No. 9 Mustangs Host Temple In Regular Season Finale
Oct 29 | Men's Soccer
| No. 9 SMU (11-2-3, 6-0-1 AAC) vs. Temple (10-5-2, 2-5 AAC) | |
| Date & Start Time | Saturday, Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. CT |
| Location | Westcott Field |
| Game Notes | Game Notes |
| Live Stats | Gametracker |
| Live Video | Watch Live |
| /SMUMustangs | /SMUSoccerM | |
| @SMUMustangs | @SMUSoccerM | |
The Week Ahead...
No. 9 SMU is back in action for its final regular season contest of 2015 as it hosts Temple on Saturday at 8 p.m. CT. The event will serve as Senior Night for four seniors.
On The National Stage...
The No. 9 Mustangs broke into the NSCAA Division I Coaches Poll Top 10 for the first time since 2010 this week. The Ponies currently sit in first place in the American Athletic Conference standings with a record of 6-0-1, 11-2-3 overall, and post a 10 match unbeaten streak.
SMU enters the Top 10 after being ranked No. 12 in the Oct. 20 poll, No. 21 in the Oct. 13 poll and No. 23 in the Sept. 1 poll. The last time the Mustangs were ranked in the Top 10 was in 2010 when they occupied the No. 7 spot and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals. SMU went three years in a row being ranked in the top 10 in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Scouting The Owls...
Temple enters Saturday's match with a 10-5-2 overall record, and a 2-5 record in AAC play. Jorge Gomez Sanchez leads the Owls with 31 points (13 goals, five assists), and in shots with 71. Goalkeeper Alex Cagle has tallied 53 saves and is posting a .97 goals-against-average.
Series History...
The Mustangs are 1-0-1 all-time against Temple with the last match being in 2014 when the Mustangs defeated the Owls, 2-1, in overtime.
Looking Back...
In the previous week, the Mustangs went 1-0-1 after defeating Tulsa, 3-2, and drawing with No. 13 USF, 2-2.
In a 3-2 win over Tulsa, junior Stanton Garcia opened up scoring 23 seconds into the match after he received a cross from Christian Boorom and punched it in from six yards out.
In the 35th minute, Idi Camara scored his second goal of the season after he received a pass from Cichero and shot it in the bottom left corner of the goal. Camara scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 47th minute after teammate Brenden Lee found Camara wide open waiting in the box.
In a 2-2 double overtime draw with No. 13 USF, Cichero and Camara scored goals for the Mustangs to extend their away conference record to 3-0-1.
American Honors...
Senior Idi Camara was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring three goals in an undefeated week for SMU.
The award is the Mustangs' eighth player of the week this season with Mauro Cichero earning Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 19, Oct. 5 and Sept. 7, Nelson earning Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct. 12, Emil Cuello earning Rookie of the Week on Oct. 5 and Sept. 21 and Jared Rice earning Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 28.
The Mustangs lead the conference in shots (240), points (96), assists (36) and assists per game (2.25). Goalkeeper Michael Nelson leads The American in saves with 61 and averages 3.81 saves-per-game. Mauro Cichero is in second place in shots (60), points (26) and goals (10). Sophomore Jared Rice is tied for first in assists with eight.
The Last Hoorah...
Four Mustangs will be honored prior to Saturday evening's regular season finale against Temple. Idi Camara, John Lujano, Jacob Speed and Danny McQuaid will play their final regular season game on the Hilltop. The group has combined for 149 appearances, 20 goals and 10 assists for SMU.
Change In Leadership...
Former SMU standout Kevin Hudson is in his first season as the Ponies' head coach after being named the fourth head coach in the program's history on Jan. 9, 2015. Hudson spent seven seasons as an assistant coach and was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2014 season after returning to the Hilltop in 2007.
Up Next...
The Mustangs have clinched a home match for the quarterfinals of the 2015 American Athletic Conference tournament, which opens on Nov. 7. Match time is TBD.
