There are a lot of ways to build chemistry before a season starts. Very few get to do it at the national level.

That's exactly what SMU's Brooke Bunton and Kamiya Beck did this offseason.

The two Mustangs were named to the U.S. Women's National Team's U18 roster for the Pinatar Cup in Spain, where they played in two games together. They later traveled to Georgia for the joint U18 and U19 camp. The pair were also part of the U17 camp roster in February of 2025.

"It's amazing. There's a bunch of diversity, and everyone's so different and versatile," Bunton said. "So coming together, all the best people in the United States, is pretty cool. And the chemistry we have, being in camps together and everything, it's so fun."

Bunton was named captain for the first of the two matches in Spain, an 8-0 victory against Sweden.

"I was shocked. I don't know what was talked about or not, but I was just so blessed that they saw leadership in me in the first couple days of camp," Bunton said. "Being captain of the first game, it was fun, it was surreal, it was like a dream come true."

Beck also started the match against Sweden before coming off the bench in the second half of the 6-0 win against Hungary, securing the Pinatar Cup for the U.S. 

"It's fun," Beck said. "It's amazing to see all the different playing styles come together and just seeing our relationships build as we're at the camp and our chemistry."

The two Mustangs weren't just building that chemistry with their national team teammates. They were building chemistry with each other.

Their trip to Spain came in the middle of SMU's spring workouts and schedule, and their bond grew throughout that trip, especially with both in the starting lineup and playing alongside each other.

"It was amazing. Before we went, we were like teammates, but when we went to Spain, we were like locked at the hips," Bunton said. "The coaches were even like, 'Oh, where's your partner in crime?' We were always together, so it just made it so much more fun and like more at home than it was. It was cool to have the chemistry already building up."

That connection carried over when the two returned to SMU. For Beck, an incoming freshman, having someone she already practiced and played with was a major benefit.

"It was cool, I had Brooke," Beck said. "She was the first teammate I had that I actually played with before even starting the season. I already had a connection with her, and then the team's just welcoming and easy to play with."

Beck also brought something else back from her time with the national team—lessons she could apply to her game.

"There's a lot of little things that I've learned in camp that I can bring back to my game," Beck said. "I've used it a lot since I came back too."

The camps also gave Bunton and Beck a chance to compete alongside some of the top young players in the country. The ACC was represented by players from Pittsburgh, Duke, Clemson, UNC and Virginia, while the U19 camp also included players from Wake Forest, Stanford and Wednesday's season-opening opponent, No. 5 Vanderbilt. 

Regardless of the opponent or the names on the roster, the Mustangs know they have to approach every game with the same mentality. 

"Every opponent, it doesn't matter where they're coming from, we need to take it as it's an ACC championship final," Bunton said. "We need to play together and just take every game as it's the same opponent, same type of level. We don't need to drop, just keep that same expectation, same standard against every team we play."