Sept. 28, 2017
 
[RV] SMU (6-2-0, 0-1-0) plays its first American Athletic Conference home match against UCF (1-4-1, 0-1-0) Friday at 7:30 p.m. SMU is 5-0 at home this season, and is receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches' Poll.

The Mustangs welcome the Knights to Westcott Field after having a three-game winning streak snapped in a 1-0 overtime loss at Tulsa last week.

All home matches are free admission and can be followed via PonyUp TV or live stats on SMUMustangs.com.

QUICK KICKS
- Head Coach Kevin Hudson has a 27-14-5 (.641) record on the Hilltop.
- In the conference opener, SMU fell 1-0 in overtime at Tulsa last week.
- The Mustangs are receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches' Poll.
- Jordan Cano was named The American Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 18).
- Garrett McLaughlin and Michael Nelson were selected to the conference weekly honor roll (Sept. 18).
- SMU leads the American Athletic Conference in points (6.00), goals (1.88) and assists per game (2.25).
- Mauro Cichero is tied for second in The American in points (14) and assists (4).
- The Mustangs' 18 assists is tied for the conference lead, while Cichero is tied for second in the league with four.
- Cano and Jared Rice are tied for second on the team in assists with three each.
- Nelson is tied for the conference lead in shutouts (4) and has 21 in his career.
- Cichero and McLaughlin are tied for second in the league in goals with five each.
- Cichero has 20 career goals, including eight game winners.
- McLauglin has nine career goals in 23 games, including five in 2017, three of which were game-winners.
- Ponder's game-winning goal against Santa Clara (Sept. 10) was his first career goal.
- Seven Mustangs have scored this year: Cichero (5), McLaughlin (5), Ponder (1), Christian Boorom (1), Colten Habecker (1), Talen Maples (1) and Garrett Welch (1).
- Cichero was joined by Cano, McLaughlin and Nelson on the preseason all-conference team.
- Cichero earned preseason Top Drawer Soccer Best XI honor.
- Nelson was named The American Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
- Cichero was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List and Top Drawer Soccer Best XI.
- McLaughlin was the 2016 American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year.
- Cano and Cichero were named all-conference second team last year.

UNITED SOCCER COACHES NCAA DIVISION I MEN – NATIONAL – POLL 5

Rank	School	1st Votes	Total Points	Prev.	W-L-T
1	Indiana	20	592	2	6-0-2
2	Wake Forest	2	556	4	8-1-0
3	Maryland	0	537	3	6-0-2
4	Michigan State	2	526	6	7-0-1
5	North Carolina	0	484	7	8-1-0
6	Clemson	0	480	8	7-1-0
7	Notre Dame	0	462	1	6-1-0
8	Louisville	0	422	10	6-1-1
9	Western Michigan	0	393	12	9-0-1
10	Virginia	0	358	9	6-1-1
11	Stanford	0	339	5	5-2-0
12	New Hampshire	0	319	14	5-0-2
13	Kentucky	0	303	15	5-1-2
14	Georgetown	0	277	16	6-1-1
15	UNC-Wilmington	0	253	18	6-1-0
16	Ohio State	0	210	25	7-1-0
17	Washington	0	184	RV	7-2-0
18	Air Force	0	175	20	5-1-1
19	Duke	0	166	RV	6-1-1
20	Michigan	0	120	22	5-2-2
21	Syracuse	0	114	11	5-3-2
22	Butler	0	93	RV	6-2-0
23	Columbia	0	70	NR	4-0-2
24	Omaha	0	62	23	7-1-1
25	Creighton	0	41	NR	5-3-0

Also receiving votes: Pacific (36), Seattle (33), Florida International (30), North Carolina State (24), West Virginia (22), SMU (21), Rider (20), Furman (17), Charlotte (12), University Of Massachusetts-Lowell (8), Virginia Tech (8), Dartmouth (8), Portland (7), California (5), Army (4), New Mexico (3), Akron (3), Lehigh (2), Elon (1)

LAST TIME OUT – No. 19 SMU FALLS IN OVERTIME AT TULSA, 1-0 (Sept. 24, 2017)
The SMU men's soccer team fell in overtime at Tulsa, 1-0, at the Hurricane Soccer and Track Stadium. Tulsa's Gustavo Vargas knocked in a header from two yards out off a corner kick in the 94th minute to give the Golden Hurricane the win. The Mustangs fell to 6-2-0 overall and 0-1-0 in The American, while Tulsa improved to 3-3-1 on the season and 1-0-0 in conference play.

ABOUT SMU (AMERICAN)
SMU (6-2-0, 0-1-0) is led by head coach Kevin Hudson, who has 21 letterwinners returning, including eight starters from last season. The Mustangs were selected to finish fifth in the preseason poll of The American, a league that sent two teams (Tulsa, USF) to the 2016 NCAA Tournament. SMU is the only team in The American with six wins and is the only team in the conference receiving votes in the United Coaches' Poll. The Mustangs won their season opener against UC Davis (3-2), followed by two wins against Oakland (2-1) and Cornell (3-0) to claim the SMU Tournament title. On the first road trip of the season, the Mustangs went 1-1 in California with a 3-1 loss to then-No. 1 Stanford, before a 1-0 victory against Santa Clara. SMU won its last two matches at home with a 4-0 win against Loyola (Md.) and a 1-0 victory against Brown. The Mustangs lead the American Athletic Conference in points (6.00), goals (1.88) and assists per game (2.25). SMU went 6-9-1 overall and 2-4-1 in conference play in 2016.

ABOUT UCF (AMERICAN)
UCF (1-4-1, 0-1-0) will play its fifth straight match on the road against SMU when the Knights take the pitch Friday. Five of UCF's first six matches have been on the road. The Knights opened conference play with a 3-2 double overtime loss to USF last week in the War on I-4 Rivalry Series. Senior Matias Pyysalo leads UCF offense with four goals and nine points. He has totaled 17 shots, including nine on goal. Freshman Yannik Oettl has registered 21 saves with a 1.22 goals-against average, including two shutouts this year.

SMU-UCF SERIES HISTORY
SMU holds a 5-4-4 lead in the all-time series against UCF. Last year, UCF's Matias Pyysalo delivered the game-winning goal in the 63rd minute to defeat the Mustangs, 1-0.

LAST TIME AGAINST UCF (L, 1-0 at UCF on Oct. 1, 2016):
After a two and a half hour weather delay, the SMU fell to UCF, 1-0, in Orlando, Florida. The Mustangs outshot the Knights 5-4 in the first half, despite a scoreless first period. Emil Cuello led all Mustangs with four shots and one on goal. UCF scored in the 63rd minute of the match as Matias Pyysalo sneaked one past goalkeeper Michael Nelson. The Knights posted eleven total shots, to SMU's eight. Michael Nelson recorded one save in 90 minutes of play.

UCF 5-4-4
H: 4-1-2, A: 1-3-2, N: 0-0

2005	O14	H	W	1-0
2006	O14	A	T20T	2-2
2007	O6	H	W	3-1
2008	O25	A	W	2-0
2009	O31	H	T2OT	3-3
2010	O2	A	L	2-1
2011	O1	H	L	4-2 (14)
2012	O14	A	L	1-0
2013	O19	H	T2OT	0-0
2014	O4	A	T2OT	1-1
	N8	H!	W	4-0
2015	O2	H	W	2-1
2016	O1	A	L	1-0

(-) Ranking
! American Athletic Conference Tournament

CICHERO NAMED 2017 SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE (Sept. 22, 2017)
Mauro Cichero has been named one of 30 candidates for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award. The award is presented annually to an NCAA Division I senior with notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The Norman, Oklahoma, native is on pace to graduate in December with a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Physiology & Sport Management. Cichero has routinely been active in the community, spending time with local children at free youth clinics and camps, while providing direction through soccer oriented games. He also has done community service work with Habitat for Humanity. Cichero has been named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, the TopDrawerSoccer.com Best XI second team and the Preseason All-Conference team. Cichero is the emotional leader of the Mustangs as he is tied for the conference lead in points (14) and tied for second in the league in assists (4). Cichero has five goals this season, and is tied for the team lead with teammate Garrett McLaughlin. He notched his first career hat trick against UC Davis in the season opener (Aug. 25) to earn The American Offensive Player of the Week (Aug. 28). An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. The 30 candidate classes will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2017 NCAA Men's and Women's College Cup® championships in December.

THREE MUSTANGS GARNER AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WEEKLY HONORS (Sept. 18, 2017)
Jordan Cano was named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week, while Garrett McLaughlin and Michael Nelson were selected to the weekly honor roll. Cano picked up his second career weekly award after leading the Mustang backline to two shutouts last weekend, a 4-0 win against Loyola (Md.) and a 1-0 victory against Brown. He was credited with his third assist of the season when he threaded a pass between two Loyola (Md.) defenders to McLaughlin for the Mustangs' first goal against the Greyhounds. McLaughlin surpassed his goal total from a year ago after recording two goals last week, including two-game winning goals. The 2016 American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year has five goals on the season and nine career goals in just 23 games. McLaughlin has garnered conference weekly honor roll accolades for the second straight week, and was named The American Player of the Week on Sept. 4, 2017. Two-time American Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Year Michael Nelson continued his stellar season as he recorded two shutouts and made four saves against the Greyhounds and the Bears. The Katy, Texas, native has been named to the weekly honor roll five times in his career.

MCLAUGHLIN AND PONDER NAMED TO THE AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE HONOR ROLL (Sept. 11, 2017)
Garrett McLaughlin registered three points on a goal and an assist on the road in a 1-1 week for the Mustangs. He picked up his third goal of the season against then-No. 1 Stanford, which was the first goal the Cardinal had given up this season. McLaughlin was credited with an assist in the Mustangs' 1-0 victory against Santa Clara. Ponder was the recipient of McLauglin's assist as he scored the game-winning goal against the Broncos and led SMU backline to a 1-0 shutout win.

MCLAUGHLIN NAMED AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Sept. 4, 2017)
Garrett McLaughlin was named the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week. McLaughlin netted two goals (4 points) on four shots to earn his first weekly player of the week honor and be named to the SMU Tournament All-Tournament team.

CICHERO NAMED AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Aug. 28, 2017)
Mauro Cichero was named the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week. The senior forward recorded his first career hat trick in a 3-2 victory against UC Davis in the season opener on Friday. The MAC Hermann Trophy candidate scored two goals late to rally the Mustangs and now has 18 career goals, including seven game winners. He leads the conference in points (six) and goals (three). Cichero won the league's first weekly honor, giving him four for his career. In 2015, he was named player of the week three times helping lead SMU to conference regular season title and was also named the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

HUDDY'S HOME
Head Coach Kevin Hudson has compiled a 27-14-5 (.641) record, including a 21-8-1 (.717) record at Westcott Field. During Hudson's nine years on the Hilltop (six as an assistant coach), the Mustangs have reached the NCAA Tournament on five occasions, advancing as far as the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2010. In 2010 and 2012, SMU earned the Conference USA regular season title, and in 2011 the squad won the tournament championship. In his first year as head coach, Hudson's team claimed the 2015 American Athletic Conference regular season title and advanced to the NCAA Round of 16. Hudson and his coaching staff were named the 2015 AAC Coaching Staff of the Year. The Mustangs have amassed a 109-65-23 (.611) record during Hudson's tenure.

THERE'S (MAUR-O) WHERE THAT CAME FROM
Mauro Cichero is tied for second in The American in points (14) and assists (4). He notched his first career hat trick in the season opener (Aug. 25) to earn The American Offensive Player of the Week (Aug. 28). Cichero has garnered several preseason accolades heading into the 2017 season. He has been named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, the TopDrawerSoccer.com Best XI second team and the preseason all-conference team. The Norman, Oklahoma native earned second team all-conference honors last season after playing in 15 games for the Mustangs, scoring three goals on 44 shots with one assist. As a sophomore, Cichero helped lead the Mustangs to a 15-3-4 record, a conference regular season title and to the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 2015. The senior forward was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Year and a unanimous First-Team All-Conference selection. Cichero finished his second season on the Hilltop ranked first on the team in goals (10), points (29) and shots (71), and second in assists (9). On the Hilltop, Cichero has started 60 matches and has tallied 20 goals, including eight game winners, and 18 assists.

THE KEEPER
Nelson has amassed 21 career shutouts on the Hilltop, including four this year against Cornell, Santa Clara, Loyola (Md.) and Brown. He was named to the conference weekly honor roll on Sept. 18. A season after starting 15 matches for the Mustangs, Nelson returns as the starting keeper. For the third consecutive season, Nelson has been named the 2017 American Athletic Conference Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. The two-time conference Goalkeeper of the Year (2014, 2015) recorded 55 saves, three shutouts last season, while posting a 1.16 goals against average to go with a .764 save percentage.

G-MAC
The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, native has five goals on the season and nine career goals in just 23 games. McLaughlin has garnered conference weekly honor roll accolades twice this season (Sept. 11 and Sept. 18), and was named The American Player of the Week on Sept. 4. McLaughlin returns for his sophomore campaign on the Hilltop after being named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year last season. McLaughlin played in all 16 games and started seven for the Mustangs. The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, native, led the team with 11 points off a team-high four goals, including a goal against then-No. 16 Akron in an eventual, 4-3, Mustang victory in overtime and the game-tying goal against Connecticut. McLaughlin was also credited with three assists and finished second on the team in shots on goal with 12. He was also named to the conference Weekly Honor Roll for the week of Oct. 17. McLaughlin earned his second career conference weekly honor after netting two goals on four shots in wins against Oakland and Cornell. He was also named to the SMU Tournament All-Tournament team. McLaughlin surpassed his goal total from a year ago after recording two goals last week, including two-game winning goals.

THE JORDAN STOPPER
Jordan Cano picked up his second career weekly award (Sept. 18) after leading the Mustangs' backline to two shutouts victories with a 4-0 win against Loyola (Md.) and a 1-0 decision against Brown. He was credited with his third assist of the season when he threaded a pass between two Loyola (Md.) defenders to McLaughlin for the Mustangs' first goal against the Greyhounds. Cano is the most experienced defender on the Mustangs' roster and has been named to the all-conference second team the past two years. Last season, he scored in back-to-back matches against Memphis and Cincinnati, earning four total points. Cano has been consistent and reliable in the backline for the Mustangs playing in 37 games with 36 starts the last two years. The Frisco, Texas, native was also named to the All-Rookie team in 2014.

EDDIE-NATIONAL
Defender Eddie Munjoma was named to the U.S. Under-19 Men's National Team domestic training camp roster. Munjoma was one of 22 players called to attend the eight-day camp from February 3-10 in Sunrise, Florida. As a freshman last season, Munjoma started 12 of 13 games for SMU and played 1,149 minutes on the pitch. He tallied four points on four assists, including three assists against then-No.16 Akron helping the Mustangs beat the Zips 4-3 in overtime.

2017 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PRESEASON HONORS
Four Mustangs were named to the preseason All-American Athletic Conference team, the league announced. SMU was picked to finish fifth in the conference, receiving one of the eight first place votes by the league's coaches. The Mustangs return eight starters from last season, including Jordan Cano, Mauro Cichero, Garrett McLaughlin and Michael Nelson, who all made the preseason all-conference team.

2016 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE HONORS
Forward Garrett McLaughlin was named American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, while defender Jordan Cano and midfielder Mauro Cichero were named to The American All-Conference second team.

Rookie of the Year: Garrett McLaughlin
Second Team: Jordan Cano and Mauro Cichero

2017 MEN'S SOCCER WATCH LISTS/PRESEASON HONORS

JORDAN CANO
All-American Athletic Conference

MAURO CICHERO
MAC Hermann Trophy
Top Drawer Soccer Best XI
All-American Athletic Conference

GARRETT MCLAUGHLIN
All-American Athletic Conference

MICHAEL NELSON
American Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Year
All-American Athletic Conference

2017 MEN'S SOCCER SEASON HONORS/AWARDS

JORDAN CANO
SMU Tournament All-Tournament Team
American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 18, 2017)

MAURO CICHERO
SMU Tournament Most Outstanding Player (MOP)
American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week (Aug. 28, 2017)
Senior CLASS Award Candidate (Sept. 22, 2017)

GARRETT MCLAUGHLIN
SMU Tournament All-Tournament Team
American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 4, 2017)
American Athletic Conference Honor Roll (Sept. 11, 2017)
American Athletic Conference Honor Roll (Sept. 18, 2017)

MICHAEL NELSON
SMU Tournament All-Tournament Team
American Athletic Conference Honor Roll (Sept. 18, 2017)

PHILIP PONDER
American Athletic Conference Honor Roll (Sept. 11, 2017)

CALEB SMITH
SMU Tournament All-Tournament Team

NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES
The Mustangs return 21 letterwinners, including eight starters from last season, while adding 11 newcomers to the roster. The 2017 recruiting class consists of Joshua Berney, Ryan Capo, Matteo DeFina, Nicky Hernandez, Noah Hilt, Talen Maples, Dakota Okwuone, Luke Thompson, Austin Vincent, Patrick Wintergalen and graduate transfer Tyler Long.

MEN'S SOCCER HIGH SCHOOL COACHES DAY (Aug. 19, 2017)
SMU men's soccer head coach Kevin Hudson and staff hosted a coaches day Saturday, Aug. 19 at Westcott Field, which was open to high school coaches. The event provided insight to the day-to-day operations of the program, while also giving coaches an inside look at the preparation that takes place before matches.

WESTCOTT FIELD
One of the most popular soccer venues in the country, Westcott Field, is the home turf for both the SMU men's and women's soccer teams. Both teams began competing at Westcott Field in 1994. The grass facility was used as a training site for the Dallas venue of World Cup USA '94. Teams from Germany, Bulgaria, Sweden and Holland practiced there before their games at the Cotton Bowl. Within more recent years, Westcott Field has climbed the charts as one of the nation's exciting soccer stadiums. In 2001, Westcott Field ranked among the highest attended facilities during the SMU men's team No. 1 reign for 14 weeks, as well as the women's team march to the Western Athletic Conference Title. In 2004, the Mustangs added a press box to the stadium featuring attractive lettering and the Mustangs' past champions. Before the 2006 season, SMU installed a new turf and a state-of-the art drainage system.

FREE SOCCER
Adding to its menu of free, family-friendly events, SMU Athletics will now offer free admission to all Mustang soccer matches beginning this fall. The soccer programs are among 11 SMU sports that offer free admission. Others include volleyball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's golf, rowing and equestrian. SMU will host a combined 22 matches at Westcott Field, 12 women's games and 10 men's games.

SMU ATHLETICS, SOCCER PROGRAMS TO SEE FACE LIFT
SMU recently announced plans to construct a new Indoor Performance Center, an outdoor natural grass football practice field and a new soccer stadium, another sign of the University's commitment to competing at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics. These plans come on the heels of amazing success during SMU's Second Century Campaign, when SMU Athletics secured more than $191 million in gift commitments, and after 18 months of careful planning and design. The new soccer stadium, to be used by SMU's men's and women's soccer teams, will be located on Mockingbird Lane, the site of the current practice fields.

UP NEXT
SMU continues conference play at Temple Saturday, Oct. 7. The match is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CT.

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Mustangs by following the SMU Men's Soccer Team on Twitter at @SMUSoccerM, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SMUSoccerM, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/SMU_MSOC. Follow SMU Athletics on Twitter at @SMUMustangs or Instagram at SMU.Mustangs.