Thursday, April 15
Orlando, FL
6 PM
SMU
at
UCF
Mustangs Take On UCF In AAC Semifinals
Apr 14 | Men's Soccer
No. 4 seed SMU (5-5-0, 5-5-0 AAC) vs. No. 1 seed UCF (7-3-0, 7-3-0 AAC)
UCF Soccer and Track Complex - Orlando, Fla.
Thursday, April 15, 2021 – 6 p.m. CT
Live Stats | Watch: ESPN+
SMU Game Notes (PDF) | UCF | Tournament Central
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SMU faces No. 20 UCF in the semifinal round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Thursday, April 15 at 6 p.m. CTÂ at the UCF Soccer and Track Complex in Orlando, Florida. The game will be shown on ESPN+.
SERIES HISTORYÂ
SMU and UCF have faced off a total of 19 times in program history and every year since 2005. Five times have been during postseason play. The Mustangs are 1-5-2 when playing in Orlando. SMU's win at UCF was during the 2019 conference tournament, when the Mustangs took the title, 1-0. UCF won both of this season's contests, the first, 2-0, and the second, 2-1. This will be the fourth consecutive meeting between the Knights and Mustangs at the AAC tournament. SMU has won two matchups and tied a third, two of which have been in Orlando. SMU won the title on PKs in 2018 after finishing the match tied at one.Â
KNOW THE FOEÂ
UCF is the No. 1 seed and is ranked No. 20 in the United Soccer Coaches poll with a 7-3-0 record, having won their last six contests. The Knights swept the season against Temple, Memphis and SMU. They fell twice to Tulsa and once to USF. UCF earned the conference regular season title with a 3-0 win over Memphis last weekend. Yoni Sorokin (MF) and Yannik Oettl (GK) earned AAC Player of the Year honors and nine Knights were named to All-Conference teams. The team is led by 12 upperclassmen and added seven freshmen to this season's roster.
THE SEASON'S RESULTS
SMU fell in its regular season finale, 2-1, against Temple. Skage Simonsen scored SMU's lone goal to send the game into overtime. Temple scored the golden goal in the 93rd minute. Cole Johnson earned his first career shutout with five saves in SMU's 3-0 win over Tulsa. Harvey Castro scored his first collegiate goal with an assist from Papa Ndoye. Ndoye and Skage Simonsen scored the other two Mustang goals. Ndoye scored his fifth goal of the season in SMU's 2-1 loss at UCF. Ndoye scored in the third minute assisted by Gabriel Costa and SMU held UCF scoreless the rest of the first half. The Knights scored in the 64th and 76th minutes for the win. The Mustangs fell, 2-1, at Tulsa for the third loss of the season. Costa scored SMU's goal in the 76th minute. Johnson finished with six saves. SMU defeated USF for the second time this season, 3-2, in Dallas. Skage Simonsen scored all three goals for the first Mustang hat trick since October of 2019. Johnson earned his first collegiate win with three saves. SMU lost its second match of the season versus UCF, 2-0. The Mustangs had eight shots on goal, but weren't able to finish one. The Mustangs dropped their first contest of the season at Temple, losing 2-0. SMU outshot the Owls, 14-10, and had six shots on goal during the match. SMU's first three wins were shutouts, marking the first time since 2006 that the Mustangs have started a season with three consecutive shutouts. SMU defeated Memphis, 5-0, in Dallas for a 2-0 series win this season. All five goals came in the second half with Ndoye scoring twice for his second multi-goal game and Noah Hilt adding two assists. The Mustangs earned the largest shutout win since 2014 in their 7-0 win at USF. The seven goals also ties SMU's own AAC record for most in a conference game. Ndoye and Nick Taylor both scored twice in the win at USF and Costa was credited with two assists. Shane Lanson and Cole Johnson had the combined shutout for SMU's second in as many games. SMU started the 2020-21 season at Memphis with a 2-0 final. Tobin Shanks and Thomas Haney notched goals for the Mustangs while Knut Ahlander picked up a point with an assist.
WINNING HISTORY
SMU has won three consecutive American Athletic Conference tournament championships: 2017, 2018 and 2019. The Mustangs met UCF in all three tournament final matches and have seen Temple, Memphis and USF in the semifinals.
MUSTANGS IN THE RANKINGS
SMU is No. 13 in the nation in scoring offense, outscoring opponents 23-12 in 10 games for a goals per game average of 2.30. The team leads the conference in goal differential (11 - 21st NCAA), points per game (6.40 - 19th NCAA) and assists per game (1.80 - 34th NCAA). Papa Ndoye is 2nd in the NCAA for shots per game (1st AAC) with 4.38. Noah Hilt and Gabriel Costa are tied for 29th in the NCAA for assists per game (1st AAC) with 0.50.
POSTSEASON HONORS
Knut Ahlander was selected as an American Athletic Conference Co-Midfielder of the Year. Ahlander and Skage Simonsen were both named to the All-Conference First Team. Papa Ndoye and Brandon Terwege both earned Second Team All-Conference honors. Harvey Castro and Cole Johnson were named to the All-Rookie Team.
2020-21 HONORS
PRESEASON HONORS
Both Gabriel Costa and Papa Ndoye were named to the MAC Hermann Watch List for the upcoming season. SMU was picked to finish at the top of the American Athletic Conference, receiving all but one first place vote. Costa was chosen as the unanimous AAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Costa and Knut Ahlander were both unanimously named to the Preseason All-Conference Team. Costa was picked for the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Best XI First Team and as a College Soccer News Preseason All-American. Costa (9th), Ahlander (48th) and Ndoye (68th) landed spots on the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Men's National Top 100.
NEW ADDITIONS
The Mustangs have added six freshmen and seven transfers since the 2019 season for a total of 13 new faces on the Hilltop. Among the transfers is Papa Ndoye, a sophomore forward from Long Island University. Ndoye was one of SMU's two players named to the MAC Hermann Award Watch List. He is leading the team with six goals and 35 shots. Skage Simonsen has made a big impact as a transfer, scoring six goals, including a hat trick against USF, which led to his selection as the American's Offensive Player of the Week. The freshmen made their way to Dallas from California, Arizona and Johannesburg, South Africa, with two from the metroplex area choosing to stay close to home. Harvey Castro leads the freshman class, having played in all 10 games with one goal. He added an assist versus USF, earning him a conference Weekly Honor Roll nod. Freshman goalkeeper Cole Johnson has eight appearances with six starts and two wins. He earned his first collegiate win against UCF in Dallas and his first shutout against Tulsa. 2020 midseason transfers consist of Judson Burns from Clemson, Ndoye from LIU, Simonsen from St. John's and Timo Hummrich from Delaware. 2021's midseason transfers are Roman Knox from UNC and Eben Noverr from Virginia.
SENIOR STANGS
Brandon Terwege, Noah Hilt, Luke Thompson and Nick Taylor are the four seniors highlighting the Mustang roster. Terwege was selected by Houston Dynamo FC in the third round of the 2021 MLS SuperDraft with the 57th overall pick. This season, he has helped SMU to four shutouts and has started in nine games, playing all 90 minutes in each. The defender recorded an assist at USF and has three shots. Hilt has started all 10 games this season and is leading the team with five assists, including two versus Memphis. He also scored a goal against Memphis and has totaled 10 shots. Taylor has also started all 10 games and scored twice at USF for the first two goals as a Mustang. The midfielder has tallied 10 shots while helping the defense to four shutouts. Thompson has played in six games this season and had five shots.
ABOUT ATTENDANCE
Attendance will be limited at the UCF Soccer and Track Complex and will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
UP NEXTÂ
The conference final will take place in Orlando on Saturday, April 17 at 6 p.m. CT.
UCF Soccer and Track Complex - Orlando, Fla.
Thursday, April 15, 2021 – 6 p.m. CT
Live Stats | Watch: ESPN+
SMU Game Notes (PDF) | UCF | Tournament Central
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SMU Mobile App
Apple | Google Play
SMU faces No. 20 UCF in the semifinal round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Thursday, April 15 at 6 p.m. CTÂ at the UCF Soccer and Track Complex in Orlando, Florida. The game will be shown on ESPN+.
SERIES HISTORYÂ
SMU and UCF have faced off a total of 19 times in program history and every year since 2005. Five times have been during postseason play. The Mustangs are 1-5-2 when playing in Orlando. SMU's win at UCF was during the 2019 conference tournament, when the Mustangs took the title, 1-0. UCF won both of this season's contests, the first, 2-0, and the second, 2-1. This will be the fourth consecutive meeting between the Knights and Mustangs at the AAC tournament. SMU has won two matchups and tied a third, two of which have been in Orlando. SMU won the title on PKs in 2018 after finishing the match tied at one.Â
KNOW THE FOEÂ
UCF is the No. 1 seed and is ranked No. 20 in the United Soccer Coaches poll with a 7-3-0 record, having won their last six contests. The Knights swept the season against Temple, Memphis and SMU. They fell twice to Tulsa and once to USF. UCF earned the conference regular season title with a 3-0 win over Memphis last weekend. Yoni Sorokin (MF) and Yannik Oettl (GK) earned AAC Player of the Year honors and nine Knights were named to All-Conference teams. The team is led by 12 upperclassmen and added seven freshmen to this season's roster.
THE SEASON'S RESULTS
SMU fell in its regular season finale, 2-1, against Temple. Skage Simonsen scored SMU's lone goal to send the game into overtime. Temple scored the golden goal in the 93rd minute. Cole Johnson earned his first career shutout with five saves in SMU's 3-0 win over Tulsa. Harvey Castro scored his first collegiate goal with an assist from Papa Ndoye. Ndoye and Skage Simonsen scored the other two Mustang goals. Ndoye scored his fifth goal of the season in SMU's 2-1 loss at UCF. Ndoye scored in the third minute assisted by Gabriel Costa and SMU held UCF scoreless the rest of the first half. The Knights scored in the 64th and 76th minutes for the win. The Mustangs fell, 2-1, at Tulsa for the third loss of the season. Costa scored SMU's goal in the 76th minute. Johnson finished with six saves. SMU defeated USF for the second time this season, 3-2, in Dallas. Skage Simonsen scored all three goals for the first Mustang hat trick since October of 2019. Johnson earned his first collegiate win with three saves. SMU lost its second match of the season versus UCF, 2-0. The Mustangs had eight shots on goal, but weren't able to finish one. The Mustangs dropped their first contest of the season at Temple, losing 2-0. SMU outshot the Owls, 14-10, and had six shots on goal during the match. SMU's first three wins were shutouts, marking the first time since 2006 that the Mustangs have started a season with three consecutive shutouts. SMU defeated Memphis, 5-0, in Dallas for a 2-0 series win this season. All five goals came in the second half with Ndoye scoring twice for his second multi-goal game and Noah Hilt adding two assists. The Mustangs earned the largest shutout win since 2014 in their 7-0 win at USF. The seven goals also ties SMU's own AAC record for most in a conference game. Ndoye and Nick Taylor both scored twice in the win at USF and Costa was credited with two assists. Shane Lanson and Cole Johnson had the combined shutout for SMU's second in as many games. SMU started the 2020-21 season at Memphis with a 2-0 final. Tobin Shanks and Thomas Haney notched goals for the Mustangs while Knut Ahlander picked up a point with an assist.
WINNING HISTORY
SMU has won three consecutive American Athletic Conference tournament championships: 2017, 2018 and 2019. The Mustangs met UCF in all three tournament final matches and have seen Temple, Memphis and USF in the semifinals.
MUSTANGS IN THE RANKINGS
SMU is No. 13 in the nation in scoring offense, outscoring opponents 23-12 in 10 games for a goals per game average of 2.30. The team leads the conference in goal differential (11 - 21st NCAA), points per game (6.40 - 19th NCAA) and assists per game (1.80 - 34th NCAA). Papa Ndoye is 2nd in the NCAA for shots per game (1st AAC) with 4.38. Noah Hilt and Gabriel Costa are tied for 29th in the NCAA for assists per game (1st AAC) with 0.50.
POSTSEASON HONORS
Knut Ahlander was selected as an American Athletic Conference Co-Midfielder of the Year. Ahlander and Skage Simonsen were both named to the All-Conference First Team. Papa Ndoye and Brandon Terwege both earned Second Team All-Conference honors. Harvey Castro and Cole Johnson were named to the All-Rookie Team.
2020-21 HONORS
- Harvey Castro - AAC Rookie of the Week (April 12), AAC Weekly Honor Roll (March 22)
- Thomas Haney - AAC Defensive Player of the Week (Feb. 8), TDS/CSN Team of the Week (Feb. 9)
- Noah Hilt - AAC Defensive Player of the Week (March 1), TDS Team of the Week (March 1)
- Shane Lanson - 3x AAC Honor Roll (Feb. 8, Feb. 15, March 1)
- Papa Ndoye - AAC Offensive Player of the Week (Feb. 15), AAC Honor Roll (March 1), TDS/CSN Team of the Week (Feb. 16)
- Jose Ortiz - TDS Freshman to Watch
- Tobin Shanks - AAC Honor Roll (Feb. 8)
- Skage Simonsen - AAC Offensive Player of the Week (March 22), AAC Weekly Honor Roll (April 12), TDS Team of the Week (March 23)
- Nick Taylor - AAC Honor Roll (Feb. 15), TDS Honorable Mention (Feb. 16)
PRESEASON HONORS
Both Gabriel Costa and Papa Ndoye were named to the MAC Hermann Watch List for the upcoming season. SMU was picked to finish at the top of the American Athletic Conference, receiving all but one first place vote. Costa was chosen as the unanimous AAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Costa and Knut Ahlander were both unanimously named to the Preseason All-Conference Team. Costa was picked for the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Best XI First Team and as a College Soccer News Preseason All-American. Costa (9th), Ahlander (48th) and Ndoye (68th) landed spots on the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Men's National Top 100.
NEW ADDITIONS
The Mustangs have added six freshmen and seven transfers since the 2019 season for a total of 13 new faces on the Hilltop. Among the transfers is Papa Ndoye, a sophomore forward from Long Island University. Ndoye was one of SMU's two players named to the MAC Hermann Award Watch List. He is leading the team with six goals and 35 shots. Skage Simonsen has made a big impact as a transfer, scoring six goals, including a hat trick against USF, which led to his selection as the American's Offensive Player of the Week. The freshmen made their way to Dallas from California, Arizona and Johannesburg, South Africa, with two from the metroplex area choosing to stay close to home. Harvey Castro leads the freshman class, having played in all 10 games with one goal. He added an assist versus USF, earning him a conference Weekly Honor Roll nod. Freshman goalkeeper Cole Johnson has eight appearances with six starts and two wins. He earned his first collegiate win against UCF in Dallas and his first shutout against Tulsa. 2020 midseason transfers consist of Judson Burns from Clemson, Ndoye from LIU, Simonsen from St. John's and Timo Hummrich from Delaware. 2021's midseason transfers are Roman Knox from UNC and Eben Noverr from Virginia.
SENIOR STANGS
Brandon Terwege, Noah Hilt, Luke Thompson and Nick Taylor are the four seniors highlighting the Mustang roster. Terwege was selected by Houston Dynamo FC in the third round of the 2021 MLS SuperDraft with the 57th overall pick. This season, he has helped SMU to four shutouts and has started in nine games, playing all 90 minutes in each. The defender recorded an assist at USF and has three shots. Hilt has started all 10 games this season and is leading the team with five assists, including two versus Memphis. He also scored a goal against Memphis and has totaled 10 shots. Taylor has also started all 10 games and scored twice at USF for the first two goals as a Mustang. The midfielder has tallied 10 shots while helping the defense to four shutouts. Thompson has played in six games this season and had five shots.
ABOUT ATTENDANCE
Attendance will be limited at the UCF Soccer and Track Complex and will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
UP NEXTÂ
The conference final will take place in Orlando on Saturday, April 17 at 6 p.m. CT.
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