For the first 10 minutes of the women’s soccer gameSaturday night at Westcott Field, the team did not appear todeserve all the preseason hype. They were pinned in their own endby the Oklahoma State Cowgirls and barely registered a shot.

“This was an absolute case of the first-game-of-the-yearjitters,” head coach John Cossaboon said.”They’re not only learning to play with each other,they’re still learning each other’s names.”

Fortunately, the Mustangs found their rhythm and outplayed OSUthe rest of the game, winning their only preseason game 3-1.

“The second half was a whole different thing in terms ofour tactical organization and our shape and so much,”Cossaboon said. “Starting off a little flat in the firstscrimmage of the year doesn’t bother me at all.”

Their flat start did not seem to hurt the team much, as theytook a 2-1 lead into halftime. The first half would have ended 2-0except for a late goal scored by OSU forward Jolene Schweitzer.

“We were very confident coming into this game,” saidsophomore forward Olivia O’Rear. “We tied them lastyear — we were up 2-0 and let them come back and tie it2-2.”

“We told ourselves we weren’t going to let thathappen this year and to win the game early. It took us a fewminutes to get settled, but we got there.”

O’Rear had the first two SMU goals. Her first score camein the 15th minute when she one-timed senior midfielder JillHeinemann’s pass past OSU’s starting goalkeeper BreannaTruelove and into the left side of the net.

Her second goal came in the 22nd minute, assisted by freshmanforward Krystal Bailey. Heinemann scored the Mustangs’ lonegoal of the second half. Heinemann’s goal came in the 56thminute of the game.

This year’s women’s soccer squad is predominantlyfreshmen, who account for half of the team’s 22-playerroster.

Four freshmen started Saturday’s game. Only six players onthe team are upperclassmen.

“I was pretty nervous coming out because it was my firstcollege game, and I was really nervous,” said freshmanmidfielder Allison Brill, who came on as a sub. “But thegirls made it a lot easier to play.”

“I was pretty excited, pretty nervous, and once I gotcalmed down, the game kind of came to me and settled me down alittle bit more.”

The Mustangs are counting on their freshmen to make a hugeimpact. They lost a vital cog in their offense with the graduationof Kim Harvey, a senior who ranked in the top 10 nationally ingoals scored last season. SMU also lost Canadian national teamgoaltender Erin McLeod, who transferred to Penn State thissummer.

Still, Cossaboon sees a bright future for this young squad.

“We’re playing better right now than we everhave,” he said. “The 11 freshmen that are coming inhave put so much good pressure on the upperclassmen.”

“Practice is fast, it’s quick, it’s excitingand it’s something that over the course of the years is goingto make us better. I’m very happy with where we are rightnow.”

Despite being a young team, five of the team’s memberswere selected to the All-WAC preseason team. Forward O’Rearand midfielder Heinemann made the team along with senior midfielderErin McCallum, senior defender Amanda Jordan and senior goaltenderAmanda Clark.

The Mustangs open their regular season at TCU this Friday at 5p.m. Their first home game is against Sam Houston State on Sept.10.