Women’s Soccer Set to Face Off Against No. 16 SMU

PHILADELPHIA – Temple women's soccer is set to travel to Dallas, TX. on Wednesday, Oct. 20 for a road test against No. 16 SMU. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN+ from Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium.

The Owls

Temple women's soccer advanced to 5-5-3 (2-3-0 AAC) on the season, after a 2-0-week last week to advance to sixth in the conference standings. The Cherry and White defeated both LIU and third-seeded Houston by a score of 2-1.
Hailey Gutowski spearheaded the Owls offensive efforts, netting three goals across two games for a six-point week. Gutowski notched the 74^th minute go-ahead goal in the match against LIU, and both goals against Houston to propel the Owls to victory.
Gutowski's efforts did not go unnoticed, as she was awarded AAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. The junior forward is only the third Owl to ever receive this award behind Kelly Farrell (2015) and current teammate, Emily Kavanaugh who earned the award earlier this season.
Kavanaugh remains the team point leader after adding an assist in the match against LIU on Tuesday. The junior has recorded a career high of seven goals and one assist for 15 points on the season.
Freshman Sumaya Togba had an explosive week for the Cherry and White, netting a goal against LIU and dishing out the first assist in the win against Houston. With three points on the week, Togba was recognized by the AAC on the Weekly Honor Roll for her efforts.
Goalkeeper Kamryn Stablein added ten saves in the 2-1 win against Houston, keeping the Cougars scoreless until the 86^th minute. With a 10 save performance, Stablein nabbed her fifth career weekly honor from the AAC. The Orwigsburg, Pa., native has now recorded 71 total saves on the year to enter the week as the American Conference leader.

Scouting SMU

SMU enters the match with an overall record of 8-2-2 (2-1-2 AAC), facing their only conference loss on Oct. 7 to Houston. The Cougars netted the first and only goal of the game in the 21st minute on a penalty kick to earn the win.
The Mustang defense is led by redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Tatum Sutherland. Sutherland has clocked 784 minutes in goal, making 50 saves for a 0.909 save percentage, sitting at second in the nation in save percentage and first in the AAC.
SMU's offensive unit has shown its depth this year, showcasing multiple contributors across the statistical leaderboard. Senior Courtney Sebazco and graduate student Lindsey Whitmore lead the team in goals (4), assists (2) for points (10).
Junior Wayny Balata trails close behind with three goals and two assists, including a goal in the most recent 3-3 draw against Cincinnati.
Last year, SMU had an atypical season, competing in just two games due to multiple cancelations, postponements and eventually, a premature end due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the adversity, the Mustangs finished with an even record of 1-1, recording a 2-1 win over the Owls and a 3-2 double overtime loss to ECU.

Game Notes
The matchup between the Owls and the Mustangs marks the eleventh time the teams have met with a contest record of 1-9-0. The teams' last meeting came in 2020-21, where SMU triumphed over the Owls, 2-1 at the Temple Sports Complex. Last year's match against the Owls served as one of two matches in SMU's shortened season. The Mustangs faced multiple cancellations and postponement before eventually reaching a premature end due to COVID-19.