The season is almost over for the SMU men’s soccer team after yesterday’s loss against Kentucky. In order to have continued into postseason play, the Mustangs needed to win at least one of two remaining games and tie the second.
Yesterday’s game was a rescheduled match on the road from earlier in the season, after many Kentucky players showed signs of illness.
The first half was a scoreless affair, but in the second half, Tim Crone, Kentucky Wildcat forward, scored in the 64th minute with an unassisted goal that would prove to be the winning goal in the game.
“Everybody wants to win, you know?” a shaken Paulo da Silva said after the Mustangs tied at home over the weekend against UCF.
Despite da Silva’s drive, the team was not able to score against the Wildcats, and the final score was 1-0. SMU also trailed with shots on goal, 16-13.
Prior to the Kentucky game, SMU head coach Tim McClements said that if the team was able to rest a few days before the match and maintain intensity during the match, the game would have resulted in a win. However, the Mustangs were not able to return to Dallas victorious.
Prior to Wednesday’s game, the Mustangs were 5-2 against Kentucky, but the two SMU losses have been the result of their most recent matches.
The loss will leave the Mustangs with only one more game of the season against Florida International University on Saturday at 7 p.m. on Westcott Field. The Mustangs have won 13 out of the past 14 matches against FIU, and they currently have a C-USA record of 0-6-1. SMU has a conference record of 6-7-2 after yesterday’s loss.
The last game will also be Senior Night for the Mustangs. The team will say goodbye to four seniors this season. Two of the seniors were also team captains: Paulo da Silva and Esteban Mariel. The team will also lose forwards Dane Saintus and Richard Olivia.
This was da Silva’s fifth season on the team; he received a medical redshirt in 2007 after he was only able to play six games due to injury. Prior to the 2009 season, da Silva had a total of 18 goals and 11 assists. Thus far in the season, he has five goals and two assists to add to his career statistics. Mariel spent his freshman year at UMBC and had two assists with three shots on goal. In 2006, Mariel played four games for SMU and in 2007, Mariel was a redshirt player. The following year, Mariel started in 10 games for the Mustangs. Currently, Saintus is currently tied for the most goals in the C-USA with eight goals this season. He has had two multi-goal games and has the only SMU hat trick since 2004. Olivia also received a redshirt; he was injured during the season opener in 2008. Prior to the 2009 season, he had 12 goals and four assists. As a freshman, Olivia, played in nine season games.
