With a 1-0 upset win over the University of Virginia on Sunday, Nov. 16, SMU Men’s Soccer became the first team in school history to win an ACC Championship.
SMU entered play Sunday as the No. 25 team in the nation and the No. 7 seed in the ACC tournament, whereas Virginia ranked fourth in the country and held the No. 1 seed in the conference.
“They entered as dark horses, but the SMU Mustangs leave as champions of the ACC!” ESPNU play-by-play announcer Joe Malfa exclaimed at the end of the game.
The contest, played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., remained 0-0 through the first half. Both defenses played spectacularly, as SMU sophomore Stephan Soghomonian was the only player to put a shot on goal for either team.
Finally, in the 57th minute, Soghomonian was fouled inside the penalty box, leading to a penalty kick. The forward, who had tallied 11 goals over SMU’s previous nine games, booted it into the bottom-left corner of the net, just tipping the outstretched hand of Virginia goalie Casper Mols to give SMU the 1-0 lead.
The Cavaliers failed to get a single shot on target all game. After allowing four goals in the first round match against Wake Forest, the Mustangs surrendered just one goal through the final three games, which sophomore Garrett DeLorme said was the key to victory against Virginia.
“I think we created a lot more opportunities than them,” DeLorme said. “They had no shots on target, so our defense was very good. They have good chemistry with the way they’re playing right now.”
SMU’s defense was anchored by center back Slade Starnes, who won Tournament MVP for his efforts. After the Mustangs defended a free kick into the penalty box in the final seconds, the SMU sideline erupted into a frenzy. SMU junior Quinn Kennedy, who watched the game from Dallas, said he could feel the atmosphere through the TV.
“It was absolutely electric,” Kennedy said. “The passion, everything we’ve seen from both sets of fans, not just the [Virginia] fans.”
In addition to Starne, Soghomonian, defender Ryan Clanton-Pimentel and goalie Martin Dominguez made the 2025 All-Tournament team. Despite entering the ACC Tournament as the No. 7 seed, SMU toppled No. 10 Wake Forest, No. 2 Stanford, No. 6 Syracuse and finally the ACC-leading Virginia Cavaliers. Before the tournament, SMU lost its season finale to Virginia 1-0.
“There’s no panic in us,” SMU Head Coach Kevin Hudson said in a press conference after the loss. “The league is full of really good teams, but in the same breath, there’s not a team we look at and go, ‘Oh boy, those guys are way better than us.’”
SMU rebounded quickly, winning a narrow 5-4 shootout versus Wake Forest before escaping Stanford with a 1-0 win. Similar to the championship match, Soghomonian scored a penalty kick in the second half to take the lead. In the semifinal, SMU barraged Syracuse with five goals to cruise into the championship.
The Mustangs tied Syracuse’s 2015 title team as the lowest seed to win an ACC Men’s Soccer Championship. It is the fourth SMU conference tournament title under Hudson and the 11th in program history.
“We’re not here because we want to compete and see what we can do in the ACC,” Hudson said in a quote published to the SMU Men’s Soccer Instagram. “We want to win trophies.”
Since joining the ACC in 2024, no SMU team has managed to claim an ACC title with football coming the closest in the 34-31 loss to Clemson in last year’s championship. Men’s Soccer became the first program to overcome the hump, earning an automatic bid into the NCAA Championship.
In the post-game press conference, Hudson voiced his frustration with the lack of respect SMU received in regards to its spot in the ACC.
“I think there’s still this connotation within the media or within the league that [SMU are] outsiders and we don’t belong,” Hudson said. “From football to basketball to volleyball to men’s soccer… we freaking belong. We deserve to be in the moment. This program deserves to be here.”
The NCAA Selection Show takes place at noon on Monday, Nov. 17 and the tournament begins on Thursday, Nov. 20.
