Thursday, August 23
Houston, Texas
7 p.m.
SMU
at
Rice
Aug 21 | Women's Soccer
SMU (1-1-0, 0-0-0Â American) at Rice (0-1-0, 0-0-0 CUSA)
Holloway Field – Houston, Texas.
Aug. 23, 2018 – 7 p.m. CT
Video  Live Stats
SMU Notes | Rice Notes | American NotesÂ
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HOUSTON (SMU) -Â Looking to rebound after dropping a road contest against Long Beach State, the SMU women's soccer team travels to Houston for a 7 p.m. Thursday showdown with the Rice Owls at Holloway Field.Â
SMU is coming off an opening weekend that saw the Mustangs split the two contests. The squad dispatched of DePaul 2-1 on the opening night at Westcott Field before dropping a tight game, 1-0, while on the road at Long Beach State.Â
Quick Facts
-SMU meets Rice for the first time since the Mustang's move to the American Athletic Conference.
-With the DePaul victory, SMU captured their third consecutive season-opening game.Â
-The Mustangs were picked to finish fifth in the American Athletic Conference with junior Allie Thornton being named preseason All-Conference by the league's coaches.
-Rice and SMU have met 20 previous times with the Mustangs holding a 12-6-2 edge. In their last meeting in 2015, the two squads drew 1-1.
-Senior Keeper Catie Brown has played the first half of both contests and kept her opponents off the board in both halves.Â
-Allie Thornton has both SMU goals this season knocking home the two goals in the first 17 minutes against DePaul. It was the junior striker's fourth multi-goal and first since her freshman campaign in 2016. Thornton was named to American Athletic Conference week one honor with her performance
-Two goals in the first 16:50 against DePaul were SMU's fastest two scores since 2016 against Tulsa when the Mustangs found the back of the net twice in the first 4:22.
--22 of the 26 SMU goals scored in 2017 were credited to returnees. Additionally, the Mustangs bring back 83% of total minutes played from last season's team.
SCOUTING RICE -- The Owls are coming off a season-opening loss to Texas, 3-0 in Houston. The Longhorns scored a pair of first half goals to distance themselves before finishing off the Owls with a late second-half goal.  The Owls are coming off a season where the brought home a CUSA title posting a 9-0-1 record in conference. Rice made it back to the NCAA Tournament and faced off with Baylor who knocked off the Owls on a 74th-minute goal, 2-3. The team returns eight starters from the conference  title-winning squad.
UP NEXT: The Mustangs conclude their three-game road swing with a trip to Fort Worth for a matchup with TCU. The game is set to be televised on FSSW+ and will be played at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
PETRUCELLI APPROACHING 400:  Head Coach Chris Petrucelli began the 2018 campaign with 393 wins to his name. Petrucelli won 175 games during his time at Notre Dame and 165 while coaching Texas. After the DePaul winPetrucelli's career record stands at 394-166-49 (.687). The 400-win mark has been achieved by seven D-1 coaches, six of which are active.Â
RETURNING NOTABLES –  SMU returns nine of 11 starters from a squad last season that advanced to the semifinals of the American Conference Tournament and finished 4-4-1 in conference play. Notably, 22 of the 26 goals scored in 2017 were scored by returnees and the Mustangs also bring back 83% of total minutes played from last season's team.
Junior forward Allie Thornton leads all returnees with 11 points in the 2017 campaign. The striker also netted four goals and chipped in with three assists. The Ponies return keeper Catie Brown, who started in goal for every game of last season recording 67 saves and eight shutout victories. Other notable returners include Vanessa Valadez, who began her career with the Mustangs in 2014 and has recorded 23 goals in her time on the Hilltop. Blair Thorpe has played more games than any returner with 62 caps in her career and fellow senior Haley Thompson had a team-high 17 career assists.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Mustangs and the Owls have faced off 20 times previously on the pitch. SMU won the first eight matchups in the series and didn't drop a game in regulation in any of the first 15 meetings. Â The All-time series stands at 12-6-2 in favor of SMU. Thursday marks the first non-conference soccerÂ
SEASON OPENER: With the 2-1 win over DePaul, SMU won their third consecutive opening match. Last season the Mustangs beat No. 17 Arkansas with a golden goal from Claire Oates. The season prior, SMU came out on the right end of a 6-0 result against Northwestern State.
COACHING CORNER: Two-time National Coach of the Year and 1995 NCAA Championship Coach Chris Petrucelli is entering his seventh season at the helm of the SMU Women's Soccer program. 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. Now underway with his 29th season as a head coach, Petrucelli has compiled a 394-166-49 (.687) record. In his seventh season at SMU, Petrucelli has a 54-55-13 (.492) record.
Petrucelli is one of nine active coaches to win a National Championship and is one of just five active coaches to lead his team to the National Title game on three occasions.
PUT IT ON THE BOARD: During the 2017 season, SMU women's soccer team was 9-2-0 when scoring first. After holding on to the lead against DePaul the Mustangs have won 19 of 21 in which they score first over the last three seasons.
AMERICANÂ CONFRENCEÂ ROUNDUP: The American Athletic Conference got out to a hot start in regular season play by sweeping the first day of competition. All four teams in action on Thursday August 16 came away with wins. Through eight games the conference has posted a 4-3-1 record.Â
YOUNG AND DANGEROUS: In 2017, SMU freshmen accounted for eight of SMU's 25 goals (32 percent), all with at least two strikes. Hannah Allred led the freshmen and finished second on the team with four goals. Both Isabelle Nashmi and Katia Novi buried a pair of goals.
KEEP YOUR HEAD ABOUT YA: SMU had seven header goals last season, three by senior midfielder Claire Oates, two by defender Katharine Herron and one by Isabelle Nashmi and Vanessa Valadez.
THOR(NTON)'S HAMMER: In 2017, junior Allie Thornton led SMU with 61 shots (2nd AAC) and 22 shots on goal. The striker had four goals on the year, recording three during the regular season, one against Temple, Tulsa and Sam Houston State. The sophomore netted her fourth against Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals. 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.
MILESTONE 400!: Redshirt senior 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 407-210-48 (.648). The Mustangs have been lef by six different coaches over that span.
2017 AAC HONORS:Â
Claire Oates – First Team All-Conference (Oct. 31)
Allie Thornton – Second Team All-Conference (Oct. 31)
Hannah Allred – All-Rookie Team (Oct. 31), Weekly Honor Roll (Oct. 30)
Isabelle Nashmi – All-Rookie Team (Oct. 31), Weekly Honor Roll (Aug. 28)
Catie Brown – Goalkeeper of the Week (Aug. 28), Weekly Honor Roll (Oct. 23)
Vanessa Valadez – Weekly Honor Roll (Sept. 5)
Katia Novi – Weekly Honor Roll (Oct. 23)
Haley Thompson – Weekly Honor Roll (Oct. 30)
TORRES WASTING NO TIME:  Celiana Torres began her career with a bang as seven minutes into her SMU career she assisted on a goal. Torres logged 78 minutes in the opener and was one of three freshman to start on opening day.
2018 AAC PRESEASON HONORS: The American Athletic Conference annoucned their preseason rankings and preseason all-conference teams on Monday August 13th. The Coaches selected SMU to finish fifth in the conference, just one point back of fourth place Cincinnati. Junior Allie Thornton was an all-conference selection at striker. Thornton led the Ponies in scoring last season with 11 points scoring four goals and tallying three assists.Â
WESTCOTT FIELD: With the win against No. 21 Cincinnati on Oct. 22 of last season, SMU clinched a winning season at Westcott Field for the third consecutive season. Since opening in 1994, SMU holds a .712 winning percentage (162-59-20) at Westcott Field. In 23 seasons at Westcott, the Mustangs have finished .500 or better in 22 seasons, with three perfect seasons. After taking down DePaul, the Mustangs have won five in a row at Westcott Field
FREE SOCCER!: Adding to its menu of free, family-friendly events, SMU Athletics continues to offer free admission to all Mustang soccer matches for the second consecutive season. 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.
Holloway Field – Houston, Texas.
Aug. 23, 2018 – 7 p.m. CT
Video  Live Stats
SMU Notes | Rice Notes | American NotesÂ
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
HOUSTON (SMU) -Â Looking to rebound after dropping a road contest against Long Beach State, the SMU women's soccer team travels to Houston for a 7 p.m. Thursday showdown with the Rice Owls at Holloway Field.Â
SMU is coming off an opening weekend that saw the Mustangs split the two contests. The squad dispatched of DePaul 2-1 on the opening night at Westcott Field before dropping a tight game, 1-0, while on the road at Long Beach State.Â
Quick Facts
-SMU meets Rice for the first time since the Mustang's move to the American Athletic Conference.
-With the DePaul victory, SMU captured their third consecutive season-opening game.Â
-The Mustangs were picked to finish fifth in the American Athletic Conference with junior Allie Thornton being named preseason All-Conference by the league's coaches.
-Rice and SMU have met 20 previous times with the Mustangs holding a 12-6-2 edge. In their last meeting in 2015, the two squads drew 1-1.
-Senior Keeper Catie Brown has played the first half of both contests and kept her opponents off the board in both halves.Â
-Allie Thornton has both SMU goals this season knocking home the two goals in the first 17 minutes against DePaul. It was the junior striker's fourth multi-goal and first since her freshman campaign in 2016. Thornton was named to American Athletic Conference week one honor with her performance
-Two goals in the first 16:50 against DePaul were SMU's fastest two scores since 2016 against Tulsa when the Mustangs found the back of the net twice in the first 4:22.
--22 of the 26 SMU goals scored in 2017 were credited to returnees. Additionally, the Mustangs bring back 83% of total minutes played from last season's team.
SCOUTING RICE -- The Owls are coming off a season-opening loss to Texas, 3-0 in Houston. The Longhorns scored a pair of first half goals to distance themselves before finishing off the Owls with a late second-half goal.  The Owls are coming off a season where the brought home a CUSA title posting a 9-0-1 record in conference. Rice made it back to the NCAA Tournament and faced off with Baylor who knocked off the Owls on a 74th-minute goal, 2-3. The team returns eight starters from the conference  title-winning squad.
UP NEXT: The Mustangs conclude their three-game road swing with a trip to Fort Worth for a matchup with TCU. The game is set to be televised on FSSW+ and will be played at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
PETRUCELLI APPROACHING 400:  Head Coach Chris Petrucelli began the 2018 campaign with 393 wins to his name. Petrucelli won 175 games during his time at Notre Dame and 165 while coaching Texas. After the DePaul winPetrucelli's career record stands at 394-166-49 (.687). The 400-win mark has been achieved by seven D-1 coaches, six of which are active.Â
RETURNING NOTABLES –  SMU returns nine of 11 starters from a squad last season that advanced to the semifinals of the American Conference Tournament and finished 4-4-1 in conference play. Notably, 22 of the 26 goals scored in 2017 were scored by returnees and the Mustangs also bring back 83% of total minutes played from last season's team.
Junior forward Allie Thornton leads all returnees with 11 points in the 2017 campaign. The striker also netted four goals and chipped in with three assists. The Ponies return keeper Catie Brown, who started in goal for every game of last season recording 67 saves and eight shutout victories. Other notable returners include Vanessa Valadez, who began her career with the Mustangs in 2014 and has recorded 23 goals in her time on the Hilltop. Blair Thorpe has played more games than any returner with 62 caps in her career and fellow senior Haley Thompson had a team-high 17 career assists.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Mustangs and the Owls have faced off 20 times previously on the pitch. SMU won the first eight matchups in the series and didn't drop a game in regulation in any of the first 15 meetings. Â The All-time series stands at 12-6-2 in favor of SMU. Thursday marks the first non-conference soccerÂ
SEASON OPENER: With the 2-1 win over DePaul, SMU won their third consecutive opening match. Last season the Mustangs beat No. 17 Arkansas with a golden goal from Claire Oates. The season prior, SMU came out on the right end of a 6-0 result against Northwestern State.
COACHING CORNER: Two-time National Coach of the Year and 1995 NCAA Championship Coach Chris Petrucelli is entering his seventh season at the helm of the SMU Women's Soccer program. 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. Now underway with his 29th season as a head coach, Petrucelli has compiled a 394-166-49 (.687) record. In his seventh season at SMU, Petrucelli has a 54-55-13 (.492) record.
Petrucelli is one of nine active coaches to win a National Championship and is one of just five active coaches to lead his team to the National Title game on three occasions.
PUT IT ON THE BOARD: During the 2017 season, SMU women's soccer team was 9-2-0 when scoring first. After holding on to the lead against DePaul the Mustangs have won 19 of 21 in which they score first over the last three seasons.
AMERICANÂ CONFRENCEÂ ROUNDUP: The American Athletic Conference got out to a hot start in regular season play by sweeping the first day of competition. All four teams in action on Thursday August 16 came away with wins. Through eight games the conference has posted a 4-3-1 record.Â
YOUNG AND DANGEROUS: In 2017, SMU freshmen accounted for eight of SMU's 25 goals (32 percent), all with at least two strikes. Hannah Allred led the freshmen and finished second on the team with four goals. Both Isabelle Nashmi and Katia Novi buried a pair of goals.
KEEP YOUR HEAD ABOUT YA: SMU had seven header goals last season, three by senior midfielder Claire Oates, two by defender Katharine Herron and one by Isabelle Nashmi and Vanessa Valadez.
THOR(NTON)'S HAMMER: In 2017, junior Allie Thornton led SMU with 61 shots (2nd AAC) and 22 shots on goal. The striker had four goals on the year, recording three during the regular season, one against Temple, Tulsa and Sam Houston State. The sophomore netted her fourth against Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals. 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.
MILESTONE 400!: Redshirt senior 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 407-210-48 (.648). The Mustangs have been lef by six different coaches over that span.
2017 AAC HONORS:Â
Claire Oates – First Team All-Conference (Oct. 31)
Allie Thornton – Second Team All-Conference (Oct. 31)
Hannah Allred – All-Rookie Team (Oct. 31), Weekly Honor Roll (Oct. 30)
Isabelle Nashmi – All-Rookie Team (Oct. 31), Weekly Honor Roll (Aug. 28)
Catie Brown – Goalkeeper of the Week (Aug. 28), Weekly Honor Roll (Oct. 23)
Vanessa Valadez – Weekly Honor Roll (Sept. 5)
Katia Novi – Weekly Honor Roll (Oct. 23)
Haley Thompson – Weekly Honor Roll (Oct. 30)
TORRES WASTING NO TIME:  Celiana Torres began her career with a bang as seven minutes into her SMU career she assisted on a goal. Torres logged 78 minutes in the opener and was one of three freshman to start on opening day.
2018 AAC PRESEASON HONORS: The American Athletic Conference annoucned their preseason rankings and preseason all-conference teams on Monday August 13th. The Coaches selected SMU to finish fifth in the conference, just one point back of fourth place Cincinnati. Junior Allie Thornton was an all-conference selection at striker. Thornton led the Ponies in scoring last season with 11 points scoring four goals and tallying three assists.Â
WESTCOTT FIELD: With the win against No. 21 Cincinnati on Oct. 22 of last season, SMU clinched a winning season at Westcott Field for the third consecutive season. Since opening in 1994, SMU holds a .712 winning percentage (162-59-20) at Westcott Field. In 23 seasons at Westcott, the Mustangs have finished .500 or better in 22 seasons, with three perfect seasons. After taking down DePaul, the Mustangs have won five in a row at Westcott Field
FREE SOCCER!: Adding to its menu of free, family-friendly events, SMU Athletics continues to offer free admission to all Mustang soccer matches for the second consecutive season. 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.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
F/MF
/ Women's Soccer
F/MF
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's SoccerSunday, October 25
Saturday, October 24
Saturday, October 24
Wednesday, October 21
