Jun 27, 2026 12:00 PM
Updated Jun 28, 2026 4:22 AM
SMU women’s soccer released a loaded 2026 schedule featuring 12 home games, Stanford, Duke, North Carolina and seven NCAA teams.
SMU women’s soccer isn’t easing into 2026. The Mustangs are walking straight into a schedule with teeth.
The program announced its 2026 SMU women’s soccer schedule Friday, and the 18-game regular-season slate gives fans plenty to circle.
There are 12 home matches at Washburne Stadium, a seven-game non-conference homestand, and a nasty ACC stretch that includes Stanford, Virginia, Duke, Cal and North Carolina.
That’s not a warmup. That’s a gauntlet.
SMU will face seven teams that reached last season’s NCAA tournament, along with six opponents that either finished ranked or received votes.
Five of those teams ended the year inside the top 15, which means the Mustangs won’t have to wait long to find out where they stand.
The season opens on the road against Vanderbilt on Aug. 12 before SMU returns to Dallas for a long run at home.
The Mustangs’ home opener comes against North Texas on Aug. 16, followed by matchups with Boise State, Incarnate Word, Southern, Houston Christian, Texas Tech and Idaho State.
That seven-game homestand matters.
With 17 newcomers joining the roster - seven transfers and 10 freshmen - SMU needs that early stretch to build chemistry fast. New faces are exciting, but the ACC doesn’t care about growing pains.
By mid-September, the real fight begins.
SMU opens conference play at Miami on Sept. 11, then heads to NC State on Sept. 17. The ACC home opener is the one that should pack Washburne Stadium: Stanford visits on Sept. 25 for a Friday night showdown.
From there, the schedule gets even nastier. The Mustangs travel to Boston College on Oct. 2 before hosting Virginia Tech, Virginia and Duke in a three-game home stretch.
Then comes a cross-country trip to Cal on Oct. 22 and a brutal road test at North Carolina on Oct. 29 before the regular-season finale at home against Pitt on Nov. 5.
That’s life in the ACC. There are no soft landings.
SMU finished its second ACC season at 8-8-2, including a 6-3-1 home record. The Mustangs produced six shutouts, had 13 different goal scorers, and recorded 26 assists on 25 goals.
They also fired 245 shots, their most in a season under head coach Nicole Nelson and the program’s highest total since 2019.
That’s the encouraging part. SMU created chances. It shared the ball. It had enough defensive bite to post clean sheets.
Now comes the next step ... turning competitive performances into statement wins.
The 2026 schedule gives SMU every opportunity to prove it belongs in the ACC fight. It also gives the Mustangs nowhere to hide.
Public exhibitions against Dallas Trinity FC on Aug. 5 and Baylor on Aug. 8 will offer an early glimpse at the revamped roster before the real scoreboard starts counting.
Admission is free for regular-season matches at Washburne Stadium, and with this many heavyweight opponents coming through Dallas, SMU fans should have plenty of reasons to show up.
The Mustangs wanted a measuring stick. In 2026, they got a sledgehammer.
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