By Alex Riley 
Special to SMUMustangs.com
 
DALLAS (SMU) – When change came during the offseason, senior midfielder Wayny Balata and her SMU women's soccer teammates discussed the best way to approach things. 

With a roster featuring a plethora of returning talent, the Mustangs decided the best approach was simple - keep it consistent. 
 
"We've always kept a positive mindset and we've tried to control the controllables," Balata said. "A lot of it was kind of out of our hands, so we're just trying to make the most of what we've got. Now that everything is settled in and we've got a new staff and know where we're going, now it's about meeting those objectives."
 
Ironically, even change was somewhat wrapped in elements of consistency. 
 
New head coach Nicole Nelson is a familiar face, having served as an assistant coach for eight seasons before stepping away in 2020. She returned after Chris Petrucelli took the head coaching position with Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL. 
 
What Nelson inherited when she came back to the Hilltop was a roster featuring familiar players and a program fresh off its first NCAA Tournament appearance in five years and first postseason win in more than a decade. She returns a combined seven All-AAC selections between the first, second and rookie teams and added new faces through the transfer portal and high school recruiting who are expected to contribute immediately. Entering the season, SMU is ranked No. 23 in United Soccer Coaches preseason poll and predicted to finish among the top three in the American Athletic Conference. 
 
All of that is important, but for Nelson it's not about talent, expectations or wins and losses. 
 
"I've had championship teams over the years, been on championship teams. They don't talk about winning a championship – they talk about pranking each other in the hotel room and laughs that they had," Nelson said. "It's about the memories they make and the relationships they develop and the skill set that comes from having to be uncomfortable and the growth that comes with that."
 
Much of the preseason work has been focused on starting to make those memories and meshing the new talent with the old. Team bonding, both on and off the field, has been ongoing. 
 
And, at each turn, the fresh faces have continued to impress. 
 
"There's always going to be some growing pains but in the end they're probably one of the best freshmen groups I've ever seen – very athletic, very knowledgeable, very accountable and self-aware," graduate forward Jewel Boland said. 
 
And, very soon, everyone will know if that new and old talent has gelled.
 
Thursday's season opener pits SMU against a solid Rice team at the newly minted Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium, an environment which players are eager to call home. That will be followed by a trip to No. 11 Tennessee on Sunday.
 
It's a lofty start for a team facing a fair amount of change. The goals, however, remain the same.  
 
"I think the expectations are even higher than they were last year, especially coming off of a successful season but we just have to make sure not to think about the past and be in the present," graduate midfielder Katina Tsapos said.