With just one senior, reserve midfielder Kelsi Dawe, on the SMU women’s soccer team in 2005, the season was ideal for a dry run. And the team did just that, gaining invaluable experience on its way to a 15-5-2 record and second-round elimination from the NCAA tournament at the hands of Texas A&M.
The season got off to an uncharacteristically slow start for the Mustangs, who started the season 4-3 with losses to Texas, North Texas and then-No. 10 Cal. But, in their final three non-conference games, the Mustangs went 2-0-1 while facing two very powerful teams in Pepperdine and USC.
However, even though the 6-3-1 record was respectable, the non-conference schedule exposed a disturbing trend for this year’s team. The Mustangs seemed to play at the level of their opponents.
In some cases, that trend helped the team, such as in strong games against No. 11 Pepperdine and No. 21 USC. But, in some games, such as the 3-1 loss to North Texas, the team came out flat and allowed a less-talented team to control the pacing and structure of the game.
This trend continued through the inaugural Conference-USA schedule, where the Mustangs went 8-1 but continued to struggle with maintaining an elite level of play.
At times, such as a 4-0 win over UAB, the team seemed to put it all together, but the players were not able to consistently maintain that level.
The problem, according to Head Coach John Cossaboon, manifested itself mostly in the Mustangs’ intensity pressure on the ball.
When the team was playing well, the players would step up to lose balls and not let the other team create through midfield or out of the back. But, when the Mustangs were struggling, they couldn’t catch up to quick passing and struggled to keep their forwards involved.
Perhaps the most surprising game was the early 3-1 loss to UNT. Cossaboon explained teams such as UNT and TCU now see SMU as the dominant team in their region, and although it is just another game for the Mustangs, it can make or break a season for those other teams.
Cossaboon said the same thing is true of the conference, where UCF and SMU tied for the regular-season conference title. But, SMU didn’t advance past the first round, falling in a penalty kick shootout to East Carolina.
Still, a year of missed opportunities may be just the kick-start the Mustangs need for a successful 2006 season, when key players Olivia O’Rear, Susanne Collins, Morgan Field and Ashley Watson will all be seniors.
Defender Alyssa Pembroke will also technically be a senior, but will probably be red-shirted after missing this season with an injury.
O’Rear became part of a potent forward trio after recovering from an ankle injury that slowed her early in the season. She teamed up with twins Kimber and Krystal Bailey as part of a forward trio that scored 28 of the Mustangs’ 48 total goals for the season.
Kimber Bailey, only a year removed from playing outside back for the Mustangs, scored 16 goals, most of them early in the year, while Krystal had eight. Kimber Bailey’s 41 total points was nearly one-third of the team’s offense.
Freshman goalkeeper Ashley Gunter now has a year of college soccer under her belt and should hold down the fort as far as the net is concerned. She gave up an average of 1.15 goals per game this season, and backup Ariel House only played 20:26 for the season.
As the Mustangs continue to mature, they will continue to face talented opponents in an attempt to break into the almost clique-like upper echelon of women’s college soccer.
But, even with a talented core of returning veterans, the Mustangs must continue to raise their game throughout the season if they are to make a splash on the national scene next season.
