DALLAS (SMU) – SMU Men's Soccer will host Incarnate Word at Washburne Stadium on Monday.
The match will kick off at 7 pm CT at Washburne Stadium and will be aired on ACCNX.
The Mustangs are coming off three consecutive wins. They won their prior two games at home against LMU (3-1) and Oral Roberts (2-1), where they held down both opponents to fewer than five shots in each match.
Mustangs vs. Cardinals History
- This match will be the seventh meeting between SMU and UIW.
- SMU has won all six previous meeting.
- The Mustangs won 2-0 in their prior meeting last season.
- SMU has outscored the Cardinals 14-1 across six meetings.
- The two teams have only played against each other in Dallas.
SMU's Lockdown Defense
- SMU's defense has shut out its opponents to zero shots in two consecutive matches.
- SMU has only allowed 10 total shots in the first half after five matches.
- Owen Zarnick, Slade Starnes and Villads Landsperg played as a back-three in all 450 minutes of the last five matches. They are the only Mustangs who have played full minutes this season.
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 GCU Notes
- SMU is now 1-0-1 all-time against GCU.
- Milton Lopez has scored five goals in six matches. Leading SMU's offense this season with three goals and an assist.
- Daniel Escorcia has made three assists in three matches since he returned to the starting lineup against LMU (Aug. 28).
- Landon Hickam clocked his third 90-minute match as a freshman, controlling the flow of the midfield.
- Soren Russell posted his first clean sheet for SMU.
- SMU earned its first shutout win of the season.
- SMU earned its first road win of the season.
- The last time SMU won after being outshot by an opponent was against Washington in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Championships at Washburne Stadium.
- SMU has shut down opponents to zero goals in the first half in two consecutive matches.
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.
SMU vs Top-25 Opponents
- SMU 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.
