SMU (4-1-0) vs. UNCG (4-0-1)
Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium - Dallas, Texas
Tuesday, Sep. 13, 2022, 7 p.m.
Live Stats | Watch: ESPN+
Match Notes (PDF)
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DALLAS (SMU) – SMU men's soccer team completes its nonconference schedule against No. 19 UNCG Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Dallas. 

SERIES HISTORY
• SMU and UNCG have faced off one time.
• SMU defeated UNCG 3-1 in the 2005 season.
• SMU's lone victory over UNCG advanced the Mustangs to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals on its way to the College Cup.
• Friday's contest will be the second matchup between the two schools.

KNOW THE FOE
• UNCG is 4-0-1 on the season and enters the SMU match after a 2-2 tie at VCU.
• UNCG won four straight to start the season, taking down UNC Asheville, UNCW, Coastal Carolina and High Point.
• The Spartans outscored opponents by a combined 16-3 margin during their four-game win streak.
• UNCG has won the SoCon regular season or tournament title the last three seasons.

UP TO THIS POINT
• The Mustangs are 4-1 in 2022 and enter Tuesday's match on a three-game winning streak.
• SMU started off the year taking down Oral Roberts 4-0, followed by a setback at Stanford.
• Since then, the Mustangs have rattled off three straight victories, including two clean sheets against UCA and Saint Louis and an offensive explosion in a 7-2 win over UTRGV
• Most recently, SMU took down preseason No. 10 Saint Louis 3-0.

LAST TIME OUT
• Three different Mustangs found the back of the net to capture SMU men's soccer third consecutive victory by a 3-0 count over Saint Louis.
• SMU outshot Saint Louis 18 to 12, including six shots on goal.
• Knut Ahlander's goal got the SMU scoring started in the second minute. The goal marked back-to-back matches Ahlander scored within the first two minutes of play.
• In the 52nd minute, freshman Alexander Petraeus doubled the Mustang lead when he cashed in the lower left side of the net off a Fredrik Skilberg assist.
• Kyran Chambron Pinho added insurance for the Mustangs, firing an impressive shot on a free kick from far out in the 71st minute for his first goal of the season.
• The SMU defense was solid throughout the night. SMU keeper Cole Johnson had two saves en route to the teams third clean sheet of the season.

FAST START FOR JOSE ORTIZ
• Jose Ortiz is having a career season for the Mustangs.
• The junior from Arlington, Texas, propelled the Mustangs to a 4-0 victory after scoring a career and team-high three goals in the season opener. Against UTRGV, he recorded his second multigoal match of the season, and added an assist.
• 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 has a team-high six goals on the year and enters Tuesday's matchup having scored at least one goal in the Mustangs last four matches.
• Additionally, Ahlander leads the AAC in goals in 2022.

MUSTANGS IN THE RANKINGS
• The Mustangs checked in at No. 20 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)

MOMENTUM FOR JOHNSON
• SMU keeper Cole Johnson is off to a fast start in 2022, tallying 14 saves in four starts, including a pair of clean sheets this season.
• Johnson's four saves on a total of 27 shots and a clean sheet earned him AAC Goalkeeper of the Week honors Sept. 12.
• Johnson recorded 44 saves in 2021, which was the most in the AAC. Johnson totaled a career-high 10 saves versus UCF on Oct. 16 while the team added two for a total of 12.
• Johnson's double-digit saves was the highest total for the Mustangs since Oct. 6, 2019 when Grant Makela saved 10 versus then-No. 11 UCF in Dallas.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
• SMU's freshmen have played a large role in the Mustangs season success.
• Alexander Petraeus leads the team in assists with five on the year. Additionally, Petraeus has one goal in 2022.
• Elton Hedstrom has two goals on two shots this season, and Fredrik Skilberg has added one goal and an assist to start his career.

RETURNERS 2021 CONFERENCE HONORS
• Midfielder Knut Ahlander earned an All-AAC First Team nod for the second consecutive season after making the list in the prior spring.
• Freshmen Bailey Sparks and Mads Westergren were named to the league's AllRookie Team thanks to their contributions on offense and defense, respectively. 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.

HUDSON AGAINST RANKED
• A win against UNCG would mark head coach Kevin Hudson's ninth top-25 win during his tenure on the Hilltop.

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 experience 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 starts its conference slate at Memphis Saturday at 7 p.m.

ESPN+ COVERAGE
• This season, all of SMU's home games will be featured on ESPN+ along with a select few away games. Stay up-to-date on coverage information on SMUMustangs.com.