Wednesday, November 2
Storrs, Conn.
3:30 p.m.
SMU
vs
UCF (Quarterfinals)
SMU Set For UCF In Opening Round of AAC Championship
Oct 31 | Women's Soccer
Game slated for 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 CT; Can be seen on American Digital Network
| SMU (12-5-1, 6-2-1 The American) vs. UCF (9-8-1, 4-4-1 The American) | |
| Date / Kickoff Time | Wed., Nov. 2 at 4:30 ET/3:30 CT p.m. |
| Location | Storrs, Conn. // Joseph J. Morrone Stadium |
| Tournament Central | Championship Central |
| Watch | American Digital Network |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Game Info | Game Notes (.pdf) |
| SMU WSOC | SMU Mustangs | |
| @SMUSoccerW | @SMUMustangs | |
The No. 3-seeded SMU women's soccer team is headed to Storrs, Conn., this week as it takes on sixth-seeded UCF in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship. The game is slated for Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 CT, at the Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. The match can be seen on the American Digital Network, with live stats available online at SMUMustangs.com.
ABOUT SMU: SMU (12-5-1, 6-2-1 American) clinched the third-seed in the American Athletic Conference Championship after a, 3-1, victory at Houston in its regular-season finale. This is the first conference tournament for the Mustangs since 2014. The Mustangs are ranked No. 8 in the Northeast Region. Entering the match in Connecticut, SMU ranks top 10 in six NCAA statistical categories, while leading The American in the same six.QUICK HITS:
- Freshman Allie Thornton has 10 goals this season, and is the first player to record at least 10 goals in a season since Olivia O'Rear scored 13 in 2006… she ranks 55th-nationally and seventh in the AAC
- Claire Oates has seven goals this season, five of which for game-winners…she ranks 15th in the NCAA, and is third in the AAC
- Jessica Cooley and Vanessa Valadez lead the team with eight assists (26th NCAA, 4th AAC)
- The last time SMU won 12 or more game was in 2006 (17-5-1, 8-1-0 C-USA)
- This is the first conference tournament appearance since 2014… SMU has played UCF in its last three tournament appearances (2012-14, all in quarterfinals)
ALL-TIME SERIES: This is the 20th meeting all-time between the Mustangs and the Knights, and the second meeting of 2016. SMU cut UCF's all-time advantage to 13-6-0, after a 3-1 victory in Orlando on Oct. 2. The two teams have faced each other four times in conference tournament action, with two meetings in the C-USA Tournament (2010, 2012) and two in the AAC tournament (2013, 2014).
| SMU vs. UCF (6-13-0) | |||||
| H: 2-4, A: 4-7, N: 0-2 | |||||
| Year | Date | Location | Result | Score (Opponent Rank) | |
| N3 | A^ | L | 0-3 (13) | ||
| 2014 | O8 | A | L | 0-3 (22) | |
| N2 | A^ | L | 0-4 (19) | ||
| 2015 | O15 | H | L-OT | 1-2 | |
| 2016 | O2 | A | W | 3-1 | |
| ^AAC Tournament |
SCOUTING UCF:
- The Knights are 9-8-1 overall, with a 4-4-1 mark in AAC action
- UCF has scored 35 goals, while allowing 28… UCF is averaging 1.94 a game, while the opposition is averaging 1.56
- The Knights have 13 different goal scores, led by Carol Rodrigues (11)...Rodriques leads the team in points (24), shots (59) and shots on goal (25)
LAST TIME VERSUS UCF: Freshman Mary Meehan scored in the 81st minute to break a 1-1 tie, and Vanessa Valadez converted a late penalty kick, to lead SMU to a 3-1 victory over UCF Sunday afternoon at the UCF Soccer Complex. With the win, the Mustangs became the first team to sweep both Florida schools on the road since the founding of the American Athletic Conference.
LAST TIME OUT: The SMU women's soccer team scored three goals in the opening 25 minutes, en route to a 3-1 victory in its final regular-season match at Houston Thursday night. With the win, SMU improved to 12-5-1 overall, 6-2-1 in the American Athletic Conference, and clinched a spot in the AAC Championship. SMU took 10 shots with eight on frame. Five different Mustangs took shots, all with two apiece. Vanessa Valadez, Hannah Fleet and Avery Ortmann all logged two shots on goal. The SMU defense allowed only three shots, with two on frame.
HEAD COACH CHRIS PETRUCELLI: Two-time National Coach of the Year and 1995 NCAA Championship Coach Chris Petrucelli enters his fifth season (2016) as SMU Head Women's Soccer Coach. A veteran of 20-plus years as a head coach, Petrucelli was named the NSCAA National Coach of the Year in both 1994 and 1995 and was lauded as the NSCAA Central Region Coach of the Year in both 2002 and 2006. In 26 years as a head coach, Petrucelli has compiled a 382-156-45 (.694) record. His record at SMU is 42-46-9 (.479).
BEWARE OF THOR(NTON)'S HAMMER: Freshman forward Allie Thornton leads the team with 10 goals, and is second on the team with 23 points. Thornton is the first player since Olivia O'Rear (13) in 2006 to score at least ten goals in a single-season. Against Abilene Christian, she scored her first career hat trick on five total shots, and three on goal. The last hat trick by any player or freshman was Claire Oates on Sept. 25, 2014 at Houston. The newcomer is also second on the team in shots on goal (24) and total shots (46) to only Vanessa Valadez (29 and 50). Thornton enters the match ranked top-10 in four categories in the AAC.
SHARING THE WEALTH: SMU has tallied 43 assists through 18 games, eclipsing last year's total of 21. Freshman Jessica Cooley and redshirt sophomore Vanessa Valadez lead the team with eight assists, while averaging 0.44 a game. The duo rank 26th-nationally and 4th in the AAC in assists, while ranked at 34th-nationally and 4th in the AAC in assists per game.
WINNER, WINNER!: Junior midfielder Claire Oates has scored seven goals this season, five of which for game-winners. The five game-winning goals ranks her at 16th in the NCAA, and third in The American.
SCORE FAST, SCORE OFTEN: The SMU women's soccer team is 9-0-0 when scoring first, and is 6-0-0 when leading at halftime. SMU has 10 multi-goal games this season and is 10-0-0 when scoring two or more goals in a match.
MILESTONE WINS: The win at Houston was the 395th victory in SMU history. Since the beginning of the program in 1986, the program record is 395-202-44. The Mustangs have been coached by six different coaches over that span.
BIG WINS: SMU scored six goals against Abilene Christian Sunday marking the 60th time in program history that the Mustangs have scored five or more goals in a game. When SMU scores at least five goals, the Mustangs hold an undefeated 60-0-0 record, and have posted a clean sheet 36 times.
NSCAA ACADEMIC AWARD: The SMU women's soccer programs received the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Academic Award, the organization announced. SMU was one of 579 women collegiate programs to receive honors. The Mustangs, who posted a 3.27 team grade-point average for the 2015-16 academic year, has earned the honor for the fifth consecutive season.
AAC POLL: The SMU women's soccer team has been picked to finish eighth in the American Athletic Conference for the 2016 season. SMU received 20 votes and finished ahead of Houston in the poll. Defending champion Connecticut was the unanimous selection for first place, garnering 81 total points, and nine first-place votes. For the second season in a row, junior Claire Oates was named to the AAC Preseason All-Conference team.
SMU ATHLETICS, SOCCER PROGRAMS TO SEE FACE LIFT: SMU recently announced plans to construct a new Indoor Performance Center, an outdoor natural grass football practice field and a new soccer stadium, another sign of the University's commitment to competing at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics. These plans come on the heels of amazing success during SMU's Second Century Campaign, when SMU Athletics secured more than $191 million in gift commitments, and after 18 months of careful planning and design. The new soccer stadium, to be used by SMU's men's and women's soccer teams, will be located on Mockingbird Lane, the site of the current practice fields.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Mustangs by following SMU women's soccer on Twitter at @SMUSoccerW, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SMUSoccerw, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/SMUSoccerW. Follow SMU Athletics via Facebook at /SMUMustangs, Twitter at @SMUMustangs or Instagram at SMU.Mustangs.
--SMUMustangs.com--
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