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Hope all PonyFans make an effort to get out to Westcott Field Friday. The women christen the new field with a game at 2 PM, and the men's team plays at 7:30 in the first round of the SMU Mi Cocina Classic. See you out there!

I will be there for the men's game. Too bad the game on Saturday conflicts with the NT game.

The women's team lost, 3-0, to Notre Dame today. Good crowd, although way to many ND fans for my taste (to be fair, I hate ND, so one of their fans is too many for my taste). SMU played extremely well for the first half, and did not seem intimidated at all by the fact that ND is ranked first in the country, or by the TV cameras, etc. ND scored early in the second half and started to pull away, thanks in part to their depth (the heat was awful, even just to watch).

Both Bailey sisters played well, perhaps their best games of the season. Olivia O'Rear seemed to crank it up a notch, and (freshman) Kim Peabody also created some good chances. Sweeper Carley Phillips -- who gets overshadowed by the scorers, but is absolutely vital for the Ponies) left the game before halftime with some kind of a leg injury and did not return. Alyssa Pembroke and Ashley Watson were terrific in the back, but the Irish just attacked in droves.

Ashley Gunter is quietly becoming an exceptional goalkeeper. With a more ordinary goalie, this game could have been much more lopsided.