SMU’s Dane Saintus races after the ball during SMU’s 2-0 victory over Missouri State Wednesday night at Westcott Field. (Stuart Palley)
The SMU men’s soccer team beat the Missouri State Bears in convincing fashion last night by a score of 2-0. The win improves the No. 11 Mustangs record to 5-2-2, dropping the Bears to 4-6-1.
The Mustangs controlled the pace for nearly the entire game by rarely turning the ball over and winning most of the 50/50 balls. On the game, SMU outshot Missouri State 27-1 with thirteen of the shots coming on goal.
In spite of controlling the game, the Mustangs could not score a goal in the first half. The team had 16 shots in the half, but were unable to finish any of its opportunities. Missouri State’s goalkeeper deserves credit for the scoreless first half, considering he was credited with eight saves in the half.
In the second half, the Mustangs stepped it up a notch and converted some of their scoring opportunities. SMU got on the board first in the 67th minute when Ben Shuleva scored his third goal of the season from about 10 yards out. Midfielder Jeff Harwell passed to fellow midfielder Scott Corbin who fed Shuleva on the goal.
The Mustangs effectively put the game out of reach in the 83rd minute when Richard Oliva scored his fourth goal of the season. He was unassisted on the play after he dribbled the ball into the box himself and scored inside the left post from about 12 yards out.
SMU dominated nearly every statistical category, except for saves, since the Bears had only one shot on goal. The overall solid performance was noteworthy, especially since the Mustangs are marred by injuries.
Sophomore defender Leone Cruz is out for the season with a ligament tear in his knee. Furthermore, Paolo da Silva just had surgery that will also keep him out for the season in all likelihood. First-year defenders Patrick Clendenny and Chad Bauman were also inactive for last night’s game.
Another notable absence in the Mustangs’ lineup was senior goalkeeper Steve Sandbo. Sandbo twisted his knee and ankle and was unable to play in the game. Sophomore keeper Craig Hill got the first start of his career and stopped the only shot that came his way.
In the past, Shuleva has been more of a defensive midfielder who was not a goal scorer. However, over this season, Shuleva has come back from an injury sustained last season and stepped up his offensive ability in the face of numerous injuries.
Shuleva acknowledges, “We’re beat up…even so, just having SMU on our jerseys does not mean that teams will just roll over for us.” In regard to the goal, Shuleva gave the credit to Corbin who “fed me a great ball just like he did against Tulsa.”
The Mustangs’ coach, Schellas Hyndman, was pleased with the win.
He is also pleased with “a 4-2-2 record in the first month of the season…that record is not bad for September, but we need to do better in October.”
A victory over the Bears puts SMU back on track just in time for its second game of conference play. The game will take place at Westcott Field on Oct. 6 at 7 p.m.
