SMU (1-1-0, 0-0-0 ACC) at North Texas (1-1-0, 0-0-0 American)
Mean Green Soccer Stadium – Denton, Texas 
Thursday, Aug. 21 | 7 p.m. CT | ESPN+
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DALLAS (SMU) – After a victorious home opener, the SMU women's soccer program heads back out on the road and will make the short trip up to Denton, Texas, to face North Texas on Thursday.

The match will kick off at 7 p.m. CT and will be aired on ESPN+. Fans can also follow along with action via live stats.  

SMU earned its first win of the season, shutting out Northwestern State 2-0 in its home opener.  Sarah Bonnecaze scored SMU's first goal of the season in the fifth minute of the match.

The Mustangs added nine newcomers to their 2025 roster, five freshmen and four transfers. Head coach Nicole Nelson also brought in two new assistant coaches in Daniel O'Hare and Callie McKinney.

In the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll, eight ACC teams landed in the top 25, the most of any conference. ACC teams claimed the top three spots with Duke (No.1), Stanford (No.2) and Florida State (No.3) leading the way. Notre Dame (No. t-7) and Wake Forest (No.10) rounded out the five teams in the top-10, followed by North Carolina (No.12), Virginia Tech (No.15) and Virginia (No.17). Clemson also received votes.

In the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Mustangs were picked to finish 12th overall. The top-10 teams in the poll all were ranked or received votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.

This season will mark the 40th year of women's soccer on the Hilltop and the fourth under head coach Nicole Nelson. The Mustangs are 8-10-5 on the road under Nelson.

// THE MATCH UP

• Thursday's match will be the 23rd time the two teams have faced each other. SMU leads the overall series 15-4-3 and has won five of the last six games. The Mustangs also lead the series 4-1-2 when the game is played in Denton.
• SMU has won the past two games in the series. The last time the two teams met was when both programs were members of The American, as SMU won 3-1 in Denton in 2023.  Current SMU players Nyah Rose and Kaya Lee each scored a goal in the match.

// SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

• North Texas is led by head coach John Hedlund, who is in his 31st season at the helm of the Mean Green and boasts a record of 401-159-51. Hedlund has spent his entire head coaching career at North Texas.
• The Mean Green finished last season with a record of 7-6-6 and was 5-3-2 at home. UNT is 1-1 at home this season.

// Last Time Out

• SMU earned its first win of the season by shutting out Northwestern State  2-0
• The Mustangs jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. SMU was in complete control the entire game, outshooting Northwestern State 27-6 in total shots.
• The 27 total shots are the second most in a game under Nelson. (31 vs Northwestern State 8/15/25).
• The Demons, who were coming off a 3-2 win over No. 19 Texas, did not record a shot on goal.
• Sarah Bonnecaze got the ball rolling for the Mustangs early, scoring SMU's first goal of the season in the fifth minute of the game.
• After Maura Yumul drew a foul inside the box in the 75th minute, freshman Lindsay Nicholson stepped up and converted on a penalty kick to give SMU a 2-0 lead. It was her first career goal and the first converted penalty kick for SMU since 2023.
• SMU goalkeeper Aubrey Brown earned her first career win.

// A NEW YEAR A NEW CHALLENGE

• Entering their second season in the ACC, the Mustangs' 18-game schedule will feature eight non-conference games and 10 conference games. SMU will face six teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season, including three teams that made the College Cup.
• SMU is scheduled to face seven teams this season that were ranked or received votes in the 2025 United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.
• SMU began the 2025 season on the road for the first time since 2019.

// LOCK DOWN DEFENSE

• The Mustangs have allowed one or fewer goals in 40 of 56 games played under Head Coach Nicole Nelson. SMU achieved the feat in nine of its 17 matches last season.
• Since 2022, SMU has shut out 18 opponents. The Mustangs recorded their first shutout of the season in their home opener against NSU (2-0).  

// WINNING AT WASHBURNE

• SMU holds an impressive 25-9-4 record at home since the 2021 season, including six conference wins, and is 17-8-3 under Nicole Nelson. The Mustangs were 6-5-1 inside Washburne Stadium last season.
• Sixteen of SMU's home wins in that stretch have been shutouts.

// RECORD BOOK ROSE

• Prior to the start of the season, Nyah Rose was ranked 48^th in TopDrawerSoccer's top-100 players list.
• Rose is coming off another standout season for the Mustangs. Rose was a 2024 Hermann Trophy Watch List honoree and was named Third Team All-ACC for her play last season.
• Rose was second on the team with five goals in only 11 games played last season. Rose scored the team's only goal in a 1-1 draw versus the 2024 ACC tournament champions, Florida State.  Three of her five goals occurred during ACC play.
• As a freshman, she was named First-Team All-South Region, All-AAC First Team, Co-Rookie of the Year and was named to the AAC All-Rookie Team and AAC Championship All-Tournament Team. She led AAC in goals scored with 11. 
• Rose has now scored 16 goals in her SMU career. She currently ranks 11th all-time in goals per game in program history (0.51). 

//HORSEPOWER

• Sydney Japic, Hali Hartman and Aubrey Brown were the only Mustangs to play the full 90 in every match this season.
• Japic made her SMU debut against Wake, while Hartman, who led SMU in minutes last season with 1,438, played the full 90 in 16 consecutive games dating back to last season.
• Brown made her first career start in goal for SMU in the season opener and ended the game with two saves.
• Twenty different Mustangs have made an appearance in the game this season.