Ben Shuleva supplied the Mustangs offense last weekend and earned Conference USA Co-Offensive Player of the Week. (John Schreiber)
The No. 11 SMU men’s soccer team (4-2-2) looks for a win against the Missouri State Bears (4-5-1) tonight in its first game of a two-game homestand. The Mustangs fell two places in the rankings after their 2-2 tie against the No. 20 Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
Missouri State enters tonight’s game with a subpar record and a decent strength of schedule. However, its record can be misleading if taken on face value considering all five of its losses have resulted by a one-goal deficit. The Bears have been in every minute of every game they have played this year.
On the season, the Bears have outscored their opponents by a tally of 15-10 in spite of being outshot 96-170. Goalie Lance Parker is a reason for the Bears’ low goals against average. He has notched 65 saves in only 10 games and allows only one goal per game on average.
Facing a porous defensive unit bodes well for the Mustangs, but that does not mean goals will come easily. SMU still needs to finish off great set plays and attacks if they want to overpower Parker and walk away with a win tonight against the Bears.
Offensively, sophomore midfielder Kyle Windmueller leads Missouri State statistically. He has three goals and one assist on the season, totaling a team-leading seven points.
Tri-captain midfielders Scott Corbin, Bruno Guarda and Ben Shuleva lead the Mustangs on the field. Guarda leads SMU in goals with four, assists with six, points with 14 and shots with 21. How these three players play on both sides of the ball usually dictates the pace of the game and the Mustangs’ success.
Overall, the Mustangs have put up a solid defensive front on the season. The defense has blundered on a couple of plays and allowed more late goals that they would like. If the Mustangs can tighten their already solid line, they could have their first breakout performance since the Virginia game.
The Mustangs have yet to put together a winning streak over two games because of injuries and tie games. However, SMU is undefeated at Westcott Field (4-0-1), where the team hosts the Bears at 7 p.m.
SMU’s Bruno Guarda (right) fights for the ball against SLU’s Brian Grazier (left). (John Schreiber)
