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Sparks
Justin Kaplan Photography
2
UTRGV RGV (2-4-1, 0-0-0)
3
Winner SMU SMU (6-1-3, 2-1-0)
UTRGV RGV
(2-4-1, 0-0-0)
2
Final
3
SMU SMU
(6-1-3, 2-1-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UTRGV RGV 0 2 2
SMU SMU 3 0 3

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Sparks Shine As No. 16 SMU Defeats UTRGV

Box Score | Gallery
Video Highlights
Post Match Press Conference

DALLAS (SMU) — No. 16 SMU won 3-2 over UTRGV at Washburne Stadium, Sunday. The win is SMU's fourth non-conference win of the season.

Niv Berkovitz, Bailey Sparks and Stephan Soghomonian scored in the first half to give the Mustangs a flying start. Soghomonian's goal proved to be the match-winner after UTRGV scored two goals in the second half.

Sparks had a stellar night by assisting two goals and scoring a goal of his own. It was the first time Sparks had multiple goal contributions in a single match for SMU.

The Mustangs improved their overall record to 6-1-3 while remaining undefeated in non-conference play with a 4-0-3 record.

How It Happened
SMU took the initiative as soon as the ball was kicked off, and it did not take long for them to take the lead.

Sparks created the Mustangs' opening goal with a sharp turn on the midfield to shake his defender. He followed the move with a through-ball pass that freed Berkovitz for a one-on-one with UTRGV's goalkeeper.

Berkovitz slides the ball to the left corner for his second goal of the season six minutes after kick-off.

The Mustangs remained in control through the first half. They extended the lead in the 37th minute through Sparks' free kick. The Texas native took a shot towards the goal's bottom right corner from just outside the penalty box, and the ball rattled the net after deflecting off a defender.

Just over a minute after Sparks' goal, the Mustangs tripled their lead with Soghomonian's first goal for SMU. Sparks made his third goal contribution with a quickly-taken free kick to serve Soghomonian's goal.

The first half ended with a 3-0 scoreline for SMU.

The Mustangs were dominant at the start of the second half. They made nine shots in the first 35 minutes of the period, but the scoreline remained 3-0.

UTRGV capitalized on their chance in the 84th minute to reduce SMU's lead to 3-1. After the restart, Ryan Clanton-Piomentel saw a chance, but his shot went astray.

The Vaqueros scored another goal in the 89th minute, right before the referee blew the full-time whistle for the Mustangs' 3-2 win.

Other Notes

  • Sparks is the first Mustang to have three goal contributions in one match this season.
  • Soghomonian became the first 2024 freshman to score a goal for the Mustangs.
  • SMU has won all their meetings with UTRGV, leading the series 8-0. They have outscored the Vaqueros 46-9 through eight meetings.
  • Jeffrey Koch and Knobel Hunt made their first appearances of the season.
  • For the first time this season, SMU scored three-plus goals in a single match.
  • The Mustangs made a season-high 21 shots. They have had three matches where they took 20-plus shots this season.

Up Next
SMU heads back on the road as they visit Duke to resume their Atlantic Coast Conference campaign, Friday.

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