Thursday, October 5
Dallas, Texas
7 p.m.
SMU
vs
USF
SMU Hosts USF Thursday Night In Mustangs For A Cure Match
Oct 3 | Women's Soccer
SMU Will Wear Pink, Auction Off Uniforms To Raise Money For Breast Cancer; Kickoff Slated For 7 p.m.
SMU (5-3-3, 0-1-1 AAC) vs. USF (7-3-0, 3-1-0 AAC)
SMU Match Notes | USF Notes | American Notes Facebook | Twitter
Following nearly a week off, the SMU women's soccer team hosts the USF Bulls Thursday night. After earning a 2-1 home win against New Mexico State last Friday in the final non-conference game, the Mustangs return to American Athletic Conference action at 7 p.m. on Westcott Field. The Thursday night tilt is the fifth all-time, and consecutive, meeting between the two sides. All home games are free of charge, and can be followed on SMUMustangs.com via PonyUp TV or live stats.
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The match will also have an impact off the pitch, as the Mustangs are making an effort to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer. Thursday, the Mustangs will hold their annual "Mustangs for a Cure" match, which is part of a department-wide effort to fight breast cancer. The team will be wearing pink uniforms, which will be auctioned off through a silent auction at the game.
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Following Thursday's fixture, Chris Petrucelli's club will close out its three-match homestand with UCF on Sunday. The match is the 21st all-time meeting between the two sides. The game is slated for 1 p.m. All home games are free of charge, and can be followed on SMUMustangs.com via PonyUp TV or live stats.
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QUICK HITS:
> Vanessa Valadez leads the Mustangs with five goals, three game-winners
> Hannah Allred scored her first two career goals at Memphis
> Allie Thornton leads the team with 44 shots and 15 shots on goal
> Haley Thompson, Isabelle Nashmi lead the team with four assists
> SMU recorded 43 shots against NMSU, the most since Northwestern a year ago
> SMU notched its 400th program history with a 1-0 win against TCU
> Catie Brown named AAC Goalkeeper of the Week (Aug. 28)
> Isabelle Nashmi recorded her first career goal and first career assist at Washington
> Win vs No. 17 Arkansas marks the second consecutive year beating a top-25 opponent (Sept. 29, 2016, 1-0 at No. 15 USF; Sept. 18, 2017, 1-0 vs. No. 17 Arkansas)
> First time beating a top-25 team on opening day in program history
> First home win vs. a top-25 team since Sept. 23, 2011 (1-0 vs. No. 19 UCF)
> 2016 final marks: 13-7-2, 6-2-1 AAC
> 2016 American Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-up; NCAA First Round
> 2016 was SMU's first NCAA tournament since 2006
> SMU finished the 2016 season in the top 25 in six NCAA statistical categories
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ABOUT SMU: Following a 2-1 home win against New Mexico State last Friday, the Mustangs return to league play with a 5-3-3 record and a 0-1-1 mark in The American. Blair Thorpe and Lauren Harrington both scored to propel SMU to the win. The Mustangs managed 43 shots, and held New Mexico State to just one, in the victory. Vanessa Valadez leads the Mustangs with five goals, while Claire Oates has tallied three goals on the 2017 campaign. Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Chris Petrucelli, SMU returns 17 student-athletes, including nine starters from its 2016 squad. SMU finished 2016 with a 13-7-2 record (6-2-1 AAC), en route to an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006. The Mustangs finished third in the regular season, before finishing runner-up in the AAC Conference Tournament.
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LAST TIME OUT (W, 2-1 at SMU): DALLAS (SMU) – The SMU women's soccer team rounded off non-conference play with a 2-1 victory against New Mexico State Friday night at Westcott Field. SMU outshot the Aggies, 43-1, matching last season's 43 shots taken against Northwestern State. This is the third straight game the Mustangs have recorded 20 or more shots, and the fifth time this season. Blair Thorpe opened scoring in the 9th minute of play to give SMU a 1-0 lead. From the far wing, Jessica Cooley sent a curling serve into the 6-yard box where Lauren Harrington got a head on it. New Mexico State's Dmitri Fong managed to get a hand under the ball and force it off the crossbar. From 4-yards out, a waiting Thorpe collected and punched it in. Thorpe has two goals in 2017, seven in her career. New Mexico State got on the board and equalized the match in the 25th minute of action. In the 30th minute of play, Harrington put away the eventual game-winner, her first goal of the year. With time, the senior carried the ball 15-yards before dishing it off to Thorpe. A perfectly executed wall pass between the duo allowed Harrington to connect on a weak-line drive from 12-yards out, but the attempt was blocked by an Aggie defender. Harrington was able to collect the ricochet and finish the loose ball. Harrington now has two career goals. Ten different Mustangs recorded an attempt, with sophomore Allie Thornton leading the attack with nine attempts. Thorpe and Claire Oates each recorded seven shots, with Thorpe recording three of SMU's 15 shots on goal.
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SCOUTING USF: The Bulls enter Thursday's match with a 7-3-0 record, and a 3-1 league mark, following a 3-0 home win against Tulsa. USF is third in the conference with nine points, one point shy of UCF and Cincinnati. USF has scored 21 goals in 10 matches, an average of 2.10 per match. Evelyne Viens leads the South Florida attack with a team-high seven goals, 18 points, 48 shots and 27 shots on goal.
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ALL-TIME SERIES: Thursday's match marks the fifth all-time meeting between the two sides. The series opened in 2013 when the two forces joined the American Athletic Conference. The two squads played to a 0-0 draw in the first meeting, before USF claimed the second and third meetings, 2-1 and 2-0, respectively. In 2016, the Mustangs made a statement by handing then-No. 15 USF its first loss of the year.
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LAST TIME AGAINST THE BULLS (W, 1-0 at USF): – TAMPA, Fla. (SMU) – A goal 45 seconds into the match by freshman Allie Thornton proved to be enough, as the SMU women's soccer team used a 1-0 victory to hand No. 15 USF its first loss of the season. After a cross attempt by Blair Thorpe was headed away by the Bulls, Hannah Fleet collected the rebound and sent a curling cross into the middle of the box. In traffic, Thornton was able to get above a defender and send a header into the upper near corner from nine-yards out. The goal was Thornton's ninth of the season, while Fleet logged her fourth assist. Despite a continuous attack by the 15th-ranked Bulls, the SMU defense shut down the pressure to secure the win. Defensively, the backline blocked four shots, and allowed only two corner kicks. Taylor Barg, Taylor Jackson and Haley Thompson all anchored the backfield, logging a full 90, while Claire Oates ran a complete game in the midfield. Goalkeeper Catie Brown recorded four saves to preserve the clean sheet, the first of her career.
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UP NEXT: SMU will close out a three-match homestand Sunday, hosting No. 15 UCF. The match is slated for 1 p.m. The Mustangs will host a free, youth clinic following the match. All children ages 14 and younger are welcome to participate.
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COACHING CORNER: Two-time National Coach of the Year and 1995 NCAA Championship Coach Chris Petrucelli is in his sixth season (2017) 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 his 28th season as a head coach, Petrucelli has compiled a 388-161-49 (.703) record.
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WINNER, WINNER!: Redshirt Junior Vanessa Valadez has netted three game-winning goals in 2017, ranking her 12th in the NCAA and 1st in the American Athletic Conference. The forward is one goal shy of matching the National leaders.
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KEEP YOUR HEAD ABOUT YA: Senior midfielder Claire Oates has three header goals in 2017.
1 - 97' vs. No. 17 Arkansas (W, 1-0 OT)
2 - 79' at Gonzaga (D, 1-1)
3 - 88' at Memphis (D, 3-3)
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THOR(NTON)'S HAMMER: Through 11 games in 2017, sophomore Allie Thornton leads SMU with 44 shots and 15 shots on goal. The striker has two goals on the year, recording one at Tulsa and one against Sam Houston State. Against New Mexico State, Thornton registered a season-high nine shots. Against No. 16 Oklahoma, she registered eight shots, equaling Oklahoma's team shots total, with three on frame. In 2016, she finished the season tied with a team-high 10 goals and was second on the team with 23 points. Thornton was the first player since Olivia O'Rear (13) in 2006 to score at least 10 goals in a single-season, and the first since Kimber Bailey (2004, 11) to score 10 or more goals in her freshman year. The 10 goals ranks tied for eight on the SMU All-time goals by a freshman list.
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SHARING THE WEALTH: SMU tallied 45 assist in 2016, eclipsing the 2015 total of 21. Jessica Cooley, Haley Thompson and Vanessa Valadez each tallied a team-high eight assists. SMU finished 17th nationally in assists and 24th in assists per game (2.05).
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PUT IT ON THE BOARD: The SMU women's soccer team is 4-2-0 when scoring first. In 2016, the Mustangs were 9-0-0 when scoring first.
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MILESTONE 400!: Redshirt junior Vanessa Valadez netted the eventual game-winner in the 27th minute against TCU to propel SMU to a 1-0 win for the 400th program victory. Since the beginning of the program in 1986, the program record is 400-205-47 (.650). The Mustangs have been coached by six different coaches over that span.
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2017 AAC HONORS:
Catie Brown – Goalkeeper of the Week (Aug. 28)
Isabelle Nashmi – Weekly Honor Roll (Aug. 28)
Vanessa Valadez – Weekly Honor Roll (Sept. 5)
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2017 AAC PRESEASON HONORS: The Mustangs were picked to finish second in the American Athletic Conference, receiving three of 10 first place votes by the league's coaches. SMU returns nine of 11 starters from 2016, including three members of the preseason all-conference team: Claire Oates, Vanessa Valadez and Allie Thornton. The trio finished top three in scoring in 2016, with Oates and Thornton leading the way with 10 goals apiece, while Valadez netted nine. Thornton and Valadez were named to the 2016 AAC all-conference first team, while Oates garnered second team honors. Thornton was also named to The American all-rookie team.
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2016 AAC HONORS: SMU head coach Chris Petrucelli was name the American Athletic Conference Co-Coach of the Year, and five student-athletes were named to AAC All-Conference teams. Following the AAC Championship, four members were named to the AAC All-Tournament Team
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First Team: Allie Thornton & Vanessa Valadez
Second Team: Taylor Barg & Claire Oates
Rookie Team: Allie Thornton & Jessica Cooley
All-Tournament: Catie Brown, Claire Oates, Allie Thornton, Vanessa Valadez
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WESTCOTT FIELD: SMU clinched a winning season at Westcott Field in 2016 for the second consecutive season. Since opening in 1994, SMU holds a .714 winning percentage (158-57-21) at Westcott Field. In 23 seasons at Westcott, the Mustangs have finished .500 or better in 21 seasons, with three perfect seasons.
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FREE SOCCER!: Adding to its menu of free, family-friendly events, SMU Athletics will now offer free admission to all Mustang soccer matches beginning this fall. The soccer programs are among 11 SMU sports that offer free admission. Others include volleyball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's golf, rowing and equestrian.
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NCAA RECOGNITION AWARD: SMU women's soccer was one of two SMU athletic programs to earn Public Recognition Awards for their latest multi-year NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rates (APR). This is the second time the women's soccer team has achieved the honor (2013-14, 2015-16). The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams and provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation, and provides a measure of each team's academic performance.
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SMU Match Notes | USF Notes | American Notes Facebook | Twitter
Following nearly a week off, the SMU women's soccer team hosts the USF Bulls Thursday night. After earning a 2-1 home win against New Mexico State last Friday in the final non-conference game, the Mustangs return to American Athletic Conference action at 7 p.m. on Westcott Field. The Thursday night tilt is the fifth all-time, and consecutive, meeting between the two sides. All home games are free of charge, and can be followed on SMUMustangs.com via PonyUp TV or live stats.
Â
The match will also have an impact off the pitch, as the Mustangs are making an effort to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer. Thursday, the Mustangs will hold their annual "Mustangs for a Cure" match, which is part of a department-wide effort to fight breast cancer. The team will be wearing pink uniforms, which will be auctioned off through a silent auction at the game.
Â
Following Thursday's fixture, Chris Petrucelli's club will close out its three-match homestand with UCF on Sunday. The match is the 21st all-time meeting between the two sides. The game is slated for 1 p.m. All home games are free of charge, and can be followed on SMUMustangs.com via PonyUp TV or live stats.
Â
QUICK HITS:
> Vanessa Valadez leads the Mustangs with five goals, three game-winners
> Hannah Allred scored her first two career goals at Memphis
> Allie Thornton leads the team with 44 shots and 15 shots on goal
> Haley Thompson, Isabelle Nashmi lead the team with four assists
> SMU recorded 43 shots against NMSU, the most since Northwestern a year ago
> SMU notched its 400th program history with a 1-0 win against TCU
> Catie Brown named AAC Goalkeeper of the Week (Aug. 28)
> Isabelle Nashmi recorded her first career goal and first career assist at Washington
> Win vs No. 17 Arkansas marks the second consecutive year beating a top-25 opponent (Sept. 29, 2016, 1-0 at No. 15 USF; Sept. 18, 2017, 1-0 vs. No. 17 Arkansas)
> First time beating a top-25 team on opening day in program history
> First home win vs. a top-25 team since Sept. 23, 2011 (1-0 vs. No. 19 UCF)
> 2016 final marks: 13-7-2, 6-2-1 AAC
> 2016 American Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-up; NCAA First Round
> 2016 was SMU's first NCAA tournament since 2006
> SMU finished the 2016 season in the top 25 in six NCAA statistical categories
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ABOUT SMU: Following a 2-1 home win against New Mexico State last Friday, the Mustangs return to league play with a 5-3-3 record and a 0-1-1 mark in The American. Blair Thorpe and Lauren Harrington both scored to propel SMU to the win. The Mustangs managed 43 shots, and held New Mexico State to just one, in the victory. Vanessa Valadez leads the Mustangs with five goals, while Claire Oates has tallied three goals on the 2017 campaign. Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Chris Petrucelli, SMU returns 17 student-athletes, including nine starters from its 2016 squad. SMU finished 2016 with a 13-7-2 record (6-2-1 AAC), en route to an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006. The Mustangs finished third in the regular season, before finishing runner-up in the AAC Conference Tournament.
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LAST TIME OUT (W, 2-1 at SMU): DALLAS (SMU) – The SMU women's soccer team rounded off non-conference play with a 2-1 victory against New Mexico State Friday night at Westcott Field. SMU outshot the Aggies, 43-1, matching last season's 43 shots taken against Northwestern State. This is the third straight game the Mustangs have recorded 20 or more shots, and the fifth time this season. Blair Thorpe opened scoring in the 9th minute of play to give SMU a 1-0 lead. From the far wing, Jessica Cooley sent a curling serve into the 6-yard box where Lauren Harrington got a head on it. New Mexico State's Dmitri Fong managed to get a hand under the ball and force it off the crossbar. From 4-yards out, a waiting Thorpe collected and punched it in. Thorpe has two goals in 2017, seven in her career. New Mexico State got on the board and equalized the match in the 25th minute of action. In the 30th minute of play, Harrington put away the eventual game-winner, her first goal of the year. With time, the senior carried the ball 15-yards before dishing it off to Thorpe. A perfectly executed wall pass between the duo allowed Harrington to connect on a weak-line drive from 12-yards out, but the attempt was blocked by an Aggie defender. Harrington was able to collect the ricochet and finish the loose ball. Harrington now has two career goals. Ten different Mustangs recorded an attempt, with sophomore Allie Thornton leading the attack with nine attempts. Thorpe and Claire Oates each recorded seven shots, with Thorpe recording three of SMU's 15 shots on goal.
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SCOUTING USF: The Bulls enter Thursday's match with a 7-3-0 record, and a 3-1 league mark, following a 3-0 home win against Tulsa. USF is third in the conference with nine points, one point shy of UCF and Cincinnati. USF has scored 21 goals in 10 matches, an average of 2.10 per match. Evelyne Viens leads the South Florida attack with a team-high seven goals, 18 points, 48 shots and 27 shots on goal.
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ALL-TIME SERIES: Thursday's match marks the fifth all-time meeting between the two sides. The series opened in 2013 when the two forces joined the American Athletic Conference. The two squads played to a 0-0 draw in the first meeting, before USF claimed the second and third meetings, 2-1 and 2-0, respectively. In 2016, the Mustangs made a statement by handing then-No. 15 USF its first loss of the year.
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LAST TIME AGAINST THE BULLS (W, 1-0 at USF): – TAMPA, Fla. (SMU) – A goal 45 seconds into the match by freshman Allie Thornton proved to be enough, as the SMU women's soccer team used a 1-0 victory to hand No. 15 USF its first loss of the season. After a cross attempt by Blair Thorpe was headed away by the Bulls, Hannah Fleet collected the rebound and sent a curling cross into the middle of the box. In traffic, Thornton was able to get above a defender and send a header into the upper near corner from nine-yards out. The goal was Thornton's ninth of the season, while Fleet logged her fourth assist. Despite a continuous attack by the 15th-ranked Bulls, the SMU defense shut down the pressure to secure the win. Defensively, the backline blocked four shots, and allowed only two corner kicks. Taylor Barg, Taylor Jackson and Haley Thompson all anchored the backfield, logging a full 90, while Claire Oates ran a complete game in the midfield. Goalkeeper Catie Brown recorded four saves to preserve the clean sheet, the first of her career.
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UP NEXT: SMU will close out a three-match homestand Sunday, hosting No. 15 UCF. The match is slated for 1 p.m. The Mustangs will host a free, youth clinic following the match. All children ages 14 and younger are welcome to participate.
Â
COACHING CORNER: Two-time National Coach of the Year and 1995 NCAA Championship Coach Chris Petrucelli is in his sixth season (2017) 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 his 28th season as a head coach, Petrucelli has compiled a 388-161-49 (.703) record.
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WINNER, WINNER!: Redshirt Junior Vanessa Valadez has netted three game-winning goals in 2017, ranking her 12th in the NCAA and 1st in the American Athletic Conference. The forward is one goal shy of matching the National leaders.
Â
KEEP YOUR HEAD ABOUT YA: Senior midfielder Claire Oates has three header goals in 2017.
1 - 97' vs. No. 17 Arkansas (W, 1-0 OT)
2 - 79' at Gonzaga (D, 1-1)
3 - 88' at Memphis (D, 3-3)
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THOR(NTON)'S HAMMER: Through 11 games in 2017, sophomore Allie Thornton leads SMU with 44 shots and 15 shots on goal. The striker has two goals on the year, recording one at Tulsa and one against Sam Houston State. Against New Mexico State, Thornton registered a season-high nine shots. Against No. 16 Oklahoma, she registered eight shots, equaling Oklahoma's team shots total, with three on frame. In 2016, she finished the season tied with a team-high 10 goals and was second on the team with 23 points. Thornton was the first player since Olivia O'Rear (13) in 2006 to score at least 10 goals in a single-season, and the first since Kimber Bailey (2004, 11) to score 10 or more goals in her freshman year. The 10 goals ranks tied for eight on the SMU All-time goals by a freshman list.
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SHARING THE WEALTH: SMU tallied 45 assist in 2016, eclipsing the 2015 total of 21. Jessica Cooley, Haley Thompson and Vanessa Valadez each tallied a team-high eight assists. SMU finished 17th nationally in assists and 24th in assists per game (2.05).
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PUT IT ON THE BOARD: The SMU women's soccer team is 4-2-0 when scoring first. In 2016, the Mustangs were 9-0-0 when scoring first.
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MILESTONE 400!: Redshirt junior Vanessa Valadez netted the eventual game-winner in the 27th minute against TCU to propel SMU to a 1-0 win for the 400th program victory. Since the beginning of the program in 1986, the program record is 400-205-47 (.650). The Mustangs have been coached by six different coaches over that span.
Â
2017 AAC HONORS:
Catie Brown – Goalkeeper of the Week (Aug. 28)
Isabelle Nashmi – Weekly Honor Roll (Aug. 28)
Vanessa Valadez – Weekly Honor Roll (Sept. 5)
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2017 AAC PRESEASON HONORS: The Mustangs were picked to finish second in the American Athletic Conference, receiving three of 10 first place votes by the league's coaches. SMU returns nine of 11 starters from 2016, including three members of the preseason all-conference team: Claire Oates, Vanessa Valadez and Allie Thornton. The trio finished top three in scoring in 2016, with Oates and Thornton leading the way with 10 goals apiece, while Valadez netted nine. Thornton and Valadez were named to the 2016 AAC all-conference first team, while Oates garnered second team honors. Thornton was also named to The American all-rookie team.
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2016 AAC HONORS: SMU head coach Chris Petrucelli was name the American Athletic Conference Co-Coach of the Year, and five student-athletes were named to AAC All-Conference teams. Following the AAC Championship, four members were named to the AAC All-Tournament Team
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First Team: Allie Thornton & Vanessa Valadez
Second Team: Taylor Barg & Claire Oates
Rookie Team: Allie Thornton & Jessica Cooley
All-Tournament: Catie Brown, Claire Oates, Allie Thornton, Vanessa Valadez
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WESTCOTT FIELD: SMU clinched a winning season at Westcott Field in 2016 for the second consecutive season. Since opening in 1994, SMU holds a .714 winning percentage (158-57-21) at Westcott Field. In 23 seasons at Westcott, the Mustangs have finished .500 or better in 21 seasons, with three perfect seasons.
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FREE SOCCER!: Adding to its menu of free, family-friendly events, SMU Athletics will now offer free admission to all Mustang soccer matches beginning this fall. The soccer programs are among 11 SMU sports that offer free admission. Others include volleyball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's golf, rowing and equestrian.
Â
NCAA RECOGNITION AWARD: SMU women's soccer was one of two SMU athletic programs to earn Public Recognition Awards for their latest multi-year NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rates (APR). This is the second time the women's soccer team has achieved the honor (2013-14, 2015-16). The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams and provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation, and provides a measure of each team's academic performance.
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Players Mentioned
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MF
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MF
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MF
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D
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F/MF
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/ Women's SoccerThursday, September 24
Wednesday, September 23
Tuesday, September 22
Tuesday, September 22
