No. 12 SMU (9-3-1; 5-2-0 AAC) at FAU (3-8-3; 2-3-2 AAC)
FAU Stadium- Boca Raton, Florida
Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, 6 p.m. CT
Live Stats | Watch: fausports.com
Match Notes (PDF)
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SMU Mobile App
Apple | Google Play

No. 12 SMU seeks a road victory in its final away regular season match of the season Friday night at 6 CT at FAU. 

SERIES HISTORY 
SMU holds a 1-0 record all-time against FAU.
The Mustangs have faced Florida Atlantic one time in program history. SMU defeated FAU 1-0 in 1998.

KNOW THE FOE 
FAU is 3-8-3 on the year and 2-3-2 in AAC play. 
The Owls enter Friday's match having lost four out of their last five. Most recently, Memphis took down FAU 2-0. 
FAU sits in eighth place in the AAC standings. 

UP TO THIS POINT
The No. 12  Mustangs are 9-3-1 and enter the FAU match after defeating USF 3-1.
SMU remains in first place in the American Athletic Conference standings and is ranked sixth in the NCAA RPI. 
SMU checked in at No 12 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, and No. 24 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll. 
The Mustangs rank top five in the country in points per game and scoring offense and top 10 in the nation in assists per game,. 
Prior to the Charlotte match, SMU was on a four game winning streak. During the streak, SMU took down FIU, Temple, UCF and UAB. 
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 non-conference play. SMU opened conference play with a 1-0 setback at Memphis. 

LAST TIME OUT
SMU took down South Florida 3-1 Friday night.
The Mustangs remained undefeated at Washburne Stadium in the 2022-23 season, posting a 7-0-1 record so far this year.
Fredrik Skilberg put the Mustangs on the board early, cashing in his sixth goal of the season off an impressive pass from fellow freshman Alexander Petraeus in the second minute. Petraeus earned his team-high eighth assist of the year. 
USF's Ajmeer Spengler scored the equalizer in the 28th minute.
The Mustangs answered in style in the 32nd minute when Jon Paul Fernandez passed to Knut Ahlander, who delivered an impressive assist to Alexander Petraeus for the finish.
Bailey Sparks found the back of the net for the first time this season in the 83rd minute when he scored in the left side of the goal off assists from Elton Hedstrom and Nikola Djordjevic. 
The Mustang defensive was solid the entirety of the match, holding USF to only seven shots. SMU outshot the Bulls by a 17-7 count.

CAREER YEAR FOR 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 is putting together an impressive season.  
Ahlander is first in the conference in total points (24). Additionally, the gradaute midfielder is second in the AAC in total goals (10) and points per game. 
Ahlander has three multigoal performances on the season and has tallied two assists. 
Ahlander has climbed to No. 5 in program history in total assits (28).
Ahlander enters Friday's matchup having scored at least one goal in seven out of the Mustangs last 12 matches.

MUSTANGS IN THE RANKINGS
The Mustangs checked in at No. 12 in the  United Soccer Coaches top 25. 
SMU is ranked No. 6 in the NCAA RPI. The Mustangs checked in at No. 24  in the 2022 Top Drawer Soccer poll.

2022 WEEKLY 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)
Alexander Petraeus- AAC Rookie of the Week (Oct. 24)
Mads Westergren- AAC Honor Roll (Oct. 24)

DEFENDING THE GOAL
SMU's Goal Keepers have produced at a high level this season.
Bram Kaarsgaren enters Friday's match after with 20 saves and five wins on the year.
Kaarsgaren earned a spot on the AAC Weekly Honor Roll in back-to-back weeks (Oct.3-10).
Cole Johnson has 21 saves in seven starts, including three clean sheets this season.
UNBEATEN IN DALLAS
SMU is 7-1-0 at home, outscoring opponents 24-7 at Washburne Stadium this season. 

YOUTH MOVEMENT
SMU's underclassman have played a large role in the Mustangs season success.
Alexander Petraeus leads the team in assists with eight on the year. Petraeus leads the conference in total and assists per game. 
Additionally, Petraeus is fourth in the nation in assits per game. 
Petraeus has added three goals in 2022. 
Fredrik Skilberg has six 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 seven, and added his first goal of the year against Charlotte.
Elton Hedstrom has scored two goals this season.
Mads Westergren has put together an impressive season. The sophomore has landed on the AAC honor roll twice. Westergren anchors SMU's back line and has added a pair of goals this season. 
JP Jordan has provided consistent porduction for the Mustangs. Jordan has been one of the best ball-recovering midfielders in the nation. 

TDS MIDSEASON TOP 100
Six total Mustangs were named to the Top Drawer Soccer Midseason Top 100 list. 
The rankings include the highest-ranked college soccer players in the nation and will be updated weekly.
Knut Ahlander landed at No. 15 while Mads Westergren checked in at No. 82 and JP Jordan earned the 90th spot.
On the freshman top 100, Alexander Petraeus checked in at No. 11 while Owen Zarnick landed at 26 and Fredrik Skilberg earned the 62nd spot. 

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.

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. 

UP NEXT
SMU closes out its conference slate on Wednesday vs. Tulsa. The Mustang seniors will be honored for senior day. Action starts at 7 p.m.