Pirates Open AAC Play at SMU

GREENVILLE, NC – East Carolina football opens American Athletic Conference play on Thursday as they hit the road for a matchup with SMU. The game is set for 8:00 PM Eastern and will be available to stream on ESPN+.

Last time out
The Pirates extended their unbeaten streak to six straight with a 2-1 win over Florida. The win was the fourth in program history over a Power Five team. Carson Parker scored another brace, including the game-winning free kick in the 85th^th moment.

Discovery of Mustangs
SMU enters the game ranked No. 19 in the nation with a 4-0-3 record including a 1-1 tie against then-No.11 Tennessee. Julissa Cisneros leads the way with five goals with 10 players recording one or more points in seven games on the season.

Last season SMU posted a 12-5-2 record and reached the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid, defeating Texas in the first round, 2-0, before falling to national champion Florida State in the second round.

History of the Series
SMU leads the all-time series 10-6-3, with the most recent game coming in the AAC Tournament last season, a 2-1 Mustangs win. The two teams also met in September 2021, a 2-0 SMU victory. The streak began in 2005 in Greenville with a 2-0 SMU victory.

Quotable
“We are very excited to begin AAC play this week against a very strong SMU team,” said the head coach. Gary Higgins. “We are looking forward to getting back on the road and competing against a nationally ranked program.

“SMU has set the standard over the last decade for what a good team looks like in our conference. They consistently compete for conference championships and NCAA tournament berths. Those are the types of games we want to compete in and we’re excited for the opportunity.

“We can’t wait to arrive in Dallas and represent Pirate Nation with heart and passion. Thanks and go Pirates!”

Follow ECU Soccer on social media
For more information on the ECU soccer team, follow @ECUSoc on Twitter and Instagram or ECU Soccer on Facebook.