Honolulu, Hawaii - SMU sophomore Olivia O’Rear scored the game-winning goal in the 55th minute to lift the top-seeded SMU Mustangs to a 1-0 win over No. 5 Tulsa in the semifinals of the 2004 WAC Soccer Championships Saturday. SMU improves to 14-3-3 on the year.

The match was played Saturday morning at the UH Lower Campus Field after the team’s were rained out less than nine minutes into last night’s contest at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium. The Mustangs (14-3-3) will now face No. 2 seed Rice, a 2-1 winner over UTEP Friday night, in tomorrow’s championship match, 8 a.m. at UH Lower Campus Field. Admission and parking is free. Tulsa’s season ended with a 7-10-4 mark.

The two team’s battled hard in hot and humid conditions, but O’Rear’s goal proved the difference. The sophomore all-WAC forward dribbled the ball up the right flank, cut into the box and nailed a left-footed shot into the upper far post of the goal. The team’s combined for just four shots in the first half, before SMU finished with a 13-9 shot advantage. O’Rear finished with a game-high five shots.

The Mustangs will look to capture their sixth WAC title, and fourth in a row when they face Rice Sunday morning. The Owls will look for its first-ever tournament championship

SMU Mustangs-2
Rice Owls-0
FINAL

Great Job Lady Stangs!!!!!!!!!!! Onto the NCAA Tournament quest for a National Title begins!!