Sept. 28, 2008

DALLAS (SMU) - Sophomore midfielder Lauren Shepherd scored for the second straight game, and freshman goalkeeper Courtney Webb picked up a shutout in her second career start as the SMU women's soccer team knocked off UTEP, 1-0, Sunday afternoon at Westcott Field.

The Mustangs improved to 3-6-1 overall, and 1-1 against Conference USA opponents; the Miners had cruised into Dallas on a four-game winning streak, but dropped to 8-3-0, and 1-1 in C-USA games.

For the Ponies, who endured a brutal non-conference schedule that pitted the Ponies against the likes of national powers USC and Notre Dame, the victory marked a significant step in the growth in the young team's development.

"It's huge," Erwin said. "You don't ever want to be 0-2 in conference games. We played so well Friday night (against Colorado College) and didn't win, so I was really glad for the players to get this win.

"Lauren scored another really good goal, and I think their goalkeeper (Sara Kaltwasser) made some very good saves. But what you saw is we had some players who are starting to create more (scoring) chances, and as we grow as a team, more and more of those chances will go in."

Statistically, the game was as close as the score. Each team registered 16 shots, and Kaltwasser had seven saves, while Webb had five.

The Mustangs now head out on the road for four consecutive road games before returning home to face Memphis at 7 p.m., Oct. 17, at Westcott Field. For a complete schedule and ticket information, log on to SMUMustangs.com or call 214-SMU-GAME.