SOUTH BEND, Ind. (SMU) – SMU Men's Soccer will travel to No. 21 Notre Dame to resume its Atlantic Coast Conference campaign on Saturday.
The match will kick off at 6 pm CT at Alumni Stadium and will be aired on ACCNX.
Last time the Mustangs went on the road, they tied North Carolina 1-1 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Mustangs vs. Fighting Irish History
- This match will be the sixth meeting between SMU and Notre Dame.
- The two teams have only met in South Bend once in 1994, when they tied 0-0.
- Their prior meeting in 2017 was in Bloomington, Indiana, when the No. 7 Notre Dame won 2-1.
- The series is currently tied 2-2-1. Notre Dame leads the series 1-2-1 in regular-season matches.
Talking Stats
- Mukisa Emmanuel is the Mustangs' top scorer with five goals. He is tied for third in the ACC in goals scored.
- Villads Landsperg has played every minute for the Mustangs this season (720 minutes in eight matches).
Matchup Facts
- This is the first matchup between head coaches Kevin Hudson and Chad Riley.
Scouting Notre Dame
- Notre Dame has the second-lowest goals against average in the ACC. Only allowing .63 per game.
- The Fighting Irish defeated No. 12 Louisville 3-0 at home in its prior ACC match.
- They are coming off a 3-2 win over Wright State at home.
The 2025 Squad
- SMU's 2025 squad consists of 17 returners and 13 newcomers.
- Hudson's 13 newcomers include eight transfers and five freshmen.
- Among the transfers is senior 2024 All-Southern Conference Defender Slade Starnes.
Mustangs' Career-Firsts
SMU vs Notre Dame Notes
- The all-time matchup record between SMU and UNC remained level at 1-1-2.
- Mukisa Emmanuel has scored three goals in his last three matches. He now leads the Mustangs with five goals.
- Villads Landsperg has played full 90-minute matches in all eight matches this season (720 minutes).
SMU vs Top-25 Opponents
- SMU is 0-0-2 against Top-25 teams this season.
- The Mustangs are coming off a 1-1 draw against No. 2 Clemson and they also drew No. 18 Kansas City 2-2 to kick off the season.
- SMU was 4-3-3 against top 25 opponents last season after falling in the NCAA Quarterfinals to No. 8 Marshall.
- SMU faced 10 top-25 opponents last season. This was the largest number of ranked opponents the Mustangs have faced in a single season under Kevin Hudson.
- No. 5 Dayton was the highest-ranked win for the Mustangs last season.
- No. 5 Stanford, who they drew against, was the highest-seeded team that the Mustangs went against in the regular season.
- Last season, SMU had wins over fifth-ranked Dayton, No. 6 Saint Louis, No. 13 Virginia Tech, and No. 19 Washington, a draw against No.5 Stanford, ninth-ranked Denver, and No. 18 Duke.
- The Mustangs had the most top-25 matches in the ACC last season.
NCAA Tournament, By The Numbers
- Overall program history: 36 NCAA Tournament Appearances, 26 Sweet Sixteen Appearances, 14 Elite Eight Appearances, two College Cup appearances (2000 & 2005)
- SMU made its seventh NCAA Tournament, fifth Sweet Sixteen and second Elite Eight appearances under Kevin Hudson last season.
- With Hudson in the coaching staff, SMU has made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, including six Sweet 16s and three Elite Eights. Hudson has been with the team since 2007 and was promoted to head coach in 2015.
FIFA World Cup at Washburne
- Washburne Stadium will be an official training ground for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Preseason Awards and Rankings
- SMU was ranked No. 5 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.
- Also ranked No. 5 in the ACC Preseason Poll. Tied with Stanford.
- SMU was ranked No. 7 in the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason National Ranking.
- Jaylinn Mitchell was included in the ACC Preseason Player to Watch List.
- Owen Zarnick was ranked No. 47 and Alex Salvo was No. 74 in the Top Drawer Soccer Top 100 Players Rankings.
