On a team with high expectations, a first-round exit in the C—USA tournament had to be disappointing.

But, the SMU women’s soccer team will get a chance to avenge that loss in this year’s NCAA tournament.

The Mustangs (14-4-2), who received an at-large bid even though they lost in the first round of the C-USA tournament last weekend in Houston, will face UNT Friday in College Station, Texas. The winner of that match will advance to play the winner of the Texas A&M-Northwestern State game Sunday at 2 p.m.

This is the Mustangs’ fifth straight NCAA tournament appearance and their 11th overall. The last time the team was not invited was in 2000, when it finished the year 13-5-1.

If SMU can beat the North Texas squad that defeated the Mustangs 4-2 early in the year, it will most likely face Texas A&M in the round of 32. In three of the past four years, the Aggies eliminated the Mustangs from the NCAA tournament. In 2002 and 2003, SMU lost the game on penalty kicks.

Last year, the Mustangs went out in the first round to West Virginia, losing 2-1.

Rice received an automatic bid to the tournament for defeating UTEP in the C-USA championship game 3-0 Sunday. It was the first time in C-USA history the home team won the conference tournament.

SMU did not have a player on the all-tournament team, the first time that’s happened since 1998. The team couldn’t face Rice in the first round because of NCAA seeding regulations regarding conference opponents.

Rice, along with conference finalist UTEP, will play the first round of the tournament in Austin. UTEP will face Texas in the first round, while Rice will play Cal. Surprisingly, UCF, who was seeded first in the C-USA tournament, did not receive an NCAA bid.

In addition to the first round match-ups, College Station will play host to the Women’s College Cup, the final three games of the tournament, Dec. 2 and 4 at the Aggie Soccer Complex.