DALLAS (SMU) – Courtney Sebazco scored a pair of goals to lead the SMU women's soccer team to a 2-0 victory Sunday night against Northwestern State.

The senior from Fort Worth, Texas, began the scoring in the 17th minute of the first half. Sebazco was open just outside the 18-yard box when she received a pass from the left side of the field from Wayny Balata. Without hesitation, Sebazco buried the shot in the bottom left corner.

Nearly midway through the second half, the midfielder found herself with the ball in front of the net again. After intercepting a Northwestern State pass, Sebazco dribbled toward the left side of the box and launched it from the edge of the 18-yard box, across the face and into the bottom right corner.

"We wanted to put her (Sebazco) up around the goal. We know she is dangerous. We know she can score," head coach Chris Petrucelli said of his goal scorer after the match.
Wayny Balata led the Mustangs with six of 17 shots, including two on goal, but was denied both times. However, her pass led to the opening goal.

"I thought Wayny was really good," Petrucelli explained after the match. "Sometimes you can judge a striker by how many goals they score, but also, you've got to judge them by how they play, and she played quite well! She was really dangerous in her first game ever playing up there."

The win against the Lady Demons was the first match of the season for the Mustangs, after a weather-induced cancelation at Houston Baptist Thursday.

"I don't think there's a team in the country that was more excited just to play a game tonight than us, honestly, so it felt great to just be on the field together," Sebazco said after the win.

Samantha Estrada picked up the clean sheet, making just one save, but it was a save she was unable to make that sparked SMU to the win. With the match still scoreless, the Lady Demons struck with a corner kick that went untouched into the net. However, the officials ruled that Estrada was hit from behind and unable to play her position, thus disallowing the goal. Minutes later, SMU was up 1-0.

The Mustangs next game is Sunday at Baylor at 7 p.m.