Posted on: Monday, November 8, 2004
SMU beats Rice for sixth WAC title
By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Southern Methodist University women's soccer team won its sixth and final Western Athletic Conference title yesterday, defeating Rice, 2-0, at the University of Hawai'i soccer practice field.
"We wanted to leave our mark on the WAC before we left," SMU sophomore midfielder Adria Campbell, a 2003 Punahou graduate, said.
SMU forwards Olivia O'Rear and Erin MacCallum each scored first-half goals, within three minutes of each other, in front of 121 fans.
By capturing the WAC tournament, SMU earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, which begins this week.
"It was really important, obviously," Campbell, a first-team all-WAC selection, said of earning the automatic berth. "In the beginning of the season, it was our ultimate goal."
O'Rear, the tournament MVP, scored her second goal of the tournament in the 32nd minute on a cross by midfielder Autumn Browning. MacCallum scored three minutes later on a pass from midfielder Amanda Jordan.
"At 1-0, you're scared, and at 2-0, you start to get complacent," SMU coach John Cossaboon said of the two-goal lead and the warning he gave the Mustangs at halftime.
The Mustangs' two-goal win was the largest margin of victory in this year's tournament, which also featured two overtime matches.
"We're leaving, but our goal was to leave the best we could, and that would be to win this," Cossaboon said.
Host Hawai'i was eliminated in the first round by Tulsa on Thursday.
Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.
SMU, the regular-season champion, won its fourth straight WAC tournament title. The Mustangs (15-3-3) and the Owls (14-4-3), along with tournament semifinalists UTEP and Tulsa, are exiting the WAC next season to move to Conference USA.
Olivia O'Rear
Joelle Sugai
