SMU women’s soccer won against Cal 2-1 on Alumni Day at Washburne Soccer Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 5. After a scoreless first half with limited action from either side, the Mustangs found their momentum after the break.

SMU’s defense dominated early, holding Cal’s Golden Bears without a single shot on goal or corner kick in the first half. Offensively, the Mustangs had only one shot on goal and one corner in the first half, as both teams struggled to create chances. The scoreboard stayed at 0–0 heading into halftime.

That changed quickly in the second half as SMU came out, controlling possession and creating pressure with a string of corner kicks, totaling 8 in the second half. The well-deserved offensive breakthrough came in the 64th minute, when sophomore Liz Eddy scored off a breakaway assisted by graduate student Sammy Nieves and freshman Lindsay Nicholson.

Just six minutes later, Cal tied the game 1-1 after an own goal by SMU.

The Mustangs kept pushing. In the 84th minute, Eddy struck again with her second goal of the game, assisted once more by Nicholson. After a brief offside review, the goal stood.

“The response is the key. To give up an unfortunate goal, unlucky, then for the team to rally and respond in the way they did was huge,” Head Coach Nicole Nelson said.

SMU held on through the final minutes to secure the win, outshooting Cal 16–5 total shots. The Mustangs’ offensive persistence and defensive consistency paid off, sealing a statement victory on home turf against a team that held a higher ranking against them coming into the game.

SMU now ties with Cal and NC State with 8 points in the ACC standings. Coach Nelson says in a press conference about her team that “They keep just getting a little bit better.” The Mustangs now hold an 8-3-2 record and will face Clemson at 6 pm on Thursday, Oct. 9, at Washburne Soccer Stadium.