No. 23 SMU (0-0-0) vs. Rice (0-0-0)
Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium - Dallas, Texas
Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, 7 p.m.
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Match Notes
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DALLAS (SMU) – The No. 23 SMU women's soccer team opens its fall schedule on Thursday at 7 p.m. against Rice.

Thursday's match represents both the first of Nicole Nelson's tenure as head coach of the Mustangs, along with being the first official competition at the newly-renovated Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium.

Returning Mustangs
• The Mustangs return 20 players from the 2021 season.
• Of the 18 returners, 9 saw play time in 2021.
• Returning Mustangs account for 21 of 28 goals scored (75%), 14 of 23 assists made (61%), and
52 of 79 points accrued (66%) throughout the 2021 season.
• SMU returns both of its veteran goalkeepers Samantha Estrada and Tatum Sutherland.

New Mustangs
• SMU added nine freshman and three transfer additions to its roster for 2022.
• Mayu Inokawa, a sophmore midfielder transfer from Iowa Western Community College hailing from Saitama, Japan, joins three other Mustangs who originate from outside the United States (Wayny Balata - Montreal, Quebec; Elizabeth Tse - Quebec City, Quebec; Jordina Colomer - Manlleu, Catalunya, Spain).
• Three 2022 additions are Dallas-area natives - USF transfer Hannah Wrigley (Lewisville); freshman Peyton Annen (Plano); freshman Jen Jackson (Dallas).

Scouting Rice
Rice, the consensus favorite in Conference USA preseason polls, is led by preseason All-CUSA selections Bella Kilgore (GK) and Delaney Schultz (MF). In 2021, Rice closed its season with a 10-5-3 record, falling in penalty kicks to Middle Tennessee in the opening round of the CUSA Tournament.

All-Time Against Rice
The Mustangs hold a 15-6-2 advantage in the all-time series against Rice.
• SMU is 7-1 at home against the Owls. The Mustangs' last home loss against Rice was a 1-0 defeat in 2011.

Coaches Corner
• Head coach Nicole Nelson opens her inaugural season as SMU head coach on Thursday against Rice.
• Nelson spent eight seasons as an Associate Head Coach and Assistant Coach for the Mustangs from 2012-2019 under previous head coach Chris Petrucelli.
• Prior to her time on the Hilltop, Nelson served as head coach at Oklahoma (2007-11), assistant coach under Petrucelli at Texas (2006-07), recruiting coordinator/assistant coach at Baylor (2005), and head coach at Stephen F. Austin (2002-04).

2022 AAC All-Preseason Team
Senior Wayny Balata and graduate senior Courtney Sebazco of the SMU women's soccer team were named to the 2022 American Athletic Conference All-Preseason team.

Balata, serving at midfield for the Mustangs, put together a career campaign in her junior season, finding the back of the net six times and adding two assists. Six goals on the season was a team-best, and the fifth-most in the league.

Sebazco proved to be a critical component of the Mustang offense last season, totaling four goals and four assists in 2021. The midfielder opened the fall with a two-goal performance in SMU's 2-0 shutout against eventual Southland Conference champion Northwestern State (8/22), and earned goals against Rice (9/12) and East Carolina (9/23).

2022 AAC Preseason Coaches Poll
 

1	Memphis (6)	62
2	South Florida (1)	52
3	SMU	48
	UCF (1)	48
5	Cincinnati	33
	Houston (1)	33
7	Temple	20
8	East Carolina	19
9	Tulsa	10

 
Balata and Sebazco Named All-Preseason Selections; Women's Soccer Ties for Third In Preseason Coaches Poll