Mustangs Host Tulsa On Thursday
Oct 22 | Women's Soccer
| SMU (6-11-0, 2-5-0 The American) vs. Tulsa (9-7-2, 2-4-1 The American) | |
| Date & Start Time | Thursday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. CT |
| Live Stats | Gametracker |
| Live Stream | PonyUp TV |
| Location | Westcott Field |
| Game Notes | SMU (.pdf) | The American (.pdf) |
| Season Stats | Season Stats (.pdf) |
| Tickets | SMUtickets.com |
| /SMUMustangs | /SMUSoccerW | |
| @SMUMustangs | @SMUSoccerW | |
DALLAS (SMU) - The SMU women's soccer team returns to action on Thursday night for a conference tilt with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at 7 p.m. CT at Westcott Field.
SMU (6-11-0, 2-5-0 The American) currently sits in ninth place in the American Athletic Conference standings, just one point behind Tulsa. The Mustangs enter Thursday on a three-game losing skid, but a win over the Golden Hurricane would bump the Ponies past Tulsa and into eighth place in the conference.
Freshman midfielder Claire Oates leads the Mustangs in points (11) and goals (5) this season, including a hat trick against Houston on Sept. 25. Oates remains the only student-athlete in the American Athletic Cofnerence who has recorded a hat trick. Fellow freshman Lauren Guerra is second on the team with three goals. In net, senior Lauryn Bodden leads the team with 34 saves despite missing the first 11 games due to injury. Bodden's 11-save performance against USF (Oct. 5) is the highest single-game save total by a goalkeeper from The American this season.
Entering Thursday, the Mustangs have posted a 4-4-0 record at Westcott Field this season, while Tulsa is just 1-4-1 on the road.
SMU ALL-TIME vs. TULSA
The Mustangs are 23-4-2 all-time against Tulsa. Last year, with Tulsa in Conference USA and SMU in The American, 2013 marked the first time that the teams did not meet on the pitch since 1986.
In the last meeting in 2012, the Golden Hurricane edged the Mustangs, 2-1. However, SMU holds the advantage in the last ten meetings, 7-2-1.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN HURRICANE
Tulsa (9-7-2, 2-4-1 The American) began the 2014 season on a five-match winning streak, but has posted just two wins in seven conference matches. Head Coach Kyle Cussen, who is in his seventh year at the helm, looks to lead Tulsa to its fourth straight double-digit win season.
Freshman phenom Rachel Thun has paced the Golden Hurricane with eight goals and six assists. Her 22 total points are third most in The American. Fellow freshman Christina Holmes and junior Lauren King have also been key parts of the Tulsa attack this season. Holmes is second on the team with six goals and King has recorded four goals and two assists. In net, freshman goakeeper Courtney McKeon leads the team with 49 saves and 3 shutouts.
Both of Tulsa's conference wins have come at home. The Golden Hurricane defeated USF, 3-2, in double overtime in the conference opener. Tulsa also topped Cincinnati, 2-1. Last weekend, Tulsa dropped a 1-0 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 her five goals are tied for ninth in the conference.
75: SMU leads The American with 75 total saves. Senior Lauryn Bodden, who missed the first 11 games due to injury, leads the team with 34 saves, including a career-high 11 saves against USF (Oct. 5). Junior midfielder-turned-goalkeeper Lissi Lonsberry is second on the team with 29 stops.
SMU LAST WEEKEND
CINCINNATI 1, SMU 0
In its final road game of the regular season, SMU dropped a 2-0 decision to the East Carolina Pirates on Sunday afternoon at Johnson Soccer Stadium.
"I thought we played well today, especially in the first half," said Head Coach Chris Petrucelli. "We had some chances in the first half with Paige (Jacobs) hitting the crossbar and Kelsey (Gorney) just missing wide."
SMU (6-11-0, 2-5-0 The American) peppered East Carolina goalkeeper Erika Lenns in the opening half, but the Mustangs could not find the back of the net.
East Carolina (10-5-1, 4-3-0 The American) tallied five shots in the first half, none of which posed any danger to Mustang goalkeeper Lauryn Bodden, who recorded three saves in the half.
The Pirates would get on the scoreboard early in the second half when Lana Spitler netted her seventh goal of the season in the 51st minute.
"We knew going into the game that scoring the first goal of the game would be key," said Petrucelli. "When they went ahead, 1-0, it forced us to make some changes and be more direct."
The Pirates' Kendall Frey would extend the East Carolina lead to 2-0 in the 88th minute.
"We're still searching for the right combinations and the right mix," said Petrucelli. "But, as long as there are games left, we are going to continue to keep going at it."
EAST CAROLINA 2, SMU 0
An early goal in the second half proved to be enough for Cincinnati as they earned a 1-0 victory over the SMU women's soccer team on Thursday evening at Gettler Stadium. With the loss, the Mustangs fall to 6-10 on the season and 2-4 in American Athletic Conference action, while the Bearcats improved to 9-5-2 overall and 3-3 in league play.
UC's Laura Rose found herself one-on-one with an SMU defender near the end line after she got on the end of a long ball played by Jae Atkinson. Rose was able to beat her defender and send a shot into the upper right corner of the net in the 47th minute for the match winner.
Cincinnati registered three shots on goal in the match, with redshirt-senior Lauryn Bodden tallying a save. SMU's offense picked up in the second half as the team was able to fire three shots at the Bearcats' goal.
Sophomores Kelsey Gorney and Taylor Barg were credited with the Mustangs' shots, with Gorney picking up a pair.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Mustangs wrap up their regular season on Sunday with a home match versus Memphis at 1 p.m. CT. Lauryn Bodden, Rikki Clarke, Olivia Elliott and Shelby Redman will all be honored for Senior Day. For ticket information, visit SMUtickets.com.
