SMU (5-4-1, 1-1-0, American) vs. USF (4-5-1, 1-0-1 American)

Westcott Field - Dallas, TX
Saturday, Oct. 6 – 7 p.m. CT

Video (ADN) | Live Stats (USF)
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The SMU Mustangs and USF Bulls face off in an AAC match Saturday evening at Westcott Field. Match time is 7 p.m.
 
The American Digital Network will produce its first men's soccer telecast of the fall with Lincoln Rose (play-by-play), Kit McConnico (color) and Ashton Benford (analyst) handling the call. The contest will be available for viewing on facebook.com/AmericanDigitalNetworkPlus.
 
SERIES VS. USF
SMU is 1-4-3 against the Bulls, 1-1-1 when playing at home. This will be the seventh straight, ninth overall, meeting between the two programs. USF and SMU last met Oct. 29, 2017. After 110 minutes of action, the No. 12 SMU men's soccer team played USF to a 0-0 draw at Corbett Soccer Stadium. SMU moved to 12-2-1 overall and 4-1-1 in American Athletic Conference play, while USF remained in third place in the league standings with a 3-1-2 record and 6-5-4 overall.
 
VETERAN NETMINDER
Junior keeper Grant Makela has made nine starts in net for the Mustangs this season and is 4-3-1 so far. His goals against average is sitting at 0.87 ranking him the third best amongst conference goalkeepers. His four shutouts are the 20th most in the nation and first in the American. Makela has logged 830 total minutes this season, marking the third most minutes played by a conference keeper. His save percentage of .778 is the third best percentage in the AAC.
 
WITH THE ASSIST
Senior midfielder Emil Cuello leads the American for Assists Per Game and Total Assists at a mark of .50 and five. His average is the 37th best in the country, and best in the conference, tying Dayonn Harris of UConn. The team is second in the conference at a mark of 1.50 per game. The Orem, Utah native tallied a pair of helpers against Campbell and assisted on goals against Houston Baptist, Gonzaga and Stetson. The team's 15 total assists on the year rank the Ponies second amongst conference teams.
 
SHOTS PER GAME
SMU is averaging 15.70 shots per game, marking the squad 7th in the nation, with 6.50 Shots on Goal Per Game, ranking them 26th in the country and 2nd in the American. Emil Cuello and Eddie Munjoma lead the team, averaging 2.80 and 2.70 shots per game, respectively, ranking fourth and fifth in the conference. Cuello gets the most Shots on Goal Per Game with 2.80.
 
AT THE CORNER
The Mustangs have earned, on average, 5.90 corner kicks per game this season, the teams average is the 30th most in the NCAA and most in the American Athletic Conference.
 
WEEKLY CONFERENCE AWARDS
Sophomore Talen Maples was named Defensive Player of the Week and freshman Lane Warrington was named Rookie of the Week by the American Athletic Conference after the team's 1-0 victory over Tulsa (9/22/18) to open conference play. Maples, the team's captain, played all 90 minutes in the victory and was part of a defensive effort that submitted the Mustangs' fourth shutout on the year. The Leander, Texas product also logged a shot on goal in the team's win to open conference play for the first time since 2015. Warrington, in the fourth start of his collegiate career, found the back of the net in the 3' of the contest when he launched a strike near the left corner of the goal box. The Lawton, Oklahoma native is the second Mustang to notch the first goal of his collegiate career this season.
 
IT'S AN HONOR
Sophomore defender Talen Maples was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll (9/4/18) for his game winning goal that came in the 60th minute of the Incarnate Word match. Maples notched goals in back-to-back contests, his first coming in the 18th minute against Campbell in a 4-0 victory. He is the second Mustang to be named to the Honor Roll this season.
 
Junior defender Eddie Munjoma was named to the American Athlete Conferences' Honor Roll (8/27/18) after he racked up two goals against Campbell and an assist against Providence. Munjoma's goals were the first of his career.
 
MCLAUGHLIN NAMED TO MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
American Athletic Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Garrett McLaughlin was the lone conference player to make the 2018 Preseason MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List as announced by United Soccer Coaches. McLaughlin was one of just 31 Division I men's players tabbed to the list on August 9. 2018 marks the third-straight season SMU has seen a player named to the Preseason Watch List, as Mauro Cichero was recognized the past two seasons.
 
RETURNING OFFENSE
The Ponies will look to Garrett McLaughlin and Emil Cuello, both Preseason All-American Athletic Conference selections, along with three other multiple goal scorers from last season, Nicky Hernandez, Christian Boorom and DJ Williams Jr., to lead the offensive charge in the year's campaign. McLaughlin, an Oklahoma City, Okla. native, led the team in points last year with 31 total, netting 14 goals and assisting on three, and Cuello, an Orem, Utah product, found the back of the net twice and notched five helpers, the second most on the team. McLaughlin was also named the 2018 AAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
 
CONSISTENT SUCCESS
SMU made its 31st NCAA Tournament appearance last season after winning both the regular season and AAC Tournament. In the NCAA Tournament, the Ponies beat Central Arkansas and Georgetown before falling to North Carolina, the No. 3 seed, in the Sweet 16. It was the 21st time that the Mustangs have reached the Sweet 16.
 
FRESH FACES
The Mustangs welcome 13 newcomers to the team, all freshmen, along with first-year Associate Head Coach Bed Stoddard and Director of Operations and Video Services Elmer Selaya. Stoddard comes to the Hilltop from Oregon State where he spent the last 4 seasons and Selaya was a coach at CoachUp in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
 
HUDSON RETURNS TO THE HILLTOP
Kevin Hudson was 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. During Hudson's ten years on the Hilltop, the Mustangs have reached the NCAA Tournament on six occasions, advancing as far as the Elite Eight 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 Sweet 16. Hudson and his coaching staff were named the 2015 AAC Coaching Staff of the Year. The Mustangs have amassed a 120-66-24 (.629) record during Hudson's tenure including a 38-15-6 (.695) record as head coach. In 2017, Hudson led the Mustangs to win both the American Athletic Conference regular season title and the conference tournament title, the first sweep in conference history. His staff was named 2017 Coaching Staff of the Year by the AAC. SMU made it to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the second time in Hudson's young head coaching career.
 
UP NEXT
The Mustangs return to action on Tuesday, October 9 when they host the University of Nebraska at Omaha for a 7 p.m. contest at Westcott Field.