Scott Geppert dribbles the ball past two defenders. The Mustangs will play their final home game of the season this weekend. (John Schreiber)
The SMU men’s soccer team takes on the Central Arkansas Bears tonight at Westcott Field at 7:30. Along with tonight’s game being the final game of the regular season, it is also the senior game.
The senior game honors the Mustangs’ outgoing seniors that have given to the university over their careers. The four seniors graduating after this season are goalkeeper Steve Sandbo, defender Adrian Chevannes and midfielders Scott Corbin and Ben Shuleva.
Sandbo is the outright starting goalie for the first year in his career at SMU. In the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Sandbo was plagued by an ankle injury that shortened his 2005 season and ended his 2006 season.
However, Sandbo worked hard to make it back and in the spring of 2007, he was a member of the U.S. U-20 National Team. This allowed him to get ready for the 2007 season in which he has started 15 games. This season he has a 0.96 goals-against average, while registering 43 saves and five shutouts.
Chevannes has played as a defender throughout the 2007 season, but has also played as a forward and midfielder during his SMU career. Chevannes has played wherever coach Schellas Hyndman has asked him to play.
Chevannes, also known as “A.D.,” transferred from Clemson after the 2003 season and spent the 2005 season training in Salt Lake City, Utah. In spite of this, Chevannes’ SMU career stats through this season are 11 goals, 72 shots, eight assists and 30 points.
Both Corbin and Shuleva are tri-captains on this year’s squad. Corbin has been with SMU for all four years of his collegiate career and is a four-year letter winner.
Corbin played a vital role on the 2005 team that made it to the Final Four. He started 12 games and played in 23 that season.
After transferring from St. John’s University following the 2005 season, Shuleva has played a pivotal role for SMU. He has started in all 40 of SMU’s games in his two years at SMU.
Shuleva tore his ACL against UC-Santa Barbara in the Mustangs’ playoff loss last year. However, Shuleva bounced back from the injury without missing a game at the start of the 2007 season.
The Mustangs are 12-3-2 on the season and could potentially win the Conference USA regular season title if Tulsa either loses or ties UAB. This game is important to the Mustangs because a win would give them momentum going into the Conference tournament.
