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No. 16 SMU (6-1-3, 2-1-0 ACC) vs. No. 18 Duke (4-2-2, 2-1-1 ACC)
Koskinen Stadium - Durham, N.C.
Friday, Oct. 4 | 6 p.m. (CT)
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DALLAS (SMU) – No. 16 SMU travels to No. 18 Duke to resume Atlantic Coast Conference play, Friday.

The Mustangs enter the weekend with a 2-1-0 conference record, sitting at the sixth spot of the ACC standings with six points.

Duke is the fifth top-25 opponent that the Mustangs will play against this season. SMU is 2-1-1 against top 25 opponents with wins over No. 6 Saint Louis and No. 13 Virginia Tech.

Mustangs vs. Blue Devils

• This match will be the ninth meeting between SMU and Duke. Fifth meeting at Duke.
• In their previous meeting in 2019, the Mustangs won 2-0 in Durham against the then No. 2 Duke.
• The Mustangs lead the series in Durham 3-0-1. They lead the all-time series 5-2-1.
• Duke is currently fourth in the ACC standings with seven points after four conference matches, while SMU is sixth with six points after three conference matches.
• SMU has won all three previous meetings against Duke, two of which were in Durham.

Their Previous Meeting in Durham (2019)

• SMU won 2-0 over the then No. 2 Duke in 2019.
• No. 22 SMU improved to a perfect 6-0-0 on the season on Monday night by beating No. 2 Duke 2-0.
• In the 21st minute, Garrett McLaughlin broke away from the Blue Devils' backline and before he could put a shot on the net, he was tackled in the box, earning a penalty kick. McLaughlin took the penalty, but it was saved by Duke's Will Pulisic, leaving the score at 0-0.
• One minute later, McLaughlin got revenge when he used his right foot to beat Pulisic and put the Mustangs up 1-0. Assisting McLaughin was Knut Ahlander, who celebrated his birthday by registering his fifth assist of the season, the third most in the country.
• The two teams would trade blows for the remainder of the first half, with SMU creating more chances, but neither team found a goal before they went to the locker room.
• The dagger came in the 61st minute when McLaughlin returned the favor to Ahlander, allowing Ahlander to score the second goal of his SMU career, putting the Mustangs in complete control at 2-0. The Blue Devils tried to create more chances as they sent waves of attackers toward the Mustangs' net, but the SMU backline, with 153 combined starts, held firm until the final whistle, securing a 2-0 victory.

SMU vs The ACC

• The Mustangs have a 23-9-6 all-time record against current ACC teams.
• They are 2-1-0 in ACC play this season, including a win over No. 13 Virginia Tech.

On a Scoring Streak

• The Mustangs have scored at least one goal in 30 consecutive matches.
• Bailey Sparks started in all 30 matches where the Mustangs have scored at least one goal.

SMU vs Top-25 Opponents

• SMU is 2-1-1 against Top-25 opponents after defeating No. 13 Virginia Tech 2-0 on Sep. 20.
• No. 18 Duke will be SMU's fifth top-25 opponent this season.
• SMU has wins over No. 6 Saint Louis and No. 13 Virginia Tech, a draw against ninth-ranked Denver and a loss to No. 8 Pittsburgh.
• SMU has played four ranked teams this season, the most in the ACC.

Scouting the Blue Devils

• The current ACC leading goal-scorer, Adam Luckhurst, leads Duke's offense. Luckhurst has four goals in as many ACC matches.
• In all competitions, the Blue Devils lead the ACC in goals per game (3.38).
• An offensive minded team, the Blue Devlis have the highest goals-against average in all competitions in the ACC, they have allowed 1.63 goals per game this season.