SMU midfielder Aaron Chibli (24) pushes down Florida International’s Ricky Wahl (17) during Sunday afternoon’s game at Westcott Field. (Stuart Palley)
The SMU men’s soccer team will play the University of South Carolina Gamecocks tonight on national television at 7 CST. The game will be televised live on the Fox Soccer Channel.
The Mustangs (9-2-2, 4-0-1) are ranked No. 2 in the latest Soccer America magazine poll. The Gamecocks (8-4-1, 2-1-1) are unranked, but have received some votes in a number of polls including Soccer America.
The Gamecocks are winless in their last two games after tying No. 25 Memphis and losing to No. 10 Tulsa. The Mustangs tied Tulsa earlier this year with a score of 2-2.
South Carolina coach Mark Berson is looking for his 400th career win with the Gamecocks. He is one of only five active coaches, including SMU’s own Schellas Hyndman, with over 400 career victories.
South Carolina enters the match boasting one of the better defenses in the country. Gamecocks goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer currently ranks first in Conference USA with a 0.92 goals against average. Maurer is not just the product of a good team defense, because his save percentage of .815 is also above average.
The South Carolina offense has scored 1.41 goals per game led by freshman forward Blake Brettschneider and sophomore midfielder Jeff Scannella. They both have four goals on the season and really set the tone for the offensive unit.
The Mustangs have played well over the past month. They are undefeated in the last eight games and have won their last five. They are also undefeated in conference play giving them a commanding lead in the conference standings.
The Mustangs have played strong soccer on both sides of the ball. Their efforts culminated in the Mustangs sweeping the C-USA Player of the Week awards. Junior forward Scott Geppert won the Offensive Player of the Week award when he scored two goals in two games. SMU senior goalkeeper Steve Sandbo won the Defensive Player of the Week after recording his third shutout of the season.
SMU holds the advantage in the all-time series with a 4-3-1 record against South Carolina. With a win against the Gamecocks, SMU can build an unassailable lead atop the conference standings while widening their all-time lead over USC.
