Photo by John Schreiber, The Daily Campus The SMU men’s soccer team huddles in center field to discuss their plan of attack during the 2007 season.

After a pair of grueling weekend road trips to start the season, SMU men’s soccer is back in Dallas to host the Prego’s Express Italian Men’s Soccer Invitational at Westcott Field.

The Mustangs, ranked No. 4 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll, host the George Mason Patriots at 7:30 p.m. tonight and the Oakland Grizzlies at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Mustangs (3-0-1) raised eyebrows last weekend in the Cal Legacy Classic, when they beat Stanford 2-0 and tied No. 7 California 1-1. SMU won the Virginia Soccer Classic the previous weekend, defeating No. 27 Old Dominion and the host Cavaliers.

The Mustangs’ attack is led by senior forward Paulo da Silva, who has racked up eight points this season. da Silva notched a pair of goals last weekend and was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week.

Senior midfielder Gabe Arredondo has attempted a team-high 11 shots, connecting on one of them. He also has two assists.

Goalkeeper Craig Hill has allowed only two goals in four games, tallying 11 saves. The Mustangs are allowing only half a goal per game.

The Patriots (1-1-1) and the Mustangs already have a common opponent this season: Virginia. George Mason fell to the Cavalier 3-2 in double overtime, while SMU cruised to a 3-1 victory. The Patriots went 5-11-2 last season and feature 10 freshmen on the roster.

The Mustangs will have their hands full with the undefeated Grizzlies, who have gotten off to a roaring start this season. Oakland, which has outscored its opponents 9-2, is led by Sebastian Harris, who has eight points in four games. The Grizzlies received a top 25 vote in this week’s NSCAA poll.

After this weekend’s tournament, the Mustangs travel to the Tulsa Tournament on Sept. 19-21. They begin the Conference USA schedule Sept. 27 with a home game against Tulsa. SMU faces four of its first five conference opponents at home.

Notes: On Thursday, SMU head coach Tim McClements added former Mustangs midfielder Giamupaulo Pedroso to his coaching staff. Pedrosa, who was a second team All-America selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in his sophomore season, graduated in 1993.