VIDEO: Nelson, Rudden after women's soccer blanks NSU, 3-0

[PonyPride]

VIDEO: SMU women's soccer head coach Nicole Nelson and midfielder/co-captain Mackenzie Rudden met the media after the Mustangs kicked off the 2024 season with a dominant 3-0 shutout of Northwestern State.



From SMUMustangs.com:

Mustangs shut out Northwestern State, 3-0, in season opener
SMU recorded 31 shots, the most in a match since 2017

DALLAS (SMU)— The SMU women's soccer program (1-0-0) notched its first win as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), shutting out Northwestern State (0-0-1) 3-0 in its season opener on Thursday inside Washburne Stadium.

"You are always happy to get a clean sheet, you are always happy to get a win on night one," head coach Nicole Nelson said. "It's always fast and furious to put it together and be as organized as you want, but we are happy with the win. We were doing things much better, like getting numbers in the box and creating goal-scoring opportunities."

Behind three goals from junior Sammy Nieves, sophomore Nyah Rose and freshman Kelly Gordon, the Mustangs have now won four straight home openers and improved to 7-1 since 2017. The team has also been 7-1 in season openers since 2017.

Thursday's win was the first victory by any of SMU's 16 athletic programs as a member of the ACC.

SMU outshot the Lady Demons 24-3 and 10-1 on shots on goal. The 31 shots are the most shots in a single game since the Mustangs recorded 43 shots against New Mexico State in 2017.

Graduate transfer goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde earned her first win as a Mustang. She ended the match with one save and picked up her fifth career shutout.

// HOW IT HAPPENED
The Mustangs came out of the game and immediately applied pressure, which resulted in goal-scoring opportunities.

After missing all of last season, Nieves scored the Mustang's first goal of the year in the 14th minute, beating the NSU goalkeeper from inside the box. It marked the fourth goal of her career and her first since 2022.

SMU did not let up on the attack, as six minutes after the first goal, Hermann Trophy Watch List honoree sophomore Nyah Rose extended the Mustangs lead after blasting a lazer to the back of the net in the 20th minute.

Rose picked right back up from where she left off last season and has now scored 12 goals in her young career. She led the team in goals scored last season with 11.

Mustangs headed to the half up 2-0 and outshot the Lady Demons 14-2 as Rose had four herself.

SMU came out of the second half and continued to control the ball just like they had done in the first half.

The Mustangs outshot the Lady Demons 17-3 in the period, as Gordon put the finishing touches on the game, scoring her first career goal in the 73rd minute deep inside the box.

Not only did SMU lead NSU in the shot category, but the Mustangs also held the advantage in corner kicks (11-2) and shots on goal (14-1).

// UP NEXT
The Mustangs return to Washburne Stadium for the second match of a nine-game homestand by taking on Texas Southern at 7 p.m. CT

// OTHER NOTES
SMU improved to 5-0 all-time versus NSU and has yet to concede a goal outscoring the Lady Demons 17-0 in those matches.
In her third season as head coach of the Mustangs, Nicole Nelson improved to 22-10-6.
SMU now holds a record of 19-4-3 at home since 2021.
The Mustangs improved to 463-240-59 all-time in program history.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

Great start to the season!

[Pony4Life]

The game was not as close as the score. That's not a prediction for the ACC games or anything, but SMU dominated in every way.