Mmm-mmm good
This weekend the men’s soccer team improved its overall record to 4-1-1. The Ponies blanked the University of Missouri-Kansas City on Friday 1-0 and beat Loyola (Chicago) 2-1 on Saturday night.
The two victories were enough for the host Mustangs to claim the Mi Cocina Classic title. In the round-robin format, UMKC finished second, TCU was third and Loyola finished last after losing both of its matches.
Senior defender and captain Tom Dolan was pleased with the Mustangs’ performance.
“You can tell the difference from how we are playing now and how we played at the start of the season,” Dolan said. “The defense is holding strong and the offense is starting to come together.”
The Mustangs dominated play on Friday night by outshooting UMKC 18-3. SMU’s best chance came early in the 20th minute of the game, when Kevin Hudson played a ball through the Kangaroos’ back line and Colin Clark picked up the pass while heading to goal. The UMKC goalkeeper came out and made a diving save to keep the score at 0-0.
The Mustangs finally found their spark when the man of the weekend came through with his first of two game winners.
Freshman standout Kellan Zindel made a 35-yard run down the right side of the field and cut his defender at the top of the 18-yard box. He created just enough space to tuck the ball past a diving UMKC goalkeeper.
Zindel has no trouble creating chances when he is inserted into the line up.
“I have confidence in my own ability,” Zindel said. “I work hard and try to make it easier for the players that are around me.”
Assistant coach Brent Erwin expects players like Zindel to be a spark off the bench.
“We want the game to stay at a fast pace and play to keep moving,” Erwin said. “There are plenty of good players that don’t start, so we expect them to come in and keep up the level of play.”
On Saturday night, the Mustangs squared off against a physical Loyola team. The teams combined for 25 total fouls in the first half, 14 of them credited to the Ramblers.
The whistle blew once again in the 25th minute, however this time it signaled a goal.
A long ball flew through the box, Kevin Friedland played the ball back to Kevin Hudson who was waiting patently at the penalty spot. Hudson drove the ball past two Rambler defenders to give the Ponies a 1-0 lead.
In the 41st, minute Loyola was awarded a penalty kick. Sophomore goalie T.J. Tomasso saved the shot and the rebound cleared. The Rambler defense gathered the ball and junior defender Blake Kluesner dropped a shot from 30 yards out over the heads of the Mustang defense to tie the game 1-1. The first half ended with the score tied.
Senior defender Kevin Friedland said the team needed to come together in the second half.
“Every player on the field has to get used to other players tendencies,” Friedland said.””Going into the second half we had to keep our shape and we knew the results would come.”
The second half was the turning point in the match for SMU.
Foul problems proved costly for the Ramblers early in the second half. Adam Hitchman received his second yellow card and was ejected, leaving the Ramblers a man down for the remainder of the contest.
Once again it was Zindel who put the game away. In the 62nd minute Diego Walsh beat two Rambler defenders and fed Zindel in the middle of the box. Zindel turned on his defender and tucked the ball into the corner net for his third goal of the season. The late goal was all the Mustangs needed, holding off one final Rambler charge and getting the 2-1 victory.
Zindel’s two-goal weekend earned him All-Tournament Team honors along with fellow teammates Tomasso, Walsh and Toti Suarez.
Zindel was also named the Offensive MVP of the tournament.
“My mom is my inspiration, she is the one that got me here,” Zindel said after receiving the honors. “Every game I play and every goal I score is all for her, she deserves it.”
The Mustangs’ next game is against TCU at 7:30 p.m. Friday on Westcott Field.
