PonyFans.com VIDEO: Petrucelli after 2-1 win over ECU

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From SMUMustangs.com:

Valadez Scores Game-Winning Goal In Final Minute As SMU Defeats East Carolina
Mustangs pick up first American Athletic Conference victory of season

Sept. 27, 2015

DALLAS (SMU) – Vanessa Valadez scored with less than a minute left to go in regulation to give the SMU women’s soccer team the victory over East Carolina on Sunday at Westcott Field.

With 57 seconds left in the match, the Mustangs substituted on Blair Thorpe, whose immediate impact was the difference in the 2-1 victory over ECU (6-5-1 overall, 1-1-0 AAC).

Thorpe quickly found space with the ball and made a perfect lead pass to Valadez, who was running toward the ECU goal. When Valadez got her foot on it, she was clear of the defense and beat the Pirate goalkeeper for the game-winner.

It was Valadez’s second goal of the game, and her seventh of the season. Thorpe was credited with her third assist in 2015.

Valadez gave the Mustangs (4-4-3, 1-0-1) the early lead in the 14th minute when she was fouled in the ECU box, earning a penalty kick. The redshirt freshman stepped up and put it into the top left corner of the net to give SMU the 1-0 lead. It was Valadez’s second straight game with a penalty kick goal and her third of the season.

“She’s getting better, and she had a couple other opportunities she should have done better with, but she did quite well there on the goal in the end, quite composed,” said head coach Chris Petrucelli about his star forward’s play today.

Petrucelli said that putting Thorpe into the match at the end of regulation time was the idea of assistant coaches, Nicole Nelson and Mat Cosgriff, and that he was very pleased to see it pay off.

“Blair has some playmaking ability we thought we could use, and we also thought she might run on to a ball and hit one,” Petrucelli said. “She certainly is an attacking minded player.”

The Mustangs were in control of the match throughout, outshooting the Pirates, 17-5, with six total shots on goal. It is the second straight game where SMU had a double digit shot advantage, last time outshooting Cincinnati 27-8 last Thursday.

East Carolina’s lone goal came on a first half free kick from Caitlin Hite that went just past the reach of Mustang goalkeeper Shannon Moroney, tying the match, 1-1. Moroney earned the win today, and is now 3-3-3 in goal this season.

Petrucelli was proud of the way his team played today, citing that their all-around game was much improved.

“They played with great energy,” Petrucelli said. “We used a lot of different players and I think all of them played quite well.”

The Mustangs finished their six-match home stand, going 3-2-1, and will hit the road to take on American Athletic Conference foes, Tulsa (Thursday at 7 p.m.) and Memphis (Oct. 4 at 1 p.m.).

“We’ve got two really tough games next weekend on the road, and hopefully we draw from this some confidence, some enthusiasm and some momentum,” Petrucelli said.

SMU is unbeaten through two games of AAC play (1-0-1) for the first time since joining the conference two years ago.