SMU (2-1-0, 0-0-0 American) at TCU (3-0-0, 0-0-0 Big 12)
Garvey Rosenthal Soccer Stadium – Fort Worth, Texas.
Aug. 26, 2018 – 6 p.m. CT
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The Mustangs wrap up a three-game road swing with a 6 p.m. Sunday tilt with crosstown rival TCU. 

SMU is fresh off a Thursday road win, 2-1, against former conference foe Rice. After the Owls tied up the contest in the second half, the Mustangs capitalized on a late chance that saw junior Allie Thornton blast home the game-winner in the 77th minute. The victory pushed SMU to 2-1-0 on the season. 

Quick Facts
-SMU meets TCU for the seventh consecutive season. Last season, the Mustangs improved to 28-3-2 in the all-time series with a 1-0 home win over the Horned Frogs. 
-With the DePaul victory, SMU captured their third consecutive season-opening game. 
-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.
-In goal, the Mustangs have used the combo of Catie Brown and Samantha Estrada. The pairing has held the opponent to no more than one goal in every contest. 
-Allie Thornton has both three of the four SMU goals this season knocking home two goals in the first 17 minutes against DePaul and the eventual game-winner against Rice. 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 roll 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 TCU -- TCU comes in to Sunday's matchup having won each of their three games for the season. They began the campaign with two 1-0 wins, over Alabama and McNeese State respectively.  They followed that up with a 4-0 beating of SFA on Thursday. TCU has yet to be scored and have themselves scored six goals. On the season, the Horned Frogs have taken 33 corner kicks and conceded only two. TCU doesn't't play a road game until September 2. 

UP NEXT: The Mustangs return home to Westcott field next Sunday for a contest against Houston Baptist. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and can be streamed live on PonyUpTV 

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 Rice win Petrucelli's career record stands at 395-166-49 (.688). The 400-win mark has been achieved by seven D-1 coaches, six of which are active. 

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 63 caps in her career and fellow senior Haley Thompson had a team-high 17 career assists.

ALL-TIME SERIES: The Mustangs and the Horned Frogs have met up 33 times previously on the pitch. SMU holds a dominate lead in the all-time series 28-3-2. SMU snapped a three-game losing streak against TCU last season with a 1-0 win at home. SMU won 27 of the first 29 meetings, only suffering two ties over that time. Sunday's meeting is the earliest the two teams have ever met. 

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 395-166-49 (.688) 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.

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.

In 2018, freshman have scored one of the four goals and chipped in two assists.

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.

THORNTON SPOTLIGHT: 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 408-210-48 (.648). The Mustangs have been led by six different coaches over that span.

2018 AAC HONORS: 
Allie Thornton – Weekly Honor Roll (Aug. 21)

2017 AAC HONORS: 
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 during the DePaul game she assisted on a goal. Torres logged 78 minutes in the opener and was one of three freshman to start on opening day. Torres added another assist in her third career game against Rice. 

2018 AAC PRESEASON HONORS: The American Athletic Conference announced 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. 

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.