VIDEO: Nelson, Alvord, Eddy after women's soccer routs 'Cuse

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

SMU Defeats Syracuse 4-1 In ACC Opener

DALLAS (SMU) — The SMU women's soccer program earned its first ACC victory by defeating Syracuse 4-1 in the team's conference opener on Thursday inside Washburne Stadium.

SMU grabbed the early lead and never looked back as the Mustangs used a dominant three-goal second-half performance, highlighted by sophomore Emma Alvord's brace, to claim the win.

Alvord scored her first and second goal of the season in a span of 10 minutes in the second half to put the finishing touches on the victory. It was her first career brace, and she has now scored three goals in her career.

Sophomore Truth Byars scored the Mustang's first ACC goal off a rebound shot from freshman Liz Eddy. Byars netted her third goal of the season and the fourth of her career.

Eddy scored the game-winning goal early in the second half. The freshman is now tied with junior Eliana Salama for the team-high in goals scored this season, with four.

Salama played the role of facilitator, recording two assists, bringing her season total up to four.

SMU outshot Syracuse 20-15, 12 of which were on goal. It was the fourth time the Mustangs have recorded 20 shots in a match this season.

Goalkeepers Sierra Cota-Yarde (5) and Aubrey Brown (2) combined for a team season-high seven saves on the night.

Thursday's win was the first ACC victory for any of SMU's 17 athletic programs since the university joined the conference on July 1.

SMU improved to 5-3-0 (1-0-0) on the year, while Syracuse dropped only its second match of the season and is now 6-2-1 (0-1-0).

// HOW IT HAPPENED
After the Orange rattled off a couple of scoring chances early, the Mustangs regained the momentum and went on the attack.

Byars gave the SMU the early lead in the 11th minute, collecting a rebound off a shot from Liz Eddy and burying it in the back of the net.

SMU continued to generate opportunities, outshooting Syracuse 8-6, but would head to the half up 1-0.

The Mustangs came out of the break and immediately applied pressure to the Syracuse backline.

Eddy increased the Mustang lead to two in the 49th minute off a feed from Salama. The freshman danced around a defender before rifling one into the back of the net.

The Mustangs did not slow down as Alvord floated a shot past Syracuse's goalkeeper's outstretched arms to score SMU's third consecutive goal, putting the Mustangs up 3-0 in the 65th minute.

Alvord was not finished as she got behind the back line on a feed from Salama and scored her second goal of the half in a span of 10 minutes, netting SMU's final goal of the night in the 75th minute.

The Orange scored their lone goal on a penalty kick in the 71st minute.

// OTHER NOTES
SMU is 1-0-0 against Syracuse. Thursday's match was the first overall meeting between the two programs.
In her third season as head coach of the Mustangs, Nicole Nelson is now 26-13-6
SMU now holds a record of 23-7-3 at home since 2021.
The Mustangs are now 467-243-59 all-time in program history.