SMU (0-0-0, 0-0-0The American) vs. No. 17 Arkansas ( 0-0-0, 0-0-0 SEC)
Date & Kickoff Time	Fri., Aug. 18 at 7 p.m.
Location	Westcott Field - Dallas, Texas
Video	TV (Southeast Region Only): Cox Sports Television PonyUp TV Play-by-play: Steve Lansdale // Producer: Spencer Jones
Live Stats	Live Stats
Tickets	Free Admission
Game Info	SMU Game Notes Arkansas Game Notes
Facebook	SMU WSOC | SMU Mustangs
Twitter	@SMUSoccerW | @SMUMustangs

 

---

The SMU women's soccer team opens the regular season against No. 17 Arkansas Friday. The game is slated for 7:07 p.m. CT at Westcott Field. The match can be seen regionally on Cox Sports Television or via PonyUp TV on SMUMustangs.com.
 
ABOUT SMU: 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 advancing to the AAC Championship game.
 
QUICK HITS:
- 2016 Finals: 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 (advanced to the second round)
- The last time SMU won 13 or more game was in 2006 (17-5-1, 8-1-0 C-USA)
- Allie Thornton, Claire Oates and Vanessa Valadez were named AAC Preseason All-Conferece
- The Mustangs were picked to finish second in the American Athletic Conference
- Allie Thornton scored 10 goals in 2016, which is tied for 8th on SMU's goals by a freshman list
- Oates and Thornton were the first since Olivia O'Rear (13, 2006) to score 10+ goals in a season
- Thornton was the first freshman since Kimber Bailey (2004, 11) to score 10+ goals
- SMU finished the 2016 season in the top 25 in six NCAA statistical categories
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: SMU holds an 11-3 all-time record against Arkansas, with a 6-0 record at home. The series dates back to SMU's inaugural season, where the Mustangs topped the Razorbacks on Oct. 25, 1986. After the opening match, SMU won five straight games, before suffering a 2-0 loss in Fayetteville, Ark., on Sept. 19, 1993. Since 2000, the teams are 2-2, with Arkansas winning two of the last three. The Razorbacks won the most recent meeting, 3-2, in double overtime in Fayetteville, Ark., on April 25, 2013.
 
Arkansas (11-3)
H: 6-0, A: 3-3, N: 2-0
1986    O25     H          W         7-0
1987    O11     A          W         4-0
1988    O29     H          W         6-0
1990    S28      N@      W         4-0
1991    S21      A          W         2-0
1992    S30      H          W         3-1
1993    S19      A          L          0-2
1994    O28     H          W         2-0
1995    O28     A          W         4-0
1996    S2        H          W         3-1
2000    S3        N%       W         4-0
2011    A19      A          L          1-2
2012    A26      H          W         4-0
2013    A25      A          L          2-3
@ Fort Worth, Texas
% Baylor Tournament (Waco, Texas)
 
SCOUTING ARKANSAS: The Razorbacks finished the 2016 campaign with an 18-5-1 overall record, including an 8-3-0 mark in SEC play. Arkansas advanced to the second round of the 2016 NCAA tournament following a 2-1 victory over Memphis. The Razorbacks played to a 0-0 draw against No. 3 seed Clemson, but lost in the penalty kick shootout (4-2). Arkansas was picked to finish fifth in the SEC by the league head coaches. Arkansas returns 14 players from 2016, while bringing in 14 freshmen. Four Razorbacks were tabbed to the Southeastern Conference's preseason soccer watch list (Jessi Hartzler (SR, Def.); Carly Hoke (JR, Def.); Kayla McKeon (SO, F) and Stefani Doyle (SO, MF)). With the departure of Claire Kelley and Lindsey Mayo, the Razorbacks lose two of its four top offensive threats. Kayla McKeon is an offensive threat and coming off a nine-goal freshman campaign, where she earned 22 starts. Her nine goals were good enough for second on the team and ninth in the SEC. She was selected to the SEC All-Freshman team.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST ARKANSAS (L, 3-2 (2OT) at Fayetteville, Ark):
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (SMU) - The SMU Mustangs played evenly with former Southwest Conference foe Arkansas, but the Razorbacks managed to defend their home turf with a 3-2 double-overtime win in Fayetteville, Ark. A yellow card given to SMU gave the Razorbacks an opportunity to set up shop in the offensive end, and Ashleigh Ellenwood (Arkansas' leading scorer in 2012) nudged a goal past SMU goalkeeper Shannon Moroney for the win in the 102nd minute of play. After a scoreless opening half, Shelby Redman gave SMU a 1-0 lead early in the second half in the 47th minute. Redman capitalized on a Razorbacks defensive breakdown to tally her third goal in the first two games of 2013. Arkansas answered in the 61st minute with a strike from the left side of the box from Jeriann Okoro that beat Moroney. Less than 10 minutes later, the Razorbacks earned a deadly penalty kick that was converted by Taylor Green. SMU needed a tying effort and it got one almost immediately. Rachael Larson was able to beat Arkansas' goalie Cameron Carter off a free kick from Courtney Smith. The score would remain knotted a 2-2, even after Arkansas deflected its own shot away from an open net late in regulation. Redman, who tied for the team lead in 2012 with nine goals, is off to a hot start and Head Coach Chris Petrucelli has acknowledged her efforts. Smith assisted on both of SMU's goals, giving her 19 for her career and tying her for 16th all-time at SMU. Larson's goal was the third of her career. The loss comes two days after Petrucelli became just the 16th coach in Division I history to record 350 victories with a 6-1 home win over ULM.
 
UP NEXT: SMU will host No. 16 Oklahoma Sunday at 7 p.m. The game will be aired on PonyUp TV, with Steve Lansdale making the call. Live stats are also provided on SMUMustangs.com.
 
LAST TIME VERSUS OKLAHOMA (L, 1-0 at Norman, Okla.):
NORMAN, Okla. (SMU) – The [RV] SMU women's soccer team fell to No. 25 Oklahoma, 1-0, in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA DI Women's Soccer tournament, Friday night. The Mustangs finish their season with a 13-7-2 record, the best finish since 2006.
 
HEAD COACH CHRIS PETRUCELLI: Two-time National Coach of the Year and 1995 NCAA Championship Coach Chris Petrucelli enters his six 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 27 years as a head coach, Petrucelli has compiled a 383-158-46 (.692) record.
 
THOR(NTON)'S HAMMER: Sophomore forward Allie Thornton 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).
 
WINNER, WINNER!: Midfielder Claire Oates scored 10 goals in 216, six of which for game-winners. The six game-winning goals ranks her at ninth in the NCAA.

SCORE FAST, SCORE OFTEN: The SMU women's soccer team was 9-0-0 when scoring first, and is 6-0-0 when leading at halftime in 2016. 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 1-0 win against Memphis in the American Athletic Conference semifinal match was the 396th victory in SMU history. Since the beginning of the program in 1986, the program record is 396-204-45 (.649). 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.
 
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.
 
WESTCOTT FIELD: SMU clinched a winning season at Westcott Field in 2016 for the second consecutive season. Since opening in 1994, SMU holds a .717 winning percentage (154-55-19) at Westcott Field. In 23 seasons at Westcott, the Mustangs have finished .500 or better in 21 seasons, with three perfect seasons.
 
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
 
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.