SMU is still No. 1 in the North division of the Lone Star Alliance despite the team’s second loss of the season on Saturday. SMU fell to Stanford University 7-12 at home. The Mustangs’ only other loss was to Texas on Feb. 16.
Sophomore defenseman and co-captain Jon Daugherty may be out for the season due to a possibly torn ACL and MCL. He went down in the second quarter during a ground ball situation. The details of the injury are still unclear, and Daugherty plans to schedule an MRI.
“It was scary to watch,” said Kimble Ratliff, the team president, calling the possible injury devastating and adding that Daugherty was going to be a candidate for player of the year.
Co-captain and senior defenseman Ryan Walsh also sat out of the game with a pulled hamstring. He was back at practice Tuesday night and is questionable to play this weekend when the Mustangs travel to Nashville, Tenn., for a double header.
Having two injured team leaders took a toll on the Mustangs said Defensive Coordinator Chip Hiemenz. He said SMU had a difficult time possessing the ball on offense and as a result the Mustangs played defense most of the game. The Mustangs were down 9-3 and went 0-6 in shooting during the third quarter. The team stepped it up during the fourth quarter and scored 4 goals, but it wasn’t enough for a win.
“I don’t think the offense played particularly bad, but you can’t expect to win if you’re playing defense three-fourths of the game,” said Hiemenz.
The offense has been working on getting good quality possessions during practices, he added.
Ratliff also thought the team was flat on offense.
“We had more talent, but they executed and we didn’t,” said Ratliff.
First-year attackman Tolar Hamblen finished the game with a hat trick and junior attackman Michael Carrington scored two goals and had one assist for a total of three points.
Tolar is beginning to come out of his shell off the bench.
“He’s really fast – one of the quickest on the team,” said Ratliff.
Expect to see Tolar earn more and more playing time as the season comes to an end.
The Mustangs have three games left in regular-season play. The team is preparing to play two games Saturday. The Mustangs take on Vanderbilt at noon and Central Michigan at 4 p.m. in Nashville, Tenn.
