SMU Mustangs (0-0-0) at HBU Huskies (0-0-0)
Thursday, Aug. 19 – CANCELED
Houston, Texas – Sorrels Field
North Texas Mean Green (0-0-0) at HBU Huskies (0-0-0)
Sunday, Aug. 22 – 7 p.m.
Houston, Texas – Sorrels Field
Streaming (Husky Sports Network)
Live Stats
Game Program
HOUSTON – The HBU women's soccer team opens the 2021 season this Thursday at Sorrels Field against SMU before hosting North Texas on Sunday and for the first time in 15 years the Huskies will be under the direction of a new head coach.
Chris Dodd was named just the third head coach in HBU program history this summer, succeeding Misty Jones who restarted the program and began play in 2006. He served as Jones' assistant coach since 2014 and was promoted to associate head coach in April of 2020.
The Huskies return nine starters from last year's squad and 15 letterwinners with the returning players accounting for more than 80 percent of the team's minutes last season. HBU is led by seven seniors, goalkeeper
Karla Ramirez, defenders
Caroline Gillispie and
Bryce Reynolds, midfielders
Avery Cortez and
Talin Rizo, and forwards
Noor Abukishk and
Jessica Nevils.
Junior midfielder
Ryan Ford picked up preseason all-conference recognition after starting all 15 games as a sophomore and registering a pair of goals and a pair of assists. Abukishk, back for her fifth year, led the team with four goals and four assists last season, totaling 11 points in Southland Conference play.
Reynolds has been a mainstay in a central defender role since her freshman season, starting every game since her debut 2018 season. Cortez and Nevils, who missed the entire 2020-21 season, have combined to score 18 goals and assist on seven goals over the last three seasons. In goal, Ramirez started 14 of the team's 15 games last season.
SMU is coming off a spring campaign in which the Mustangs were only able to play two games with a 1-1 record consisting of a road win at Temple and a home loss to East Carolina. Senior forward Jewel Boland accounted for three of the team's five goals and assisted on another. In goal, SMU returns two letterwinners with Samantha Estrada playing part-time in 2018 before starting both games this past spring while Tatum Sutherland started 20 games in goal in 2019.
This will be the sixth meeting overall between the two programs and just the second since HBU restarted its women's soccer program in 2006. SMU edged out the Huskies 2-1 in Dallas during the 2018 season with Nevils finding the net for HBU.
North Texas comes into the 2021 season off a 7-3-1 spring campaign with a 4-1-1 mark in CUSA play. The Mean Green will open the season with a home game against Southern on Friday before making the trip to Houston on Sunday. UNT returns three of four players who tied for the team lead last season with three goals while sophomore Madi Starrett led the team with four assists. The Mean Green will feature a new goalkeeper this season with two senior Division I transfers and a freshman on the roster.
The Huskies and Mean Green last played in 2019 in Denton with HBU suffering a 2-1 loss. Junior
Maggie Reynolds was the Huskies' goal-scorer in that matchup.
Both Thursday's and Sunday's games are scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.
The Huskies will remain in Houston for their following two games, first hosting Rice on Aug. 27 and then heading across town to play Houston on Aug. 29.
