Sunday, October 8
Dallas, Texas
1 p.m.
SMU
vs
UCF
SMU Hosts No. 10 UCF In Sunday Matinee
Oct 7 | Women's Soccer
Kickoff Slated For 1 p.m.; Can be seen on PonyUp TV
SMU (5-4-3, 0-2-1 AAC) vs. No. 10 UCF (8-1-1, 4-0-1 AAC)
SMU Match Notes | UCF Notes | American Notes
Live Stream (PonyUp TV) | Live Stats
Facebook | Twitter
The SMU women's soccer team hosts the 10th-ranked UCF Knights Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. Sunday's tilt is the 21st all-time 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. Following the match, SMU will host a free youth clinic. All children ages 14 and younger are welcome to participate.
The match will also have an impact off the pitch, as the Mustangs are hosting a "Go Green" match to raise mental health awareness. Position players will wear green pre-wrap, while the goalkeepers will wear green uniforms.
Following Thursday's fixture, Chris Petrucelli's club will play at pair on the east coast. The Mustangs will compete at Connecticut on Thursday, Oct. 12, before heading up to Temple on Sunday (Oct. 15). The tilt between at UConn between the Mustangs and Huskies will be streamed on the American Digital Network.
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 47 shots and 17 shots on goal
> Haley Thompson leads the team with five 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
ABOUT SMU: Following a 3-2 loss to USF on Thursday, the Mustangs hold a 5-4-3 record and a 0-2-1 mark in The American. Hannah Allred and Katharine Herron both posted strikes against the Bulls. Against New Mexico State, 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.
LAST TIME OUT (L, 3-2 at SMU): DALLAS (SMU) – A second-half comeback attempt fell short on Thursday night as the SMU women's soccer team was undone by a 3-2 score against the USF Bulls at Westcott Field. Trailing 3-0, freshman Hannah Allred put SMU on the board in the 67th minute of play. The sequence began with a Hailey Bishop pass back to Haley Thompson, who played a ball over the USF backline. Allred was able to collect the loose ball and finish from the top of the 18-yard box. The goal is the third of the season for Allred. Katharine Herron would cut the SMU deficit down to one, 3-2, in the 86th off an SMU set piece. Allie Thornton played a cross into the 18-yard box, where the ball ricocheted to Claire Oates. Oates flicked it on to Herron, who punched it in from 8-yard out. The goal is Herron's first of the season, and second of her career. Despite good late looks from the Mustang offense in the final minutes of play, USF was able to extinguish the final SMU push to close out play. USF scored in the 6th minute to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. The Bulls were able to jump to a 3-0 lead following goals in the 47th and 56th minutes.
SCOUTING UCF: The Knights enter Sunday's match ranked No. 10 in the United Soccer Coaches' poll, with an 8-1-1 record and a 4-0-1 league mark. UCF leads in The American standing with 13 points. UCF has scored 27 goals in 10 matches, an average of 2.70 per match. Morgan Ferrara leads the Central Florida attack with a team-high nine goals, 20 points and 18 shots on goal.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Sunday's meeting marks the 21st time SMU and UCF have faced off. The Knights lead the all-time series 13-6-1, but the last meeting between the two sides saw the Mustangs advance in the American Athletic Conference tournament on PKs.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE KNIGHTS: (D, 1-1 (SMU advanced on PKs 3-2): – STORRS, Conn. (SMU) – The No. 3-seeded SMU women's soccer team advanced to the American Athletic Conference Championship semifinals, advancing by way of penalty kicks, 3-2, at the Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. SMU goalkeeper Catie Brown recorded back-to-back diving penalty-kick saves, and Claire Oates netted the advancing penalty kick attempt to propel SMU past UCF. Deadlocked, 1-1, after two overtime periods, both teams converted two of the opening three penalty attempts. Between two straight saves by Brown, Oates sealed the Mustang victory as she converted SMU's fourth PK attempt. Vanessa Valadez and Allie Thornton also converted their attempts. Trailing 1-0 in the 71st minute, Oates scored the SMU equalizer, heading in a Haley Thompson corner kick. Oates now has nine goals this season, 19 in her career. Thompson now has eight assists this year, nine in her career. UCF struck first, as Carol Rodrigues scored in the fifth minute of the game.
UP NEXT: The Mustangs will compete at Connecticut on Thursday, Oct. 12, before heading up to Temple on Sunday (Oct. 15). The tilt between the Mustangs and Huskies will be streamed on the American Digital Network.
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 388-162-49 (.703) record.
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.
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)
THOR(NTON)'S HAMMER: Through 12 games in 2017, sophomore Allie Thornton leads SMU with 47 shots and 17 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.
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).
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.
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.
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)
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.
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
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
WESTCOTT FIELD: SMU clinched a winning season at Westcott Field in 2016 for the second consecutive season. Since opening in 1994, SMU holds a .711 winning percentage (158-58-21) at Westcott Field. In 23 seasons at Westcott, the Mustangs have finished .500 or better in 21 seasons, with three perfect seasons.
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.
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.
SMU Soccer Programs Earn 2016-17 Team Academic Awards: Both SMU soccer programs earned the United Soccer Coaches' (formerly the NSCAA) Team Academic Award on Thursday. The teams were recognized for their exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2016-17 academic year. SMU was one of 202 collegiate programs to have both their men and women's teams earn the award. The SMU women's team, which posted a 3.50 team grade-point average for the 2016-17 academic year, has earned the honor for the sixth consecutive season. The SMU men's soccer team earned the academic award for its second consecutive season following a 3.40 GPA. A total of 824 soccer teams (286 men, 538 women) earned the honor. To qualify for the award, the team must have a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 or higher for the entire academic year. The team GPA is determined by adding every player's GPA, then dividing by the number of players.
SMU Match Notes | UCF Notes | American Notes
Live Stream (PonyUp TV) | Live Stats
Facebook | Twitter
The SMU women's soccer team hosts the 10th-ranked UCF Knights Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. Sunday's tilt is the 21st all-time 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. Following the match, SMU will host a free youth clinic. All children ages 14 and younger are welcome to participate.
The match will also have an impact off the pitch, as the Mustangs are hosting a "Go Green" match to raise mental health awareness. Position players will wear green pre-wrap, while the goalkeepers will wear green uniforms.
Following Thursday's fixture, Chris Petrucelli's club will play at pair on the east coast. The Mustangs will compete at Connecticut on Thursday, Oct. 12, before heading up to Temple on Sunday (Oct. 15). The tilt between at UConn between the Mustangs and Huskies will be streamed on the American Digital Network.
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 47 shots and 17 shots on goal
> Haley Thompson leads the team with five 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
ABOUT SMU: Following a 3-2 loss to USF on Thursday, the Mustangs hold a 5-4-3 record and a 0-2-1 mark in The American. Hannah Allred and Katharine Herron both posted strikes against the Bulls. Against New Mexico State, 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.
LAST TIME OUT (L, 3-2 at SMU): DALLAS (SMU) – A second-half comeback attempt fell short on Thursday night as the SMU women's soccer team was undone by a 3-2 score against the USF Bulls at Westcott Field. Trailing 3-0, freshman Hannah Allred put SMU on the board in the 67th minute of play. The sequence began with a Hailey Bishop pass back to Haley Thompson, who played a ball over the USF backline. Allred was able to collect the loose ball and finish from the top of the 18-yard box. The goal is the third of the season for Allred. Katharine Herron would cut the SMU deficit down to one, 3-2, in the 86th off an SMU set piece. Allie Thornton played a cross into the 18-yard box, where the ball ricocheted to Claire Oates. Oates flicked it on to Herron, who punched it in from 8-yard out. The goal is Herron's first of the season, and second of her career. Despite good late looks from the Mustang offense in the final minutes of play, USF was able to extinguish the final SMU push to close out play. USF scored in the 6th minute to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. The Bulls were able to jump to a 3-0 lead following goals in the 47th and 56th minutes.
SCOUTING UCF: The Knights enter Sunday's match ranked No. 10 in the United Soccer Coaches' poll, with an 8-1-1 record and a 4-0-1 league mark. UCF leads in The American standing with 13 points. UCF has scored 27 goals in 10 matches, an average of 2.70 per match. Morgan Ferrara leads the Central Florida attack with a team-high nine goals, 20 points and 18 shots on goal.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Sunday's meeting marks the 21st time SMU and UCF have faced off. The Knights lead the all-time series 13-6-1, but the last meeting between the two sides saw the Mustangs advance in the American Athletic Conference tournament on PKs.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE KNIGHTS: (D, 1-1 (SMU advanced on PKs 3-2): – STORRS, Conn. (SMU) – The No. 3-seeded SMU women's soccer team advanced to the American Athletic Conference Championship semifinals, advancing by way of penalty kicks, 3-2, at the Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. SMU goalkeeper Catie Brown recorded back-to-back diving penalty-kick saves, and Claire Oates netted the advancing penalty kick attempt to propel SMU past UCF. Deadlocked, 1-1, after two overtime periods, both teams converted two of the opening three penalty attempts. Between two straight saves by Brown, Oates sealed the Mustang victory as she converted SMU's fourth PK attempt. Vanessa Valadez and Allie Thornton also converted their attempts. Trailing 1-0 in the 71st minute, Oates scored the SMU equalizer, heading in a Haley Thompson corner kick. Oates now has nine goals this season, 19 in her career. Thompson now has eight assists this year, nine in her career. UCF struck first, as Carol Rodrigues scored in the fifth minute of the game.
UP NEXT: The Mustangs will compete at Connecticut on Thursday, Oct. 12, before heading up to Temple on Sunday (Oct. 15). The tilt between the Mustangs and Huskies will be streamed on the American Digital Network.
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 388-162-49 (.703) record.
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.
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)
THOR(NTON)'S HAMMER: Through 12 games in 2017, sophomore Allie Thornton leads SMU with 47 shots and 17 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.
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).
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.
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.
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)
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.
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
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
WESTCOTT FIELD: SMU clinched a winning season at Westcott Field in 2016 for the second consecutive season. Since opening in 1994, SMU holds a .711 winning percentage (158-58-21) at Westcott Field. In 23 seasons at Westcott, the Mustangs have finished .500 or better in 21 seasons, with three perfect seasons.
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.
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.
SMU Soccer Programs Earn 2016-17 Team Academic Awards: Both SMU soccer programs earned the United Soccer Coaches' (formerly the NSCAA) Team Academic Award on Thursday. The teams were recognized for their exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2016-17 academic year. SMU was one of 202 collegiate programs to have both their men and women's teams earn the award. The SMU women's team, which posted a 3.50 team grade-point average for the 2016-17 academic year, has earned the honor for the sixth consecutive season. The SMU men's soccer team earned the academic award for its second consecutive season following a 3.40 GPA. A total of 824 soccer teams (286 men, 538 women) earned the honor. To qualify for the award, the team must have a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 or higher for the entire academic year. The team GPA is determined by adding every player's GPA, then dividing by the number of players.
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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F/MF
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/ Women's SoccerFriday, September 11
Thursday, September 10
Wednesday, September 09
Tuesday, September 08
