SMU midfielder Jeff Harwell (left) and Virginia’s Matt Poole (right) jump for the headbutt during Friday night’s game at Westcott Field. (John Schreiber)

The SMU men’s soccer team vaulted to No. 3 in the NSCAA poll after its wins over Virginia and Georgetown this past weekend. Last week the Mustangs were ranked No. 8 and poised to fall in the polls after their home tie against St. Louis (0-1-2).

The Mustangs will travel for the first time of the season for a weekend tournament in New Mexico. The Mustangs will not actually play the New Mexico Lobos this year, but they will face off against the No. 14 UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos on Friday at 6 p.m.

SMU will look for revenge against the Gauchos after last year’s upset in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Gauchos won that game with a score of 3-1 and went on to win the National Championship. USCB has won both times the two teams have played.

The Gauchos feature an aggressive attack mixed with a solid defense that poses matchup problems for almost any team. SMU’s team is taller and stronger than last year, so UCSB will not have as big of an advantage as they did last season.

After the win against Virginia, Coach Schellas Hyndman thinks, “SMU will be playing with a lot of self-confidence and energy.” The Mustangs’ successful weekend in the Mi Cocina Classic should help them get past the devastating loss last year against UCSB.

Another factor that should help SMU past UCSB is the amount of depth on this year’s roster. Coach Hyndman believes, “Whenever a player cannot get it done on both sides of the ball, we have enough capable players to sub that will fill the void,” left by tired players. College soccer allows a large number of substitutions, so depth is key factor that could determine SMU’s success.

After playing the Gauchos, the Mustangs get a day off before playing unranked Washington at 1 p.m. The Huskies are 1-1-1 on the season with their loss coming to Gonzaga last Friday.

Junior midfielder Bruno Guarda was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week after scoring one goal and registering two assists over the weekend. Tri-captain Guarda currently leads the Mustangs with six points for the season and is currently on the Hermann Trophy watch list.

SMU’s Bruno Guarda (right) fights for the ball against Virginia’s Dane Murphy (left) during Friday’s game at Westcott Field. (John Schreiber)