No. 21 SMU (5-1-3, 0-1 AAC) at Temple (0-3-4, 0-1 AAC)
Temple Sports Complex – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Thursday, Sept. 22 | 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT
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SMU Notes | The American | Temple
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SETTING THE SCENE
•    The Mustangs return to American Athletic Conference play with a road match at Temple on Thursday.
•    SMU is 5-1-3 after a 1-0 win over Baylor in the final non-conference match of the season. Mackenzie Rudden had a header in the 24th minute off service from Courtney Sebazco. The Mustangs finished 5-0-3 outside of conference in the regular season.
•    Rudden earner her first AAC Weekly Honor Roll after scoring the goal against Baylor.
•    The Mustangs are 0-0-3 on the road this season. SMU scored first in the draws at then-No. 11 Tennessee and Oklahoma, while having to find the net in the 88th minute for the tie at San Francisco.
•    The Mustangs are 5-1 at home this season and 13-2-1 at home over the past two seasons.
•    The Mustangs loss to ECU ended an unbeaten streak through the first seven matches, which is the second-longest unbeaten start for SMU. The only longer streak was the first 24 matches of the 1995 season when the Mustangs finished 23-1-1 and reached the College Cup semifinals.

AAC LEADERS
•    SMU is leading the league in save percentage (.870) and is second in goals against average (.667). Julissa Cisneros is leading the AAC (25th NCAA) with six goals and ranks second in the league with two game-winners.

LEADING MUSTANGS
•    Graduate senior Courtney Sebazco - MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List honoree and preseason All-AAC selection - has two goals and three assists (T-2nd AAC) on the season. She has already been AAC Offensive Player of the Week twice this season.
•    Julissa Cisneros leads the AAC  scoring with six goals (25th NCAA) and Sammy Nieves has a goal and a three assists (T-2nd AAC). Cisneros was on the AAC Weekly Honor Roll for Sept. 5  and Sept. 12.
•    Senior goalkeeper Samantha Estrada, has 28 saves and allowed just three goals in 521 minutes. She has two AAC Weekly Honor Roll nods in 2022. Tatum Sutherland has also allowed just three goals in 288 minutes.

BALANCED SCORING
•    Seven Mustangs have scored at least one goal already this season and 10 have recorded at least one point. 

HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
•    Courtney Sebazco was named to the preseason Hermann Trophy Watch List. She has two goals and three assists. The preseason All-AAC honoree has garnered AAC Offensive Player of the Week twice and was on College Soccer News Team of the Week for Aug. 22.

LAST TIME OUT
•    No. 19 SMU improved to 5-1-3 on the season with a 1-0 victory over Baylor at Washburne Stadium on Sunday. Mackenzie Rudden scored her first goal of the season, heading the ball into the left side of the net in the 24th minute. She redirected a feed from Courtney Sebazco, the third assist of the season. The SMU defense held Baylor to just six shots and only two were on goal. This was the first solo shutout of the season for Sutherland and the 11th of her career. She had combined with Samantha Estrada for two other shutouts this season. The Mustangs have allowed just six goals on the season, with four shutouts.
SERIES HISTORY
•    SMU is 10-1 against Temple, six straight wins. The Mustangs won 2-0 at home last season.

UP NEXT
•     SMU has a week until hosting USF on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m.

SMU in 2021
•    SMU was 12-5-2 overall (4-2-2 AAC).
•    All 4 AAC wins were shutouts.
•    The Mustangs were 8-1-1 at home and 4-4-1 on the road.
•    11 different players scored, with seven hitting the back of the net more than once.
•    SMU outscored opponents 27-17 with 10 shutouts.
•    SMU advanced in the NCAA Tournament with a 2-0 win against No. 21 Texas. 

 IN THE TOP 25
•     SMU is No. 21 in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll (Sept. 20). The high this season was No. 15 on Aug. 23 and Aug. 30.  
•    SMU has been ranked in 16 straight United Soccer Coaches Top 25 polls (last 10 of 2021 and the first six of 2022).
•    SMU was No. 21 in the final poll last season after being as high as No. 14 twice in 2021.
•    SMU was ranked No. 3, the highest ranking in program history, in the final poll at the end of the 1995 season after advancing to the 1995 College Cup, finishing with a 23-1-1 record. 

COACHES CORNER
•     First-year head coach Nicole Nelson previously 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). 

RETURNING MUSTANGS
• The Mustangs return 20 players from the 2021 season.
• Of the 18 returners, 9 saw playing 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 returned both of its primary goalkeepers in Samantha Estrada and Tatum Sutherland.

NEW MUSTANGS
• SMU added nine freshman and three transfer additions to its roster for 2022. 
•    Mayu Inokawa, a sophomore midfielder transfer from Iowa Western Community College hailing from Saitama, Japan, joins two other Mustangs who originate from outside the United States (Wayny Balata - Montreal, 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). 

2022 AAC All-Preseason Team
• Wayny Balata and Courtney Sebazco were named to the American Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference Team.
• Senior midfielder Balata scored a team-high six goals in 2021, and added two assists for a total of 14 points. 
•    Sebazco logged four goals and four assists on the year, earning 12 points for the Mustangs. 


2022 AAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1    Memphis (6)    62
2    South Florida (1)    52
3    UCF (1)        48
    SMU        48
5    Cincinnati    33
    Houston (1)    33
7    Temple        20
8    East Carolina    19
9    Tulsa        10

FIRST-PLACE VOTES IN PARENTHESIS

ESPN+ COVERAGE
• This season, all of SMU's home matches will be
featured on ESPN+ along with most away
games. Stay up-to-date on coverage information
on SMUMustangs.com.

2022 HONORS & AWARDS
• Preseason All-AAC
    Wayny Balata, Courtney Sebazco
• Hermann Trophy Watch List
    Courtney Sebazco
•    College Soccer News National Team of the Week
    Aug. 22 - Courtney Sebazco
• AAC Weekly Honors
    Aug. 22
    Courtney Sebazco (Offensive Player of the Week)
    Peyton Annen (Rookie of the Week)
    Samantha Estrada (Honor Roll)
    Aug. 29
    Sammy Nieves (Honor Roll)
    Sept. 5
    Courtney Sebazco (Offensive Player of the Week)
    Julissa Cisneros (Honor Roll)
    Samantha Estrada (Honor Roll)
    Sept. 12
    Julissa Cisneros (Honor Roll)
    Sept. 19
    Mackenzie Rudden (Honor Roll)