VIDEO: Women's soccer tops ECU, faces USF in AAC semifinal
Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2021 8:09 pmFrom SMUMustangs.com:
No. 14 SMU Advances To AAC Semifinal With 2-1 Win Against ECU
DALLAS (SMU) – No. 14 SMU defeated ECU 2-1 Sunday afternoon in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship at the Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium. Wayna Balata provided the fireworks for the Mustangs, scoring both goals in the win.
"She (Balata) is a big difference because she's a physical forward. She's got good size and you can't knock her off the ball," SMU head coach Chris Petrucelli said of his goal scorer. "She can strike the ball, she can head the ball. She's got all these different dimensions to her, so she makes a big difference."
Balata put the Mustangs on the board first, finding the back of the net just over 10 minutes into the match. The junior got loose with the ball on the right side of the field about 35 yards from the goal. Two dribbles and 12 yards later, Balata blasted a shot to the far post out of the reach of the ECU goalkeeper, Maeve English.
It didn't take ECU long to answer the SMU goal. Taking a corner kick from the right flag, Morgan Dewey managed to bend one into the goal at the near post in the 13th minute, less than two minutes after Balata's goal.
Each team managed just two shots on goal in the first 45 minutes, and the halftime score was 1-1. In the 63rd minute of the match, Courtney Sebazco stood at the same corner flag where Dewey had scored for ECU in the first half. She launched a cross into the box, finding the head of Balata. The ball floated over the ECU goalkeeper and into the top left corner.
SMU kept the pressure on the Pirates over the remaining half hour, maintaining a majority of the possession. In the goal, Samantha Estrada faced just two shots in the second half, but made the critical saves. The Mustangs' defense limited ECU to just six total shots in the match.
"I thought we were pretty good, and I felt like we really controlled the game. We had the ball a lot. We created some chances. I thought overall we were pretty good," stated Petrucelli. "They came off a bye, and they were pretty fresh, but we looked like the team that was fresh. We were moving pretty good.
"The difference today, clearly our mindset was better. We attacked with aggression, we played harder, we were a different team today," Petrucelli continued.
SMU took 12 shots, placing five on goal. Balata needed just two shots for the two goals, the fourth and fifth of her season to take over the team lead. Lindsey Whitmore forced a pair of saves on two shots, and Jasmine Vilgrain returned to the lineup, taking three shots with one on goal. Sebazco earned her fourth assist of the season.
With the win, SMU improved to 11-3-2 overall and advances to face top-seed USF in Tampa, Fla., Thursday at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.