Gameday: Pirates Take On SMU

Game 15: ECU (5-7-2, 2-2-1 AAC) at SMU (8-5-1, 1-4-0 AAC)
Date	Sunday, October 20
Time	2:00 p.m. (EDT)
Location	Dallas, Texas (Westcott Field)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Youtube Stream \| Facebook Stream
Social Media	Twitter: @ECUsoc Instagram: @ECUSoc Facebook: @ECUwsoccer

GREENVILLE, N.C. – After a disappointing overtime loss, the ECU soccer team will try to salvage its Texas roadtrip when the Pirates take on SMU on Sunday afternoon at Westcott Field in Dallas, Texas.

ECU (5-7-2, 2-2-1) came into Houston after playing some of its best soccer of the year, but could not get its offense revving in a 1-0 overtime loss. In conference play, Melanie Stiles has been one of the best goalkeepers in the league, ranking third with a goals against average of 0.56 and second with a save percentage of .897. The Pirates defense has allowed only three goals in nearly 500 minutes of play against league opponents. The Pirates have finally found some stability as well, starting the same lineup for the past four games after using a different lineup for the first 11 matches. On offense, Tori Riggs leads the team with a career-high four goals to go with two assists. Jenna Dages is right behind her with three goals, including two game-winners, and two assists.

SMU (8-5-1, 1-4-0 AAC) has taken a dip since the start of conference play, winning just one of five matches. The Mustangs have only scored two goals in that span and the victory was a 1-0 win over Temple. SMU will hope that Allie Thornton finds her form from the nonconference schedule, as she scored nine goals during that stretch and has just one goal (the game-winner at Temple) since the calendar turned to October. Joining Thornton in the conference's top-10 in points is Celiana Torres, with four goals and a team-high six assists for 14 points. At the other end, Tatum Sutherland has started all 14 games in goal and has a goals against average of 0.86 and has helped SMU rack up six shutouts.

SMU holds a slight 7-5-3 advantage in the all-time series, although ECU had the upper hand during the 2018 campaign. The Pirates topped the Mustangs 2-1 behind goals from Daria Draovitch and Madie Knaggs during the regular season. The two teams met again in the AAC Championship First Round and ECU advanced on penalty kicks after a goal by Erin Mikalsen tied the game at 1-1. Since joining the AAC, ECU is 2-3-1 against SMU and has yet to win in Dallas. ECU is just 1-4-0 at Westcott Field, with the last victory coming in 2011.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m., on Sunday and will be streamed on the American Digital Network. Fans can watch the game on Facebook or Youtube. Pirate Nation can also check out the live stats here.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jenna Dages

Daria Draovitch

Madie Knaggs

Erin Mikalsen

Tori Riggs

Melanie Stiles

Footer