Looking to open the season on a high note, the SMU Mustang men’s soccer team played in the admittedly tough IU Credit Union Classic in Bloomington, Ind. However, while facing the No. 1 and the No. 7 teams in Indiana on Friday and Notre Dame on Sunday, the Mustangs failed to win against either team.
In the first game of the season, SMU grabbed an early lead against the top team in the country. Just inside the 10-minute mark, two sophomores teamed up for the first goal of the season.
Defender Michael King registered the first assist of his career when he found transfer Alfred Koroma, who collected the pass and shot the ball from 18 yards out for the goal.
SMU survived Indiana’s efforts to tie the game until the 42nd minute. Senior Matt McKain missed his attempt at the equalizer, hitting his shot off of the crossbar. However, the rebound went toward sophomore Femi Hollinger-Janzen, who headed the ball in over SMU keeper Jaime Ibarra.
The Mustangs and the Hoosiers battled in the second half, each looking for the go-ahead goal. But in the 72nd minute, A.J. Corrado (last year’s assist leader for IU) hit junior Patrick Doody for what would ultimately be the game-winner.
Looking to rebound from that loss, the Mustangs took the field to face the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame senior Leon Brown took the early lead in the fifth minute. Unassisted, Brown corralled a pass from Alex Priede, moved the ball past midfield, and fired it past Ibarra, putting Notre Dame up 1-0.
Brown would be the thorn in the Mustang’s side when he struck again in the 20th minute. Patrick Hodan weaved through the defense to feed Brown who pounded the ball into the net.
SMU seemed outmatched in the first half, but the team managed to regroup in
the second.
Sophomores Will Smith and Brenden Lee teamed up to cut the lead in half. In the 71st minute, Smith found Lee who put it past goalkeeper Patrick Wall.
Despite a strong second half, SMU couldn’t make up for the two goals given up early and fell 2-1.
The silver lining from the tournament was sophomore Koroma. The transfer from The University of Akron proved to be an offensive force on the pitch. This is something that SMU hopes to see more of in the future.
Next, SMU travels to Oklahoma for the Tulsa Tournament. Their first match is Thursday, Sept. 5 at 5 p.m.
