Tulsa forward Jeovahnni Sandez gets the ball from SMU’s Daniel Lopez in a 4-1 loss Saturday night at Westcott Field. (Stuart Palley)

The SMU men’s soccer team opened conference play with a 4-1 loss to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Saturday night. The loss came in front of a crowd of almost 1,200, the largest attendance at Westcott Field this year.

SMU went ahead early in the game after a goal in the third minute by senior midfielder Ryan Mirsky. The goal resulted from a corner kick taken by senior midfielder Jeff Harwell, whose ball found Mirsky’s head and eventually the back of the net.

Nearly 15 minutes later, the Golden Hurricane equalized with a 12-yard kick from freshman midfielder Justin Chavez.

Minutes before the end of the half, Tulsa scored again on what would prove to be a nightmare game for SMU junior goalkeeper Craig Hill. Golden Hurricane forward Jeovahnni Sandez blasted the ball past Hill from six yards out. The SMU keeper had just blocked a Golden Hurricane shot, but failed to hold on to the ball as it fell to Sandez’s feet, resulting in Tulsa’s game-winning goal.

The Mustangs came out strong in the second half, but had the wind knocked out of their sails in the 54th minute after another Tulsa goal. Golden Hurricane junior defender Kyle Corrie fired a point-blank shot down the middle of the goal to bring the score to 3-1.

SMU finally decided to change its tactics by bringing more players forward in hopes of rattling the Tulsa defense. The formation change did sway the number of shots in SMU’s favor, but ultimately left the Mustangs’ defense open for Tulsa to finish off their conference rivals.

Golden Hurricane sophomore midfielder Zach Nulisch scored in the 88th minute, a goal which would prove to be the final nail in the coffin for the Mustangs, bringing the team’s record to 6-2-1.

Senior forward Paulo da Silva attributed the loss to Tulsa’s long-ball playing style and its ability to close down the Mustangs’ combination-style of play.

“[Long balls] take away from us being able to play on the ground,” da Silva said. “We’re having to play the ball and we’re not being able to settle the ball and play out of the back.”

After losing twice in two weekends to teams playing similar styles, head coach Tim McClements said the Mustangs struggle with teams that have been very direct and physical. The coach sees the loss as a learning experience and by no means a time to panic.

“If you lose 1-0 or 4-0, it really doesn’t make a difference. You might as well learn from it and move forward,” McClements said.

The head coach said he saw problems with his team’s defense, but believed his team played with a mindset to win the game.

“I think we had some players who [performed] to the level that they could, but some didn’t,” McClements said. “We have the players of the quality that we’ll rebound and get it right.”

The Mustangs have only a week to work on their tactics as they face Memphis away from home next Sunday at 12 p.m.