Mustangs Set For Road Test At UCF

SMU (6-2-1; 2-1-0 AAC) at UCF (4-3-0; 1-2-0 AAC)
UCF Soccer and Track Complex- Orlando, Fla.
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, 2 p.m.
Live Stats | Watch: ESPN+
Match Notes (PDF)
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DALLAS (SMU) – SMU men's soccer team continues conference play against UCF Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Orlando, Florida.

SERIES HISTORY

SMU and UCF have faced off 25 times.
The Mustangs are 10-8-7 all-time against the Knights.
Friday's matchup marks the 26th match between the programs.

KNOW THE FOE

UCF is 4-3 on the season and enters the SMU match after dropping two consecutive AAC matches.
Prior to the defeats, UCF was on a three game winning streak.
UCF was picked to finished second in the AAC Preseason Poll.

UP TO THIS POINT

The Mustangs are 6-2-1 in 2022 and enter the UCF match on a two game winning streak after taking down FIU 6-4 and Temple 4-1.
SMU ranks in the top five in the nation in scoring offense, assists per game and points per game.
Graduate Midfielder Knut Ahlander leads the nation and AAC in goals scored with nine.
Freshman Alexander Petraeus has a team-high seven assists on the year. Petraeus is tied for first in the nation for assists per game.
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

Fredrik Skilberg's hat trick propelled the Mustangs to a 4-1 victory over Temple Friday night.
Skilberg broke the scoreless tie in the 17th minute, scoring on the right side of the goal off assists from Alexander Petraeus and Nikola Djordjevic.
The freshman forward struck twice within 23 seconds in the 26th minute to extend the Mustang advantage. First, Skilberg cashed in on the left side of the net before securing the hat trick seconds later, scoring in the middle of the goal off his left foot assisted by Alexander Petraeus and Knut Ahlander.
Alexander Petraeus tallied a pair of assists, taking his total to a team-high seven on the year. Nikola Djordjevic moved his assist total to five and Bailey Sparks earned his second of the year.
In the 59th minute, the AAC's leading goal scorer Knut Ahlander converted on a penalty kick to extend the SMU lead to 4-0.
Ahlander entered the match tied as the NCAA's leading goal scorer. The graduate midfielder has scored at least one goal in six out of the Mustangs' last eight matches. Additionally, Ahlander added two assists.
Temple scored its lone goal of the night in the 85th minute.
Bram Kaarsgaren was in goal for the Mustangs. The graduate transfer impacted the game early and often, denying two Temple shot attempts in the first 10 minutes on the way to seven saves on 11 shots faced.

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 is second in goals scored in the AAC behind fellow Mustang Knut Ahlander.
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's nine goals land him atop the nation and AAC for goals scored. Ahlander is second in the nation in points per game (2.22).
Ahlander enters Wednesday's matchup having scored at least one goal in six out of the Mustangs last eight matches.
Ahlander has three multigoal performances on the season and has tallied two assists.

MUSTANGS IN THE RANKINGS

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)

DEFENDING THE GOAL

SMU's Goal Keepers have produced at a high level this season.
Bram Kaarsgaren landed on the AAC honor roll Oct. 2 after tallying seven saves on 11 faced shots.
Cole Johnson has 21 saves in seven starts, including three clean sheets 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 country in assits per game (.88). Additionally, Petraeus has scored a pair of goals in 2022.
Fredrik Skilberg has five goals on the year and enters the UCF match after a hat trick against Temple.
Nikola Djordjevic is second on the team in assists with five.
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 Sunday night vs. UAB at 7.

ESPN+ COVERAGE
• This season, all of SMU's home games will be featured on ESPN+.

Schedule

Mustangs Set For Road Test At UCF

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Knut Ahlander

Judson Burns

Nikola Djordjevic

Jon Paul Fernandez

Elton Hedstrom

Henry Howell

Cole Johnson

Bram Kaarsgaren

Roman Knox

Jose Ortiz

Alexander Petraeus

Fredrik Skilberg

Bailey Sparks

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Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Men's Soccer versus Central Arkansas on Oct 20, 2026 at 6pm CT

Upcoming Event: Men's Soccer at California on Oct 24, 2026 at 5pm CT

Upcoming Event: Men's Soccer versus Louisville on Oct 30, 2026 at 6:30pm CT

Results

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus No. 25 Stanford on October 16, 2026 , Tie , 0, to, 0

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus Duke on October 10, 2026 , Win , 6, to, 0

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at Wake Forest on October 2, 2026 , Win , 2, to, 0

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at Virginia Tech on September 27, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 0

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus NC State on September 18, 2026 , Win , 1, to, 0

Mustangs Set For Road Test At UCF

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Players Mentioned

Knut Ahlander

Judson Burns

Nikola Djordjevic

Jon Paul Fernandez

Elton Hedstrom

Henry Howell

Cole Johnson

Bram Kaarsgaren

Roman Knox

Jose Ortiz

Alexander Petraeus

Fredrik Skilberg

Bailey Sparks

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