SMU senior Jeff Harwell (right) slide tackles University of Central Arkansas defender Andrew O’Brien in a 5-1 win at Westcott Field Oct.12. Harwell was one of four Mustangs named second-team all-conference yesterday. (Casey Lee)

The SMU men’s soccer team begins the Conference USA tournament at 8 p.m. tonight at Westcott Field.

The Mustangs come into the tournament as the No. 3 seed in the conference and face the No. 6 seed University of South Carolina.

The Mustangs met USC once this year on Oct. 8 at Westcott Field. In that game, the Mustangs battled the Gamecocks in a very physical game, which ended in a 1-1 tie. South Carolina got its lone goal when an SMU defender went down with an injury. The Mustangs got the equalizing goal less than a minute later when freshman Arthur Ivo was taken down inside the 18-yard box, the larger of the two boxes in front of the goal, and SMU was awarded a penalty kick.

One difference this time around is the presence of SMU’s goal-scoring forward, Paulo da Silva. da Silva, who missed a string of conference games, did not make the trip last week to play the Florida International University Panthers.

“[SMU head coach Tim McClements] and I talked about it and said he said if I traveled they were going to play me but it was my decision,” said da Silva. “I told him the best idea is to not go and rest since we had already made the tournament. I knew what our team is capable of and they went to Florida and got a win. I have great confidence in my teammates.”

While da Silva does not have to be 100 percent to play, he says that he is getting close. “I feel good. I took some shots today and it felt great.”

SMU needs a healthy da Silva on the field, as he is the Mustangs’ leading scorer and points leader. This season da Silva has had seven goals in 11 games and thus far has converted around 28 percent of all shots he has taken this year.

While the Mustangs look to get one player back, they will lose another. Team captain and senior defender Daniel Lopez will miss the tournament’s first game due to a red card he received in the final minutes of the game against Florida International.

“I think that loosing Danny is losing more than just a player, he is our captain,” said McClements. “It is a rallying point. We want Danny to play one more game. He doesn’t deserve to go out in his senior year on a red card that, to be very honest, was very hard to swallow.”

One position in particular that will be affected is goalkeeper. Junior goalkeeper Craig Hill has had a very good year thus far, allowing two or more goals only three times.

“It is my time to shine and I realized that I needed to step up, help lead this team,” said Hill.

Hill also talked about the loss of Lopez: “Lopez is huge as our captain. That’s a huge blow but I am confident in our players and our ability to step up and fill in for him. It’s going to be tough but I think we are going to be able to get through it.”

One unsung hero on the team who is quietly having a strong year is midfielder Kekoa Osoria. On the season, Osoria has just one assist in 17 games, but he has been critical to the team.

“I think he is one of our most consistent players with out a doubt,” said McClements. “When it is all said and done I think he is one of our best players. I think the world of him.”

Osoria believes that SMU needs to, “just keep the ball moving, and keep the rhythm and tempo of the game up. Just dictate the pace of the game, control the middle and get everyone involved.”