The SMU women's soccer team returns to Westcott Field Thursday at 7 p.m., as the Mustangs host Memphis in the second to last home match of the regular season. Fans can get tickets by calling 214-SMU-GAME (214-768-4263) or visiting SMUMustangs.com/tickets. All home games will be aired on PonyUp TV, with Steve Lansdale making the call. Live stats are also provided on SMUMustangs.com.
ABOUT SMU: The Mustangs are 10-4-1 overall, and 4-1-1 in American Athletic Conference action after suffering its first conference lost, 2-0, at Cincinnati Sunday. SMU is second in The American standings, trailing only to No. 21 Connecticut by three points. The Mustangs are ranked No. 5 in the Northeast Region. Entering the match, SMU is top 10 in six NCAA statistical categories, while leading The American in the same six.
| American Athletic Conference Standings |
|
| as of Oct. 18 |
|
|
|
|
| SCHOOL |
CONF |
CPCT. |
OVERALL |
PCT. |
| UConn |
16 |
5-0-1 |
13-2-1 |
0.844 |
| SMU |
13 |
4-1-1 |
10-4-1 |
0.700 |
| Memphis |
12 |
4-1 |
10-3-1 |
0.750 |
| Tulsa |
9 |
3-2 |
7-7-1 |
0.500 |
| USF |
7 |
2-2-1 |
10-2-1 |
0.808 |
| Cincinnati |
7 |
2-2-1 |
9-4-2 |
0.667 |
| UCF |
7 |
2-2-1 |
7-6-1 |
0.536 |
| Houston |
5 |
1-3-2 |
6-4-3 |
0.577 |
| East Carolina |
1 |
0-4-1 |
4-9-1 |
0.321 |
| Temple |
0 |
0-6 |
3-13 |
0.188 |
| Statistical Rankings as of Oct. 18: |
Actual |
NCAA Rank/Conference Rank |
| Scoring Offense (Avg/G) |
2.53 |
7/1 |
| Total Goals |
38.0 |
8/1 |
| Total Points |
113.0 |
9/1 |
| Points per game |
7.53 |
7/1 |
| Total Assists |
37.0 |
8/1 |
| Assists per game |
2.47 |
8/1 |
SMU QUICK HITS:
- Freshman Allie Thornton has 10 goals this season, and is the first player to record at least 10 goals in a season since Olivia O'Rear scored 13 in 2006
- Claire Oates has six goals this season, four of which for game-winners. She ranks 22nd in the NCAA in GWG
- Jessica Cooley leads the team with seven assists. She ranks 27th in the NCAA
- Last time SMU won 10 or more games in a season was in 2011 (11-8-1, 7-3-1 C-USA)
MEMPHIS QUICK HITS:
- Memphis is second best in the American Athletic Conference in goals (35), goals per game (2.50) and points (97). The Tigers are tied for second in The American, having allowed only 13 goals.
- The Tigers have 10 different goal scorers, including Valerie Sanderson who leads the team with 13 goals, 31 points, 58 shots and 27 shots on goal.
- Senior forward Valerie Sanderson became the all-time leading goal scorer in Memphis women's soccer history. She now sits at 49 career goals
ALL-TIME SERIES: This is the 12th meeting all-time between the two squads, with the first meeting dating back to 2005. Memphis holds a 8-1-2 all-time advantage over the Mustangs, including a 4-1-1 record in Dallas. The last time the two teams met was a season ago, where the Tigers managed a 2-0 win in Memphis, Tenn. SMU's lone win came in the series-opener, where the Mustangs won 2-1 in Dallas.
| All-Time Series: SMU vs. Memphis (1-8-2) |
| H: 1-4-1, A: 0-4-1, N: 0-0 |
| Year |
Date |
Location |
Result |
Score (Opponent Rank) |
| 2005 |
O30 |
H |
W |
2-1 |
| 2007 |
O21 |
A |
L |
1-3 |
| 2008 |
O17 |
H |
L |
0-3 |
| 2009 |
O16 |
A |
L |
0-2 |
|
N4 |
H* |
L |
2-6 |
| 2010 |
O17 |
H |
L |
0-3 |
| 2011 |
O7 |
A |
T-2OT |
3-3 (6) |
| 2012 |
O21 |
H |
T-2OT |
1-1 |
| 2013 |
O10 |
A |
L |
1-2 |
| 2014 |
O26 |
H |
L |
1-4 |
| 2015 |
O4 |
A |
L |
0-2 |
| * C-USA Tournament |
|
|
BEWARE OF THOR(NTON)'S HAMMER: Freshman forward Allie Thornton leads the team with 10 goals and 23 points. Thornton is the first player since Olivia O'Rear (13) in 2006 to score at least ten goals in a single-season. The newcomer is second on the team in shots on goal (18) and total shots (36) to only Vanessa Valadez (24 and 41). Thornton enters the weekend ranked top-30 in three categories nationally, and top 10 in four categories in the AAC.
|
Actual |
NCAA Rank/Conference Rank |
| Total Goals |
10 |
22/T5 |
| Goals per game |
0.67 |
34/6 |
| Total Points |
23 |
42/6 |
| Points per game |
1.53 |
50/7 |
WINNER, WINNER!: Junior midfielder Claire Oates has scored six goals this season, four of which for game-winners. The four game-winning goals ranks her at 22nd in the NCAA, and tied for second in The American.
SHARING THE WEALTH: SMU has tallied 37 assists through 15 games, eclipsing last year's total of 21. Freshman Jessica Cooley leads the team with seven, while Vanessa Valadez has tallied six. Cooley ranks 27th in assists and 32nd in assists per game (0.47) among all NCAA DI players, and is third in both categories in the American Athletic Conference. Valadez ranks 54th in assists (6) and 71st in assists per game (0.4) in the NCAA. She is No. 4 and No. 5 in the AAC, respectively.
WESTCOTT FIELD: SMU is undefeated at Westcott Field this season, and has clinched a winning season at Westcott Field for the second consecutive season. Since opening in 1994, SMU holds a .719 winning percentage (153-54-19) at Westcott Field. In 22 seasons at Westcott, the Mustangs have finished .500 or better in 21 seasons, with three perfect seasons.
UP NEXT: The Mustangs host Tulsa Sunday at 1 p.m. in the final home game of the regular season. The SMU women's soccer team will honor its five seniors in a ceremony before the game. Fans can get tickets by calling 214-SMU-GAME (214-768-4263) or visiting SMUMustangs.com/tickets. All home games will be aired on PonyUp TV, with Steve Lansdale making the call. Live stats are also provided on SMUMustangs.com.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Mustangs by following SMU women's soccer on Twitter at @SMUSoccerW, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SMUSoccerw, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/SMUSoccerW. Twitter at @SMUMustangs or Instagram at SMU.Mustangs.
--SMUMustangs.com--
