SMU Hosts Saint Louis, Washington To Close Non-Conference Home Slate

Friday, September 16

Dallas, Texas

6:30 p.m.

SMU

Saint Louis

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SMU Hosts Saint Louis, Washington To Close Non-Conference Home Slate

Sep 14 | Women's Soccer

Kickoffs scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Sunday; Can be seen on PonyUp TV

SMU (4-2-0, 0-0-0 The American) vs. Saint Louis ( 6-1-0, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Date & Kickoff Time	Fri., Sept. 16 at 6:30 pm CT
Location	Westcott Field -- Dallas, Texas
Live Video (PonyUp TV)	Live Stream PBP: Steve Lansdale \| Producer: Spencer Jones
Live Stats	Live Stats
Tickets	SMUMustangs.com/tickets // 214-SMU-GAME (214-768-4263)
SMU (4-2-0, 0-0-0The American) vs. Washington ( 5-1-1, 0-0 Pac-12)
Date & Kickoff Time	Sun., Sept. 18 at 7 pm CT
Location	Westcott Field -- Dallas, Texas
Live Video (PonyUp TV)	Live Stream PBP: Steve Lansdale \| Producer: Spencer Jones
Live Stats	Live Stats
Tickets	SMUMustangs.com/tickets // 214-SMU-GAME (214-768-4263)
Game Info	Game Notes (.pdf)
Facebook	SMU WSOC \| SMU Mustangs
Twitter	@SMUSoccerW \| @SMUMustangs

The SMU women's soccer team continues its three-game homestand, hosting Saint Louis at 6:30 p.m. Friday, before closing its home, non-conference slate with Washington Sunday at 7 p.m. The game against Saint Louis is the first half of a twin bill with the men's soccer team who plays Santa Clara at 8:30 p.m. With the purchase of a ticket for the women's game, the ticket holder will get into the men's game for free. Fans can get tickets by calling 214-SMU-GAME (214-768-4263) or visiting SMUMustangs.com/tickets. All home games will be aired on PonyUp TV, with Steve Lansdale making the call. Live stats are also provided on SMUMustangs.com.

ABOUT SMU: The Mustangs enter the match with a 4-2-0 record after knocking off Abilene Christian, 6-1, last Sunday. SMU is tied for first among all NCAA DI programs in total points (74.0). SMU is ranked No. 2 in five categories, scoring offense (4.33), assists per game (3.67), points per game (12.33), total goals (26) and shots on goal per game (11.67). In the American Athletic Conference, SMU leads in points, goals, goals per game, assists and assists per game.

SCOUTING SAINT LOUIS: The Billikens enter the weekend with a 6-1-0 overall record, and a 2-1-0 mark on the road. SLU is ranked fourth in the Mid-Atlantic regional poll, as voted on by the NSCAA. Saint Louis has won two straight games since its 2-1 lone loss against Nebraska. Saint Louis has eight different goal scorers and are led by Danielle Tolmais and Alyssa Seitzer, who have four goals apiece. Tolmais leads the team in points (9), shots on goal (10) and is second on the team in shots (18). Starting goalkeeper Mary Neihaus has completed three clean sheets, while posting a goals against average of 0.71.

SERIES: The Mustangs hold a 2-1 all-time record against the Billikens dating back to 2010.
H: 2-0, A: 0-1, N: 0-0
2000    O6       H          W         2-0
2010    S3        H          W         2-1
2015    A21      A          L          0-5

SCOUTING [RV]/[RV] WASHINGTON: The Washington Huskies enter the weekend with a 5-1-1 overall record and a 2-1-0 mark on the road, with a match at Baylor before heading to Dallas. Since a week 1 loss at Portland, Washington has gone 5-0-1 with wins over Tennessee, Santa Clara and Seattle. Washington has seven different goal scorers and are led by Becca Schoales and Shannon Simon, who have three goals apiece. Simon leads the team in shots (17) and shots on goal (7).

SERIES: The Mustangs and Huskies are knotted at one apiece all-time, dating back to 1994.
H: 1-0, A: 0-1, N: 0-0
1994    S24      A@      L          2-6
1995    S4        H          W         5-3
@ UW Classic (Seattle, Wash.)

UP NEXT: SMU heads to Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 25 to take on TCU in its final non-conference tilt of the 2016 campaign. The game is slated for 7 p.m. and can be followed via FrogVision or live stats.

QUICK HITS:
The last time SMU opened the season 3-0 at home was in 2012. Chris Petrucelli's first year at the helm of SMU
SMU is outscoring opponents 26-8. The Mustangs are averaging 4.33 goals per game, while conceding only 1.33
SMU defense has allowed only 58 shots through six games, and only 14 on goal

LAST TIME OUT: In a dominant offensive performance, Allie Thornton and Vanessa Valadez combined for five goals, leading the SMU women's soccer team to a 6-1 victory over Abilene Christian Sunday night at Westcott Field. As a team, the Mustangs scattered 22 shots, with 13 on goal. The Mustangs improve to 4-2-0, while the Wildcats fall to 1-6-1. Thornton led the charge for SMU, scoring her first career hat trick on five total shots, and three on goal, while Valadez scored two of her own to help the Mustangs put away the Wildcats.

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.

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 374-153-44 (.701) record. His record at SMU is 34-43-8 (.447).

BEWARE OF THOR(NTON)'S HAMMER: Freshman forward Allie Thornton leads the team with seven goals and 15 points, and is tied for second on the team with 20 shots and 13 shots on goal. Thornton enters the weekend ranked third-nationally in goals per game (1.17), sixth in total goals (7.0) and ninth in points per game (2.5). Among those in the American Athletic Conference, Thornton is first in points per game, goals, and goals per game, while tied for second in overall points. 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.

ASSISTS WITH COOLEY: Freshman Jessica Cooley leads the Mustangs with five assists. She enters the weekend ranked 13th among all NCAA DI players and first in the American Athletic Conference with five total assists, while 11th in the nation and first in The American with 0.83 assists per game.

WESTCOTT FIELD: Since opening in 1994, SMU holds a .716 winning percentage (150-54-18) at Westcott Field. In 22 seasons at Westcott, the Mustangs have finished .500 or better in 20 seasons, with three perfect seasons.

POSITION PLAYER CAREER GOALS/ASSISTS:
Player                      Goals   Assists Points
Vanessa Valadez        13           7           33
Claire Oates                12           2           26
Paige Jacobs               7            4           18
Lauren Guerra             7            2           16
Kelsey Gorney             7            1           15
Taylor Barg                  5           10          20
Haley Thompson         4            5           13
Allie Thornton              7            1           15
Hannah Fleet               4            3           11
Bari Kesner                  2            2            6
Taylor Jackson            2            1            5
Blair Thorpe                 2            6           10
Lauren Harrington       1            2            4
Robyn Maurer             2            0            4
Jessica Cooley            0            5            5
Avery Ortmann            1            1            3
Hailey Bishop               0            1            1
Katina Tsapos              0            1            1

GOALKEEPER CAREER STATS:
Player                        Games             Minutes         GA       GAA     W-L
Catie Brown                   10               762:54:00        16        1.89      5-3
Brooke Kuempel          3                  51:28:00          0          0            0-0

ROSTER: Of the 25 woman roster, 16 members are in their freshman or sophomore year of eligibility, while sporting just five seniors. The Mustangs brought in 10 freshman. SMU returns eight starters including five (Vanessa Valadez, Claire Oates, Taylor Barg, Taylor Jackson and Kelsey Gorney) who started every game in 2015.

SCHEDULE: The SMU women's soccer team will play 19 regular season games, with 11 at Westcott Field. The Mustangs will face six opponents that appeared in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, Butler, BYU, Washington, UCF, Connecticut and Cincinnati.

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.

2015 SEASON REVIEW: In 2015, the Mustangs finished 5-10-3 overall, and ninth in the American Athletic Conference with a 2-6-1 conference mark. SMU recorded all five victories (5-5-1 record) at Westcott Field, where the Mustangs converted 19 of its 25 goals. While at Westcott, the Mustangs topped opponents in goals (19-15), shot attempts (154-82), goals scored per game (+.37) and shots per game (+6.5). Vanessa Valadez was named to the AAC All-Rookie team after leading the Mustangs in goals (8), points (20), shots (42) and shots on goal (20), while tying Blair Thorpe and Lissi Lonsberry for the most assists (4). Claire Oates earned All-AAC Second Team honors.

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. Twitter at @SMUMustangs or Instagram at SMU.Mustangs.

--SMUMustangs.com--