SMU hosts North Texas in its 2026 home opener Sunday at Washburne Stadium. Here’s how to watch, kickoff time, key players and what to expect from the matchup.
SMU women’s soccer gets its first chance to defend the Hilltop on Sunday night, and the Mustangs could probably use some home cooking.
The match will stream on ACCNX, and admission is free for all fans attending SMU women’s soccer regular-season home matches.
The Mustangs enter at 0-1 after coming painfully close to making an early-season statement against No. 5 Vanderbilt.
SMU trailed the Commodores 3-1 in the second half before fighting all the way back to 3-3.
Kaia Samuelsen Elverum delivered the equalizer in the 65th minute, blasting home her first goal as a Mustang off an assist from Libby Jannereth.
But the comeback didn't survive the final minutes. Vanderbilt received a penalty kick following video review in the 89th minute and converted it for a 4-3 victory.
Now SMU gets North Texas ... and history heavily favors the Mustangs.
Sunday will be the 24th meeting between SMU and UNT, with the Mustangs owning a 16-4-3 advantage in the series. SMU is 10-2-1 against the Mean Green at home and has won the past three meetings.
The programs produced a wild one last season, with SMU escaping Denton with a 4-3 victory. Nicole Stryker scored twice in that matchup to help the Mustangs build the advantage they needed.
There'll also be plenty of new faces Sunday.
Head coach Nicole Nelson added 17 newcomers - 10 freshmen and seven transfers - to a roster that returns only 10 players from last season's 8-8-2 team.
That group includes Brooke Bunton, who received five U.S. Women's Youth National Team U-18 call-ups during the offseason, and Jannereth, identified by TopDrawerSoccer as a potential ACC breakout player.
SMU went 6-3-1 at Washburne Stadium last season, making this seven-game homestand an important opportunity to establish some early momentum before the ACC schedule becomes unforgiving.
And unforgiving might be putting it mildly.
SMU's 2026 schedule includes preseason-ranked opponents Stanford, Duke, Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Virginia and Texas Tech.
First things first, though.
After nearly stealing one from a top-five Vanderbilt team on the road, the Mustangs return to Dallas looking to turn that fight into their first victory of 2026.
WHAT: North Texas at SMU Women's Soccer
WHEN: Sunday | Aug. 16, 2026 | 7 p.m. CT
WHERE: Washburne Stadium | Dallas, TX
TV/STREAM: ACCNX.
FREE ADMISSION
