The SMU men’s soccer team is in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, looking for the National Championship. Last year the Mustangs were able to reach quarterfinals, only to be defeated by the North Carolina Rams in a penalty shootout.

SMU has been waiting since Sunday to find out their next opponent. The Mustangs earned the No. 6 seed in the bracket, after taking the Conference-USA Championship from UAB and automatically qualifying for the second round.

The first round is over and the Mustangs will be facing Akron on Sunday night at Westcott Field. The Zips hosted Northwestern late night on Thursday, and took the victory from the Wildcats with a 3-1 win.

The Zips will actually be in the hunt for the national title again, since they were last year’s national champion. During last year’s NCAA Tournament, Akron defeated Louisville 1-0 and took the trophy home. This is the Zips’ one and only College Cup, as they have been defeated twice in the finals against Duke in 1986 and Virginia in 2009.

The Mustangs are hungry for their first NCAA title, and they have been training hard for the match on Sunday.

“I can’t say were still not hungry for the even bigger trophy that lies ahead,” sophomore goalkeeper Jaime Ibarra said after winning the C-USA title.

The team has been training hard and searching of ways to perfecting even their smallest move.

“We don’t have much time to work before the big game, but we’re all just focusing on getting the little things right because those are the things that could make or break a game,” Ibarra said. “We’re not really looking too far ahead; we’re just looking to the next game. But with the talent and team chemistry there is, we feel we are capable of making the final four.”

The kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Westcott Field.