SMU Host No. 9 Stanford On Senior Night | Saturday 7 pm CT
Oct 4 | Women's Soccer
SMU (6-4-2, 2-1-2 ACC) vs No. 9 Stanford (10-1-1, 2-1-1 ACC)
Washburne Stadium- Dallas, Texas
Saturday, Oct. 5Â | 7Â p.m. (CT)
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// SETTING THE SCENE
Washburne Stadium- Dallas, Texas
Saturday, Oct. 5Â | 7Â p.m. (CT)
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// SETTING THE SCENE
- The SMU women's soccer program continues its inaugural season in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) by hosting No. 9 Stanford on Saturday inside Washburne Stadium.
- Saturday is Senior Night for the Mustangs as five seniors, Mackenzie Rudden, Sophie King, Layla Garcia-Moreno, Abby Hampton and Sierra Cota-Yarde will be honored after the match. Fans also stop by the marketing table and receive SMU thunder sticks while supplies last.
- The Mustangs will look to get back in the win column after dropping their first ACC match against Duke last time out. SMU started conference action 2-0-2Â as the team defeated Syracuse (4-1) and Boston College (1-0) in its first two matches before drawing Miami (3-3) on the road and the No. 2 Florida State (1-1) at home.
- The ACC placed a nation-best eight teams in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll, the most by the conference this season. The league's five teams in the top 10 included Duke at No. 2, North Carolina at No. 3, Wake Forest at No. 4, Florida State at No. 6 and Stanford at No. 9. Notre Dame is No. 17, California debuted at No. 18 and Virginia rounds out the poll at No. 25.
- With five matches remaining, SMU currently sits fifth in the conference rankings with eight points. Only the top six teams in the ACC advance to the conference tournament.
- This season will mark the 39th year of women's soccer on the Hilltop and the third under head coach Nicole Nelson. The Mustangs are 16-6-3Â at home under Nelson.
- Saturday's match will be the sixth overall meeting and the first in 20 years between the two programs. The last time the teams faced each other was in 2004.
- The match is also the first time SMU and Stanford will face each other as conference opponents as both universities joined the ACC this year. The Mustangs will face the other newcomer, California, on Oct. 26.
- Â Stanford leads the overall series 3-2. It will be the first time in the series' history that the match will be played in Dallas.
- With Stanford being ranked No.9 in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, it will be the Mustang's third straight opponent that has held a national top-10 ranking. The last time SMU defeated a team ranked inside the top 10 was in 2012 when the team defeated No. 8 UCF 2-1 on the road. A win over Stanford would mark the first victory over a top 10 team at home since 1999 when SMU beat No. 6 Notre Dame 1-0.
- It is the first time in program history that the Mustangs have played three straight matches against teams with a top-10 ranking and it is the first time since 1998 the team will face three top-25 ranked opponents in a row in the regular season (#16 Vanderbilt -9/20, #10 Texas A&M -9/25, #15 Stanford-10/2).
- Through five ACC Matches, SMU is tied for first in the conference in goals scored with nine and third in total shots with 64. Pitt and Wake Forest lead the ACC in total shots with 66.
- The Mustangs have had seven players score at least two goals this season, the most since the team had seven during the 2021 season. Four Mustangs have scored three or more goals this season.
- SMU currently ranks fifth in the ACC and 25th in the NCAA in total goals scored with 27.
- Eliana Salama, Liz Eddy and Emma Alvord have all recorded braces this season. It is the first time since 2022 the Mustangs have had three different players record a brace in the same season.
- The Mustangs have scored at least three goals in six matches this season. It is the most since 2019, when SMU also had six matches of scoring three or more goals.Â
- SMU has scored at least three goals in its first four matches, marking the first time since 2004 that the team has accomplished the feat.
- The Mustangs scored 17 goals through their first five games, which is tied for the fifth most goals scored in the first five games of a season in program history and the most since the team scored 20 to start the 2016 season.
- SMU tallied 100 shot attempts in its first five matches and is one of only four ACC schools that had 100 or more shots in that time frame: Florida State-135 (4gm), North Carolina-126, Pitt-111, SMU-100.
- The Mustangs have recorded over 20 shots in four matches this season. It is the first time since 2019 (7) SMU has had multiple matches with over 20 shots taken. Between 2020-23 SMU only had three matches total with over 20 shots taken.
- Eliana Salama has had a breakout season to remember, as she currently leads the team in goals scored with six after recording her first career brace against Miami. She is also tied for the team-high in assists this season with four (a career-high)
- Salama ranks inside the top 10 in the ACC in five categories: Total Points (6th,16), Points Per Game (7th 1.33), Total Goals (6th, 6), Goals Per Game (9th, 0.50), Shots Per Game (9th, 3.25).
- Nyah Rose scored her fourth goal in her fifth game played this season against No. 2 FSU, helping the team secure a 1-1 draw. Rose has now scored in back-to-back matches after she netted her first goal since returning from the FIFA World Cup against Miami.
- Â She missed five matches, including the ACC opener, while playing for Team Canada in the FIFA Women's U-20 World Cup. Â She returned to SMU for the team's match against Boston College. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
- Her four goals currently rank second on the team, as she has now scored 15 goals in her SMU career. She currently ranks ninth all-time in goals per game in program history (0.63). Â
- Rose was a 2024 Hermann Trophy Watch List Honoree.
- The Mustangs have allowed one or fewer goals in 38 of 49 games played under Head Coach Nicole Nelson. This season, SMU has achieved the feat in seven of its 11 matches.
- SMU did not allow a goal in the run of action in its first two ACC matches. Syracuse scored their lone goal on a penalty kick and the team shutout Boston College.
- Since 2022, SMU has shut out 17 opponents, including back-to-back shutouts against Northwestern State (3-0) and Texas Southern (6-0) to begin this season. It marked the fifth time in program history that the Mustangs have not allowed a goal in the season's first two games.
- The Mustangs earned their third shutout of the season against Little Rock (2-0) and shut out three of its first five opponents for the first time since 2021.
- SMU only allowed five shots through the first two games. The Mustangs did not allow Texas Southern to record a single shot, outshooting the Tigers 26-0.
- Goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde ranks second in the ACC in total saves with 63. She has recorded two compete shutouts this season, with the most recent occurring against Boston College. She recorded a season-high nine against No. 2 FSU. Â
- As a team, SMU ranks 26th in the NCAA and fifth in the ACC in total goals with 26. The Mustangs also average 2.45 goals a game, which ranks 36th in the nation and seventh in the ACC. Â On the defensive side, SMU is first in the conference in saves per game (4.92).
- Stanford is led by head coach Paul Ratcliff, who is in his 22nd season at the helm of the Cardinal and holds a record of 386-68-40. He boasts a career record of 441-102-47 in 27 years of head coaching.
- Stanford is 10-1-1 (2-1-1 ACC) this season and has been ranked has high as No.1 this season in the College Soccer Coaches poll.
- Stanford ranks top 10 nationally in four statistical categories, including third in goals against average (.333) and eighth in save percent (.882). Stanford has only allowed three goals this season and no team has scored more than one.
- Last time out, Stanford drew Pitt 1-1 at home. The Cardinal will be playing their eighth road match this season.
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