ORLANDO, Fla. (SMU) –Freshman Mary Meehan scored in the 81st minute to break a 1-1 tie, and Vanessa Valadez converted a late penalty kick, to lead SMU to a 3-1 victory over UCF Sunday afternoon at the UCF Soccer Complex. With the win, the Mustangs are the first team to sweep both Florida schools on the road since the founding of the American Athletic Conference.

With the win, SMU improved to 8-3-0, 2-0-0 in AAC action, while UCF fell to 6-5-0, 1-1-0 in The American.

"The game started slow – it was hot and UCF is a good team, but the game changed when we were able to get numbers into the game," SMU head coach Chris Petrucelli said. "It really changed the momentum and we played a great second half."

Tied 1-1 with under 10 minutes in regulation, Valadez sent a cross into the box, where a crashing Meehan beat a defender to net the eventual game-winner. The goal was Meehan's first collegiate goal, and Valadez' sixth assist of the year.

In the 88th minute, Valadez sealed the victory, converting a penalty kick drawn by Allie Thornton. Valadez now has six goals this season.

Trailing 1-0 in the 36th minute, SMU's Katharine Herron knotted the game at ones, heading in a corner kick from Meehan. It is the first goal of Herron's career, while Meehan recorded her second career assist.

"Herron came off the bench and scored a big goal, and Mary's great run put us out on top late," Petrucelli added. "Everyone on the team has been playing great all year."

Goalkeeper Catie Brown recorded four saves in 90 minutes of work.

SMU is next in action Thursday when it hosts No. 21 Connecticut at Westcott Field. The match is set for 7 p.m. CT.

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Mustangs by following SMU women's soccer on Twitter at @SMUSoccerW, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SMUSoccerw, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/SMUSoccerW.

Postgame Notes:

• The last time SMU opened its conference season 2-0 was in 2006 (in Conference-USA).
• SMU is the first team since the founding of the American Athletic Conference to sweep USF and UCF in Florida.
• SMU improves to 6-13 all-time against UCF
• SMU is outscoring opponents 35-12. SMU is averaging 3.18 goals per game, while the opposition is averaging 1.09.
• SMU has tallied 181 shots, 92 on goal (50.8 percent), while holding opponents to 117 shots, 36 on goal (30.8 percent).
• SMU now has 12 different goal scorers.

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