Quick Facts
-SMU and FIU face off for the first time since 2010. The Mustangs lead the all-time series with a record of 6-1-1 including winning six in a row dating back to 1989.
--The Mustangs have only trailed for 33 minutes through five games this season. SMU has spent 49% of the season in the lead, 44% tied and just 7% of the campaign trailing (all against Long Beach State).
-Dating back to 2017, the Mustangs have won five consecutive matches at Westcott Field.
-Freshman
Celiana Torres and
Courtney Sebazco have made huge impacts early in their careers. Torres has two goals and two assist, one of three AAC players to reach both those marks and the only freshman to do so. Sebazco added a pair of goals in the season's second week.
-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.
-After last week's showing, SMU has earned votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the second consecutive week.
--Sebazco was named Rookie of the Week by the American Conference for her performance, the first Mustang winner since 2016.
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Allie Thornton has three of the eight 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 game and first since her freshman campaign in 2016. Thornton was named to the 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. The Mustangs nearly topped the DePaul performance when they scored twice in the first 20' against TCU.
--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.
--With the DePaul victory, SMU captured their third consecutive season-opening game.
SCOUTING FIU -- FIU comes into Westcott still searching for its first result of the season. The Panthers are on the back end of a two-game Texas swing as they fell in Lubbock to Texas Tech 6-0 on Friday night. FIU has been outscored 21-1 in their 2018 season.
UP NEXT: The Mustangs hit the road for their final two non-conference games of the regular season. On Thursday, SMU takes on Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo. followed by a short trip to Fort Collins and a matchup with Colorado State.
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 396-166-60 (.685). 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 finsihed 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 Panthers have met eight previous times. SMU holds the advantage 6-1-1 including six consecutive victories.
SEBAZCO's BREAKOUT WEEK: On Monday Aug. 28,
Courtney Sebazco was named Rookie of the Week by the American Athletic Conference. Sebazco scored early goals in each of SMU's two games over the second week of the season. The Fort Worth native started off by opening the scoring against Rice with a 10th minute goal as the Mustangs topped the Owls. On Sunday at TCU, Sebazco knocked home a goal in the 4th minute and went on to log 103 minutes in the game. Sebazco is the first SMU women's soccer player to win Rookie of the Week since
Allie Thornton in 2016.
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 nearly 30 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 396-166-60 (.685) 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 HBU, the Mustangs have won 20 of 23 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.
So far in 2018, freshman have tallied four goals and two assists through five games.
THORNTON'S 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 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.
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. Torres would tally her first career goal in the fourth game of the season on the road at TCU. Celiana added goal No. 2 to put the Mustangs ahead of HBU on Sep. 2.
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 downing HBU, the Mustangs have won five in a row at Westcott Field
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.
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.
