Bailey Wesco And Devyn Flannery who each scored their first goals in the 2024 season. Freshman goalkeepers Hicks Bishop was used in the second half for her first career appearance. Alexis Miller had her first game with multiple assists in her career and Junior Katherine Williams and newbie Ella Buschko Both scored their first assists of their careers in the nine-goal victory.
The nine-goal victory over Prairie View A&M is the sixth-largest victory in program history. It is the 10th time in program history that North Texas has scored nine or more goals in a single game, but the first time since 2013.
Next up for North Texas is their first away game as they travel to Texas A&M Commerce on Friday at 7 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
For more information on UNT football tickets, contact the Mean Green Ticket Office at 940-565-2527 or [email protected]. Fans can visit the UNT Athletics Ticket Office located at Gate 2 of DATCU Stadium Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
