Mustangs Ready For Road Matches At Cincinnati, East Carolina
Oct 15 | Women's Soccer
| SMU (6-9-0, 2-3-0 The American) at Cincinnati (8-5-2, 2-3-0 The American) | |
| Date & Start Time | Thursday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET |
| Live Stats | Gametracker |
| Location | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| SMU at East Carolina (8-5-1, 2-3-0 The American) | |
| Date & Start Time | Sunday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. CT/2 p.m. ET |
| Live Stats | Gametracker |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. |
| Game Notes | Match Notes (.pdf) |
| Season Stats | Season Stats (.pdf) |
| /SMUMustangs | /SMUSoccerW | |
| @SMUMustangs | @SMUSoccerW | |
DALLAS (SMU) - The SMU women's soccer team hits the road for the final time this regular season this week. On Thursday, the Mustangs head to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats at 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET. SMU then makes the trip to Greenville, North Carolina, for a showdown with the East Carolina Pirates on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT/2 p.m. ET.
Last weekend, SMU topped Temple, 1-0, on Thursday, giving the Owls only their fourth loss of the season. The Mustangs then fell to UConn, 3-1, on Sunday.
SMU ALL-TIME vs. CINCINNATI
SMU is 2-1-1 all-time against Cincinnati. Last year, the Mustangs topped the Bearcats, 2-1, at home at Westcott Field. Jessica Bartol and Shelby Redman tallied goals for the Mustangs. 1990 marks the last time that SMU has played in Cincinnati, when the two schools fought to a 2-2 draw.
ABOUT THE BEARCATS
Cincinnati (8-5-2, 2-3-0 The American) has had one of the most potent offensive attacks in the conference so far this season, as they lead The American with 2.47 goals per game. Junior Danielle Rotheram and sophomore Katy Couperus lead the Bearcats in points with 15 apiece. Both players have tallied five goals and five assists. Senior Jae Atkinson leads the conference in assists with ten.
The Bearcats are coached by Neil Stafford, who is in his second season. Stafford has compiled a 16-16-3 while at Cincinnati.
Last weekend, Cincinnati went 0-2 in conference play, falling to Memphis, 3-1, and Tulsa, 2-1.
SMU ALL-TIME vs. EAST CAROLINA
Sunday's contest will mark the tenth meeting between SMU and East Carolina, with the Mustangs holding the advantage over the Pirates, 4-3-2. The last two meetings between the schools have both went to overtime. In 2011, the Mustangs fell to the Pirates, 1-0, in overtime. In 2012, the schools fought to a 0-0 draw in double overtime. SMU and East Carolina did not meet last year, as the Pirates were in Conference USA.
ABOUT THE PIRATES
East Carolina (8-5-1, 2-3-0 The American) has been led by sophomore forward Lana Spitler, who leads the team and is tied for sixth in the conference with six goals. In net, Saundra Baron and Erika Lenns have combined for eight shutouts.
Head Coach Rob Donnenwirth, in his 16th season at the helm, has amassed a 154-116-39 record at East Carolina.
Last weekend, the Pirates went 1-1 in conference play. East Carolina defeated Tulsa, 1-0, but dropped a 2-0 decision to Memphis.
SMU BY THE NUMBERS
20: Senior forward Shelby Redman scored her 20th career goal against Oral Roberts (Sept. 5), placing her 17th all-time on the SMU scoring list. The Austin, Texas, native is one goal away from tying Marci Miller for 16th all-time.
364: Head Coach Chris Petrucelli has 364 career wins as a Division I women's soccer coach, making him one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history. Before coming to SMU, Petrucelli coached at Texas and Notre Dame, winning a national title with the Irish in 1995.
11: Freshman midfielder Claire Oates recorded a hat trick in SMU's conference-opening 3-2 win at Houston (Sept. 25). Oates scored all three goals in the first 11 minutes of the game. Oates has tallied 11 points (5g, 1a) on the season, which leads SMU and is tied for tenth in the AAC.
68: SMU leads The American with 68 total saves. Junior midfielder-turned-goalkeeper Lissi Lonsberry leads the team with 29 stops while senior goalie Lauryn Bodden, who missed the first 11 games due to injury, has recorded 27 saves in just four starts, including an 11-save performance against USF (Oct. 5).
SMU LAST WEEKEND
SMU 1, TEMPLE 0*
Senior forward Rikki Clarke's goal in the 20th minute led the SMU women's soccer team over the Temple Owls, 1-0, on Thursday evening at Westcott Field.
SMU (6-8-0, 2-2-0 The American) went ahead in the 20th minute when Clarke found the back of the net for her first goal of the season. Freshman forward Chinelo Odobulu recorded the assist on the goal, as she beat a defender to the endline and sent in a low cross, which Clarke buried from inside the six.
Temple (9-4-1, 2-2-1 The American) had very few scoring opportunities in the opening segment, as they recorded only four shots, none of which were on goal.
"In the first half, we played really well. We had the ball most of the half and scored a really good goal," said Head Coach Chris Petrucelli. "We probably weren't as fatigued in the second half, because of the way we kept the ball in the first half."
In the waning minutes, the Owls put pressure on SMU as they searched for the equalizer. Senior goalkeeper Lauryn Bodden, who recorded her first shutout of the season, made all four of her saves in final 13 minutes.
"This is a nice win for us," said Petrucelli. "We competed really hard."
UCONN 3, SMU 1*
The SMU women's soccer team dropped a 3-1 decision to the UConn Huskies on Sunday afternoon at Westcott Field.
"I thought we started the game well," said Head Coach Chris Petrucelli. "But, we definitely had some lapses defensively."
SMU (6-9-0, 2-3-0 The American) jumped out to an early lead when sophomore Kelsey Gorney netted her first goal of the season in the 11th minute. A failed clear by a UConn defender popped out to the top of the box, where Gorney hit a one-time shot into the upper right corner of the net.
UConn (9-3-4, 2-1-3 The American) equalized in the 24th minute, thanks to a goal from Julie Hubbard and then, in the 34th minute, Danielle Gottwik put the Huskies ahead. Rachel Hill, a member of the U-20 National Team, scored in the 42nd minute, extending the Huskies' lead to two.
"You're not going to win many games when you give up three," said Petrucelli. "So, we have to tighten it up defensively and we're also not creating enough goal-scoring chances."
*conference match
SMU THIS SEASON
HAT TRICK HERO
Freshman midfielder Claire Oates notched a hat trick in SMU's 3-2 victory over Houston, the team's conference opener, on Thursday, Sept. 24. Oates scored all three goals in the first 11 minutes of the game. For her efforts, Oates was named the American Athletic Conference's Rookie of the Week and College Sports Madness' conference Player of the Week.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
In its non-conference slate, SMU played four teams that have received national recognition from the NSCAA. The Mustangs opened the season with Nebraska, who was ranked 13th at the time. SMU also played Kansas, who is currently ranked 10th, BYU, who is ranked 19th, and Missouri, who is receiving votes. Conference foe UCF, who the Mustangs lost to 3-0, is ranked 18th.
BODDEN'S HOMECOMING
After missing the first half of the season due to injury, senior goalkeeper Lauryn Bodden posted a career-high 11 saves against USF (Oct. 5) in just her second start of the season. Making the performance even more special, Bodden's effort came in her Tampa homecoming, as she attended the city's HB Plant High School.
NEW FACES
SMU has received key contributions from numerous newcomers this season. Freshmen Claire Oates and Lauren Guerra are first and second on the team in goals and points, respectively, this year. Oates has tallied five goals and 11 points, while Guerra has recorded three goals and six points. Vanessa Valadez has started five games and score the game-winner against Texas Southern (Aug. 29). Defender Lauren Harrington has recorded two assists and freshman forward Chinelo Odobulu has also registered an assist.
In addition to the freshmen, sophomore transfer Paige Jacobs has appeared in ten games, making two starts, and scored a goal against UTSA (Sept. 7).
HEADS UP
Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Anne Head joined the Mustangs in August as a walk-on. Against BYU (Sept. 27), Head made her first collegiate start and recorded four saves. "She did great," said Head Coach Chris Petrucelli. "She made a couple nice saves. She was excited and she was ready to go."
ON THE DEFENSIVE
SMU's backline has played an even more important role in 2014, with several new faces in net for the Mustangs. In SMU's six wins, the defense has conceded only four goals. Sophomores Taylor Barg and Taylor Jackson and freshman Lauren Harrington have started every game this year, and senior leader Olivia Elliott has missed only one match.
The defenders have also played a crucial role in the Mustang attack, as Barg and Harrington have two assists, apiece. Defensive midfielders Gabrielle Petrucelli and Claire Oates, who have both started every game, have also been key contributors to the defensive unit.
CHASING HISTORY
Senior forward Shelby Redman has put together a remarkable career so far on the Hilltop. Redman, in her fifth season with the team, has totaled 20 career goals, placing her 17th on the all-time scoring list.
SMU All-Time Goals Leaders
15. Kenzie Scovill 22 2009-12
16. Marci Miller 21 1996-97
17. Shelby Redman 20 2010-Present
LOOKING AHEAD
The Mustangs will wrap up their regular season next week with home matches against Tulsa and Memphis. On Thursday, Oct. 23, SMU takes on Tulsa at 7 p.m. CT at Westcott Field. The Ponies will then host Memphis on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. CT on Senior Day.
