Box Score (PDF) | Season Stats (PDF)
Oct. 10, 2017
DALLAS (SMU) – After a 1-0 lead at halftime, the SMU men's soccer team exploded for five goals in the second period to roll past Northeastern, 6-0, Tuesday night at Westcott Field.
With the win, No. 17 SMU improved to 9-2 on the season, while Northeastern fell to 2-9-2. The six goals were the most scored by the Mustangs since defeating Central Arkansas, 7-0, on Oct. 15, 2014.
Four different Mustangs tallied goals in the victory, including two each from
Mauro Cichero and
Garrett McLaughlin.
Cichero led SMU in scoring with a pair of goals coming within two minutes of each other. The MAC Hermann Trophy candidate recorded his first goal in the 56th minute off an assist from
Nicky Hernandez. His second tally came from a penalty kick in the 58th minute. The Norman, Oklahoma, native also registered two assists to give him six on the season. Cichero now has eight goals this year and 23 in his career.
McLaughlin finished second in scoring for the Mustangs with five points. He gave SMU the lead in the 32nd minute after Cichero found
Emil Cuello who threaded a pass to McLaughlin for his first goal. Cichero connected with McLaughlin off a free kick in the 68th minute for his second tally of the game. The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, native has 12 career goals in 27 games, including eight in 2017 with four game-winners.
Hernandez and
Jacob Cohen each scored their first career goals on the Hilltop in spectacular fashion. McLaughlin sent a cross from the left wing to Hernandez inside the six-yard box where Hernandez punched in a spinning goal in the 55th minute. Cohen drilled a shot from 25-yards out in the 76th minute on the right wing to give the Mustangs their sixth and final goal.
Michael Nelson earned the win for SMU, while
Grant Makela saw his first action of the season in front of the net.
The Mustangs attack tallied 17 shots, including 10 on frame, while the SMU backline held Northeastern to five shots with only three on goal.
SMU remains undefeated at home (7-0) and is off to its best start through 11 matches since 2010, when the Mustangs began the season 10-1.
The Mustangs return to Westcott Field for a conference matchup against Memphis Saturday at 7 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at SMUMustangs.com and admission is free.
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.
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