Thursday, September 21
Memphis, Tenn.
7 p.m.
SMU
at
Memphis
SMU Opens League Play At Memphis Thursday
Sep 19 | Women's Soccer
Kickoff Slated For 7 p.m.
SMU Game Notes | Memphis Game Notes | American Notes
Video (Tiger Sports Network - $) | Live Stats
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The SMU women's soccer team begins its quest for the American Athletic Conference Championship Thursday evening, as it opens conference play against the Memphis Tigers at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex in Memphis, Tenn. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT., with live stats available on SMUMustangs.com. It will be the 14th time the two sides square off.
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Following Thursday's fixture, Chris Petrucelli's club heads to Tulsa for the 33rd all-time match against the Golden Hurricane. The match will kickoff at 1 p.m., with live stats available on SMUMustangs.com.
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QUICK HITS:
> 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
> SMU notched its 400th program history with a 1-0 win against TCU
> Vanessa Valadez leads the Mustangs with five goals, three game-winners
> Allie Thornton leads the team with 27 shots, 10 shots on goal
> Haley Thompson leads the team with four assists
> 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)
> The Mustangs were picked to finish second in the American Athletic Conference
> Thornton, Oates (10 g each) and Valadez (9 g) were named Preseason All-AAC
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ABOUT SMU: On the heels of a 4-1 loss against Baylor, the Mustangs enter Thursday's match with a 4-2-2 record. Vanessa Valadez extended her team-lead goal count to five goals, following a goal against Baylor. Claire Oates has tallied two goals on the 2017 campaign, while three players have one apiece. 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 (L, 4-1 at SMU): DALLAS (SMU) – The [rv] SMU women's soccer team fell to Baylor, 4-1, at Westcott Field. Vanessa Valadez opened scoring in the 9th minute to give SMU an early 1-0 lead. After beating a Baylor defender, freshman Hannah Allred served a pass across the 18 yard box, where a waiting Valadez punched it in from 12-yards out. The goal was her fifth of the season and 23rd of her career. Baylor found the equalizer in the 10th minute of play, as Camryn Wendlandt managed to net a weak header off a Jackie Crowther cross. Down 2-1 at halftime, the SMU offensive attack opened the second half with three threatening opportunities in the first 15 minutes. In the 56th minute, Claire Oates headed a Haley Thompson corner kick to the back post, but a diving Jennifer Wandt managed the save. A minute later, Allred nearly found the SMU equalizer, but Wandt just managed to get a hand on it to extinguish the threat. In the 59th minute, Allred fired a shot from the far, top corner of the 18-yard box, but the line-drive shot hit the crossbar. With SMU defenders drawn up to help offensive attack, Baylor took advantage and scored two more goals late to seal the win. Valadez led the Mustangs in shooting, firing four shots with three on frame. Allred managed a second-best three shots, two of which were on goal.
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SCOUTING MEMPHIS: The Tigers enter Thursday's match with a 6-3-0 record after three consecutive losses. Memphis has scored 25 goals in the first nine matches, an average of 2.78 per match. Elizabeth Woerner leads Memphis in goals (7), shots (30) and shots on goal (14).
ALL-TIME SERIES: Dating back to 2005, SMU and Memphis are meeting for the 14th time, with the Mustangs trailing the series 2-9-2. SMU is winless on the road at 0-4-1 all-time. SMU won the series opener in 2005, a 2-1 decision in Dallas. Following a year break in 2006, the two sides have played each other for ever year since 2007. In 2016, SMU and Memphis squared off twice, once in the regular-season, before a clashing in the American Athletic Conference tournament. The Tigers won 3-1 in Dallas on Oct. 20, before the Mustangs beat Memphis, 1-0 in the semifinal round of the AAC Tournament in Storrs, Conn.
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LAST TIME AGAINST BAYLOR (L, 2-0 at SMU on Sept. 1, 2013) – STORRS, Conn. (SMU) – The No.3-seeded SMU women's soccer team advanced to the American Athletic Conference Championship match Friday, topping second-seeded [RV] Memphis, 1-0, at the Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. Junior midfielder Claire Oates scored in the 85th minute to break the scoreless game, and send the Mustangs to their first championship match since 2004. With under six minutes left in regulation, Haley Thompson sent a curling corner kick into the box, where it got headed to Katharine Herron. The freshman played a perfect volley up to Oates, who headed it in past an unbalanced Maryse Bard-Martel. Oates is now tied for the team lead with 10 goals this season, and leads the team with six game-winning goals. She now has 20 career goals. Herron was awarded an assist, the second of her career. Sophomore goalkeeper Catie Brown recorded her fourth clean sheet of the season, recording three saves. She lowers her goals against average to 1.05.
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UP NEXT: SMU heads to Tulsa on Sunday for the second league match of the season. The game is slated for 1 p.m. CT and can be followed via live stats on SMUMustangs.com.
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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 387-160-48 (.700) record.
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WINNER, WINNER!: Senior midfielder Claire Oates netted a game-winning header in the 97th minute to propel the SMU women's soccer team to a 1-0 overtime win against No. 17 Arkansas Friday at Westcott Field. The 6-foot senior from Long Beach, Calif., scored 10 goals in 2016, six for game-winners. The six game-winning goals from a season ago ranked her at ninth in the NCAA.
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KEEP YOUR HEAD ABOUT YA: Senior midfielder Claire Oates has two header goals in 2017. In 2016, Oates tallied six header goals.
1 - 97' vs. No. 17 Arkansas (W, 1-0 OT)
2 - 79' at Gonzaga (D, 1-1)
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THOR(NTON)'S HAMMER: Through seven games, sophomore Allie Thornton leads SMU with 27 shots and 10 shots on goal. Against Sam Houston State, the forward scored his first goal of 2017. 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 3-1-0 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 .713Â winning percentage (157-57-20) 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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Video (Tiger Sports Network - $) | Live Stats
Facebook | Twitter
The SMU women's soccer team begins its quest for the American Athletic Conference Championship Thursday evening, as it opens conference play against the Memphis Tigers at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex in Memphis, Tenn. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT., with live stats available on SMUMustangs.com. It will be the 14th time the two sides square off.
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Following Thursday's fixture, Chris Petrucelli's club heads to Tulsa for the 33rd all-time match against the Golden Hurricane. The match will kickoff at 1 p.m., with live stats available on SMUMustangs.com.
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QUICK HITS:
> 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
> SMU notched its 400th program history with a 1-0 win against TCU
> Vanessa Valadez leads the Mustangs with five goals, three game-winners
> Allie Thornton leads the team with 27 shots, 10 shots on goal
> Haley Thompson leads the team with four assists
> 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)
> The Mustangs were picked to finish second in the American Athletic Conference
> Thornton, Oates (10 g each) and Valadez (9 g) were named Preseason All-AAC
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ABOUT SMU: On the heels of a 4-1 loss against Baylor, the Mustangs enter Thursday's match with a 4-2-2 record. Vanessa Valadez extended her team-lead goal count to five goals, following a goal against Baylor. Claire Oates has tallied two goals on the 2017 campaign, while three players have one apiece. 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 (L, 4-1 at SMU): DALLAS (SMU) – The [rv] SMU women's soccer team fell to Baylor, 4-1, at Westcott Field. Vanessa Valadez opened scoring in the 9th minute to give SMU an early 1-0 lead. After beating a Baylor defender, freshman Hannah Allred served a pass across the 18 yard box, where a waiting Valadez punched it in from 12-yards out. The goal was her fifth of the season and 23rd of her career. Baylor found the equalizer in the 10th minute of play, as Camryn Wendlandt managed to net a weak header off a Jackie Crowther cross. Down 2-1 at halftime, the SMU offensive attack opened the second half with three threatening opportunities in the first 15 minutes. In the 56th minute, Claire Oates headed a Haley Thompson corner kick to the back post, but a diving Jennifer Wandt managed the save. A minute later, Allred nearly found the SMU equalizer, but Wandt just managed to get a hand on it to extinguish the threat. In the 59th minute, Allred fired a shot from the far, top corner of the 18-yard box, but the line-drive shot hit the crossbar. With SMU defenders drawn up to help offensive attack, Baylor took advantage and scored two more goals late to seal the win. Valadez led the Mustangs in shooting, firing four shots with three on frame. Allred managed a second-best three shots, two of which were on goal.
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SCOUTING MEMPHIS: The Tigers enter Thursday's match with a 6-3-0 record after three consecutive losses. Memphis has scored 25 goals in the first nine matches, an average of 2.78 per match. Elizabeth Woerner leads Memphis in goals (7), shots (30) and shots on goal (14).
ALL-TIME SERIES: Dating back to 2005, SMU and Memphis are meeting for the 14th time, with the Mustangs trailing the series 2-9-2. SMU is winless on the road at 0-4-1 all-time. SMU won the series opener in 2005, a 2-1 decision in Dallas. Following a year break in 2006, the two sides have played each other for ever year since 2007. In 2016, SMU and Memphis squared off twice, once in the regular-season, before a clashing in the American Athletic Conference tournament. The Tigers won 3-1 in Dallas on Oct. 20, before the Mustangs beat Memphis, 1-0 in the semifinal round of the AAC Tournament in Storrs, Conn.
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ALL-TIME RECORD
2-9-2Â
HOME // 1-5-1Â Â Â Â AWAY // 0-4-1Â Â Â Â NEUTRAL // 1-0-0
GOALS FOR // 13Â Â Â Â GOALS AGAINST // 33Â
SMU STREAK // W1
LAST FIVE MATCHUPS
Oct. 10, 2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SMU 1 at Memphis 2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â LÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Memphis, Tenn.
Oct. 26, 2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SMU 1 vs. Memphis 4Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â LÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Dallas, Texas
Oct. 4, 2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SMU 0 at Memphis 2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â LÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Memphis, Tenn.
Oct. 20, 2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SMU 1 vs. Memphis 3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â LÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Dallas, Texas
Nov. 4, 2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SMU 1 vs. Memphis 0Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â WÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Storrs, Conn.^
^American Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinal
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LAST TIME AGAINST BAYLOR (L, 2-0 at SMU on Sept. 1, 2013) – STORRS, Conn. (SMU) – The No.3-seeded SMU women's soccer team advanced to the American Athletic Conference Championship match Friday, topping second-seeded [RV] Memphis, 1-0, at the Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. Junior midfielder Claire Oates scored in the 85th minute to break the scoreless game, and send the Mustangs to their first championship match since 2004. With under six minutes left in regulation, Haley Thompson sent a curling corner kick into the box, where it got headed to Katharine Herron. The freshman played a perfect volley up to Oates, who headed it in past an unbalanced Maryse Bard-Martel. Oates is now tied for the team lead with 10 goals this season, and leads the team with six game-winning goals. She now has 20 career goals. Herron was awarded an assist, the second of her career. Sophomore goalkeeper Catie Brown recorded her fourth clean sheet of the season, recording three saves. She lowers her goals against average to 1.05.
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UP NEXT: SMU heads to Tulsa on Sunday for the second league match of the season. The game is slated for 1 p.m. CT and can be followed via live stats on SMUMustangs.com.
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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 387-160-48 (.700) record.
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WINNER, WINNER!: Senior midfielder Claire Oates netted a game-winning header in the 97th minute to propel the SMU women's soccer team to a 1-0 overtime win against No. 17 Arkansas Friday at Westcott Field. The 6-foot senior from Long Beach, Calif., scored 10 goals in 2016, six for game-winners. The six game-winning goals from a season ago ranked her at ninth in the NCAA.
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KEEP YOUR HEAD ABOUT YA: Senior midfielder Claire Oates has two header goals in 2017. In 2016, Oates tallied six header goals.
1 - 97' vs. No. 17 Arkansas (W, 1-0 OT)
2 - 79' at Gonzaga (D, 1-1)
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THOR(NTON)'S HAMMER: Through seven games, sophomore Allie Thornton leads SMU with 27 shots and 10 shots on goal. Against Sam Houston State, the forward scored his first goal of 2017. 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 3-1-0 when scoring first. In 2016, the Mustangs were 9-0-0 when scoring first.
Â
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)
Â
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 .713Â winning percentage (157-57-20) at Westcott Field. In 23 seasons at Westcott, the Mustangs have finished .500 or better in 21 seasons, with three perfect seasons.
Â
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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/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
D
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D
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
F/MF
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's SoccerSunday, October 04
Sunday, October 04
Saturday, October 03
Saturday, October 03
