The Mustangs have to get used to every team battling them for a full 90 minutes. There is going to be no room to sit back on a little lead and take a short breath.
Senior defender Toti Suarez pointed out how important it is to stay focused for the entire game.
“One let down in a hard-fought game can change the whole outcome,” Suarez said.
There were no long strings of consecutive passes put together. There were no open balls played through the back of the defensive line. There were no short runs to open space for long balls down the sideline. The midfield had trouble finding structure, and the offensive playmakers didn’t get enough quality touches on the ball to have an impact. The defense played a solid game but was unable to generate any opportunities on quick counter attacks.
The Mustangs found out firsthand on Monday night against the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee how just a single let down feels.
The game was a physical battle from the start. Five yellow cards were handed out in the first 33 minutes alone. A total of seven were issued throughout the contest.
In the 22nd minute the Panthers had an opportunity at the Mustangs’ 6 yard box. A cross came into the box, but the header from the UW Milwaukee attacker was sent just over the top of the cross bar.
In the 43rd minute, of Kellan Zindel made a 20-yard run down the sideline, recovered his own deflected cross and buried the ball into the back of the net to give the Ponies a 1-0 lead.
The ball continued to jockey back and forth, but the Mustangs had no problem holding off constant attacks by the Panthers’ front line.
The Mustangs held the lead until a defensive marking mistake allowed the Panthers to tie the match in the 68th minute. The play developed from a set of quick passes until the ball was sent wide in the penalty box. Panther sophomore forward Antou Jallow tucked the ball past SMU sophomore keeper T.J. Tomasso.
The score stayed tied throughout the end of regulation. Neither team managed to find a way to put the ball away during either of the two overtime periods and the score ended in a deadlock after 110 minutes of play.
Suarez feels that the Ponies need to keep composure in a close game like Monday’s.
“At least we proved that we can play tough in a close game,” Suarez said. “The defense played tough for the entire game and the offense kept on trying to create opportunities.”
The soccer played at Westcott Field on Monday night was not typical of the Mustangs’ playing style.
That is why at the end of two 45-minute halves and two 10-minute overtimes the Mustangs walked off the field with a 1-1 tie against UW Milwaukee.
Senior midfielder and team captain Diego Walsh was not pleased with the Mustangs’ play throughout the entire game.
“The game was a big disappointment,” Walsh said. “We still need to come together as team, and soon we will develop a rhythm.”
Walsh also felt that he personally didn’t play to the best of his ability. He knows he isn’t going to carry the team on his shoulders and hopes that a couple of other players step up and pick up the slack.
“I had a very bad weekend,” Walsh said. “I didn’t play well in any of the games this weekend. I must do a better job to help my teammates.”
But to give credit where credit is due, the players from Milwaukee came to Dallas to play ball.
The 15th-ranked Panthers did not back down at any point in the game against the eighth-ranked Mustangs.
Panther assistant coach, Stan Anderson believes preparing to play SMU was more mental than physical.
“We try to create the mentality that we can play with any team in the country,” Anderson said. “There wasn’t much time to prepare for this game so we just let the play on the field dictate the style we played.”
However, no team can completely adjust to the play that occurred during the contest Monday night. There were plenty of questionable calls by the officials and enough dirty fouls from both sides of the field to qualify the game for a PG-13 rating.
The pace of the game even managed to stay at warp speed for all 110 minutes of the match. The ball flew back and forth as both teams traded posession at a frantic pace.
So how does a team that has 19 out of 26 players on the roster from the state of Wisconsin compete with a nationally-established program such as SMU?
Anderson said that the Panthers don’t even try to compete. He believes that keeping recruiting close to home is what makes UW Milwaukee such a strong side. He said that the coaching staff has no problem finding talent that can compete at the Division 1 level so close to home
“The state of Wisconsin is our heart and soul,” Anderson said. “Then we look to Minnesota for players, and after that the rest of the world is fair game.”
It doesn’t really matter if the Panthers get their players from Wisconsin, Minnesota or China. A well-coached team will produce positive outcomes nine out of 10 times. It gave the eighth-ranked team in the country a run for its money on its home turf.
As for the Mustangs, the season has just started. The freshmen are finding out what roles they have to play and the seniors understand that patience is a virtue. Look for some of the senior players to step up and provide the spark the Mustangs are looking for.
No need to hit the panic button. Remember that two years ago in the Ponies’ march to the final four they started off the season 0-2. This year the Mustangs have opened up with one win and one tie and all of a sudden a record of 1-0-1 isn’t looking so bad.
Away this weekend, SMU takes on second-ranked Stanford at 9:30 p.m. Friday The Mustangs then head to Berkeley for a game at 3 p.m. Sunday.