BOX SCORE | SEASON STATS DALLAS (SMU) - 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.

"The quality of the goal was really good," said Head Coach Chris Petrucelli. "We got CJ (Odobulu) wide, which is something we work on, and Rikki got on the end of it. So, it was really good to see."

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 Petrucelli. "We probably weren't as fatigued in the second half, because of the way we kept the ball in the first half."

SMU had a few chances in the second half to extend its lead. In the 63rd minute, the Mustangs had back-to-back corners, but could not capitalize. In the 72nd minute, freshman Claire Oates was able to get her head on a long ball into the box, but her attempt missed wide left.

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 of the game, including a nice grab in the 89th minute on a long-distance shot by Temple's Erin Lafferty.

"She looks great," Petrucelli said of Bodden, who made just her third start of the season after missing the first 11 games due to injury. "It's nice to know that if we do break down, she is capable of making big saves."

Temple outshot SMU, 15-3, but most of the Owls' shots were hopeful attempts that did not pose a threat to Bodden. Clarke, Oates and sophomore forward Kelsey Gorney all recorded shots for the Mustangs. In net, Bodden finished with four saves.

"This is a nice win for us," said Petrucelli. "We competed really hard. It's good to see some of the young guys turning the corner and it's nice to see players like Lauryn and Rikki getting some things done as they are running low on games here."

The Mustangs return to action on Sunday for a 12 p.m. CT contest against UConn at Westcott Field. For tickets, visit SMUtickets.com. Live stats and video will also be available online.