No. 14 SMU (8-2-1; 4-1-0 AAC) at No. 19 Charlotte (7-1-2; 1-1-2 AAC)
Transamerica Field - Charlotte, North Carolina 
Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, 6 p.m. CT
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Match Notes (PDF)
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No. 14 SMU seeks its fifth consecutive victory against 19th-ranked Charlotte Saturday night at 6 CT in Charlotte. 

SERIES HISTORY 
Saturday's matchup will be the first ever meeting between SMU and Charlotte.

KNOW THE FOE 
No. 19 Charlotte is 7-1-2 on the year and 1-1-2 in AAC play.
The 49ers started the season winning their first seven matches. 
Charlotte's seven match winning streak was snapped in a 2-0 loss at Tulsa. 
The 49ers enter the SMU match off back-to-back draws against Memphis and FAU. 
Charlotte currently sits at eighth place in the conference. The 49ers were picked third in the preseason poll.

UP TO THIS POINT
The No. 14 Mustangs are 8-2-1 and enter the Charlotte match on a four game winning streak. 
Most recently, the Mustangs took down UAB 1-0 in Dallas. The winning streak started Sep. 23 when SMU took down FIU 6-4, followed by wins against Temple and at UCF.
The Mustangs sit atop the American Athletic Conference standings and are ranked sixth in NCAA RPI.
SMU ranks in the top seven in the nation in scoring offense, assists per game, points per game and total points.
Graduate Midfielder Knut Ahlander is top three in the nation in points per game (2.09) and leads the AAC in total goals scored with 10 on the year. 
Freshman Alexander Petraeus team-high seven assists lands him tied as the conference's total assist leader. 
SMU started off the year taking down Oral Roberts 4-0, followed by a setback at Stanford. The Mustangs bounced back by rattling off three straight victories, including two clean sheets against UCA and Saint Louis and an offensive explosion in a 7-2 win over UTRGV. The Mustangs battled then-No. 23 UNCG to a 0-0 draw to close out nonconference play. SMU opened conference play with a 1-0 setback at Memphis. 

LAST TIME OUT
SMU picked up its fourth consecutive American Athletic Conference win in the 1-0 defeat of UAB Sunday night.
The Mustangs held a decisive 19-9 advantage in shots, with nine on goal. Additionally, SMU held a 10-1 edge in corner kicks.
Knut Ahlander broke the scoreless tie in the 47th minute, scoring his 10th goal of the season after capitalizing on a penalty kick. The graduate midfielder has found the back of the net in seven out of the Mustangs last 10 matches.
Bram Kaarsgaren was in goal for SMU, picking up his third straight win, recording three saves on nine shots faced.
SMU earned its fifth clean sheet of the 2022 season.

FAST START FOR JOSE ORTIZ
Jose Ortiz is having a career season for the Mustangs. The junior from Arlington, Texas, has three multigoal performances on the season. 
Ortiz propelled the Mustangs to a 4-0 victory after scoring a career and team-high three goals in the season opener. Following the hat track, Ortiz has tallied two more multigoal outings against UTRGV and FIU this season.
Ortiz started four games in 2021, scoring three goals across consecutive matches, totaling 25 shots and 11 shots on goal. The Mustangs will look for Ortiz to continue to produce as a scoring threat this season.

HEARTBEAT OF THE MUSTANGS
SMU Midfielder Knut Ahlander has started off the season strong. 
Ahlander leads the AAC and is second in the nation in total goals scored with 10 on the year. Ahlander is third in the nation in points per game (2.09).
Ahlander enters Sunday's matchup having scored at least one goal in seven out of the Mustangs last 10 matches.
Ahlander has three multigoal performances on the season and has tallied two assists. 

MUSTANGS IN THE RANKINGS
For the first time this season, the Mustangs checked in at No. 14 in the United Soccer Coaches top 25. 
SMU is ranked No. 6 in the NCAA RPI.
The Mustangs checked in at No. 23  in the 2022 Top Drawer Soccer poll.

2022 WEEKLY CONFERENCE HONORS
Jose Ortiz- Offensive Player of the Week (Aug. 29)
Elton Hedstrom- Rookie of the Week (Aug. 29)
Knut Ahlander- AAC Honor Roll (Sept. 6)
Knut Ahlander- Top Drawer Soccer Men's Team of the Week (Sept. 6)
Knut Ahlander- AAC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 12)
Alexander Petraeus- AAC Rookie of the Week (Sept. 12)
Cole Johnson- AAC Goalkeeper of the Week (Sept. 12)
Knut Ahlander- College Soccer News Team of the Week (Sept. 11)
Knut Ahlander- AAC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 26)
Nikola Djordjevic- AAC Weekly Honor Roll (Sept. 26)
Knut Ahlander- TDS Team of the Week (Sept. 26)
Fredrik Skilberg- AAC Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 3)
Bram Kaarsgaren- AAC Weekly Honor Roll (Oct. 3)
Fredrik Skilberg- Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week. (Oct 3)
Bram Kaarsgaren- AAC Honor Roll (Oct. 10)
Mads Westergren- AAC Honor Roll (Oct. 10)
Mads Westergren- TDS Team of the Week (Oct. 10)
Mads Westergren- CSN Team of the Week (Oct. 10)

DEFENDING THE GOAL
SMU's Goal Keepers have produced at a high level this season.
Bram Kaarsgaren enters Saturday's match after tallying 13 total saves in three straight AAC wins. 
Kaarsgaren has earned a spot on the AAC Weekly Honor Roll in back-to-back weeks.
Cole Johnson has 21 saves in seven starts, including three clean sheets this season.

UNBEATEN IN DALLAS
SMU is 6-1-0 at home, outscoring opponents 24-7 at Washburne Stadium this season. 

YOUTH MOVEMENT
SMU's freshmen have played a large role in the Mustangs season success.
Alexander Petraeus leads the team in assists with seven on the year. Petraeus is tied for first in the conference for assits per game.
Additionally, Petraeus has scored a pair of goals in 2022. 
Fredrik Skilberg has five goals on the year. The freshman forward was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Week for his hat trick against Temple (Oct. 3).
Nikola Djordjevic is second on the team in assists with six. 
Elton Hedstrom has scored two goals this season.

2022 PRESEASON HONORS
Mustang Midfielder Knut Ahlander was named to the Preseason All-AAC Team. In addition, the two-time first team all-conference selection was named a United Soccer Coaches Player to watch for the 2022 season.
SMU was picked fifth in the AAC 2022 Preseason Coaches Poll.
SMU checked in at No. 12 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll.

NEW ADDITIONS
The Mustangs have added a 15-player 2022 recruiting class, one of the largest classes in program history. 
This group of newcomers ranks among the top 25 in the nation by TopDrawer Soccer. In addition, this marks SMU's fourth consecutive ranked recruiting class.
Bram Kaarsgaren, Henry Howell and JP Fernandez bring additional experince to the Hilltop as transfers.
The remaining 12 new faces are highly-touted incoming freshmen who make their way to Dallas from California, Connecticut, New Mexico, Florida, Oklahoma, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands. Two hail from the metroplex as they choose to embrace Dallas' college as their new home.

SENIOR STANGS
SMU's roster includes four seniors and two graduate students. 
This year's senior class includes Judson Burns, Roman Knox, along with transfers Jon Paul Fernandez and Bram Kaarsgaren. 
Two-time all-AAC first team member and SMU 2021 assist leader Knut Ahlander returns to the Hilltop for another season. Joining Ahlander as a graduate student is transfer Henry Howell, who arrives in Dallas after starting all eight games at Davidson in 2021, adding experience to the roster. 

UP NEXT
SMU continues its conference slate Friday night at 7 CT against USF in Dallas.