The men’s soccer team defeated Harvard, 3-2, in double overtime on Sunday to continue its strong start to the fall season.
Senior Ben Hill, sophomore Tyler Engel and freshman Jacob Gandarilla all scored for the Mustangs, who are now 2-2-1 for the season.
Hill scored the first goal for SMU in the 19th minute off of a cross from freshman Eddie Puskarich. His strike sent the Harvard goalie diving, but to no avail.
Gandarilla furthered the lead for the Mustangs with a score seconds before halftime.
“We scored two really, really nice goals in the first half,” head coach Tim McClements said in an interview on smumustangs.com.
“We had a lot of good play, a lot of good ball movement and I was very happy the way things went,” he said.
Harvard came back strong in the second half, cutting the Mustangs’ lead to one on a header in the 60th minute.
“In the second half, we came out too casual and Harvard made us pay,” McClements said.
“They are a tough team – very strong in the air – and they were able to pull back into the game.”
The team continued its comeback with a goal in the 81st minute, but couldn’t put the game away before the end of regulation.
SMU and Harvard remained tied throughout the first overtime period, forcing the two teams to face off in double overtime.
Engel netted a goal off of an assist from Derek Schrick in the 105th minute to secure the win for the Mustangs.
The goal was Engel’s second of the season and second consecutive game-winner of the year.
“Overall this was a great weekend for us. Picking up two wins on the road in places where we haven’t been before was a very good test for us,” McClements said.
The Mustangs head home this week to take on Oakland and Tulsa in the SMU Classic.