The No. 7 SMU men’s soccer team defeated No. 17 Creighton in a dramatic 5-3 penalty kick shoot out victory, after a 2-2 tie at the end of two overtime periods, Sunday night at Westcott Field.
Both teams met up earlier in the season and SMU came away with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win.
“Its very tough to win two games in a row against an opponent of that caliber,” SMU head coach Tim McClements said. “It’s a tribute to our guys and what it meant to them.”
Creighton got on the board first in the 13th minute as forward Ethan Finlay sent the ball inside the near post, giving the Blue Jays the early 1-0 lead.
Both teams played tight defense the rest of the first half and the score remained the same going into halftime.
“Going into halftime we knew there was the quality in the room to score multiple goals if needed,” McClements said.
Both teams continued physical play throughout the second half and the score stood still at 1-0 up until the 79th minute when freshman forward Juan Castillo saved the day for the Mustangs.
Castillo made an excellent run toward the goal and defender Ian Kalis was able to make a great pass from the left side of the field. The ball sailed in the air and bounced right off of Castillo’s head and off the crossbar past Creighton goalkeeper Brian Holt for the equalizer.
“Ian [Kalis] delivered a terrific ball and I just put my head on it and it all worked out,” Castillo said.
The tie was broken just two minutes later when Blue Jay midfielder Sergio Castillo sent a bullet into the back of the net after a rebound off a corner kick.
The goal gave Creighton the lead with less than 10 minutes left in regulation, but the Mustangs never lost their composure.
SMU midfielder Arthur Ivo fired a desperation shot from 30 yards out with 15 seconds left in the game and the improbable happened. The ball was deflected off a Creighton player and flew over Holt for the goal, sending the game into overtime.
In the first overtime period, SMU midfielder Zach Barnes scored the apparent game winning goal, but an offsides call prevented the Mustangs from claiming victory.
The teams moved on to the second overtime period where the Blue Jays fired eight shots compared to the Mustangs zero, but failed to score their third goal of the night.
Creighton and SMU were forced into a penalty kick shootout to determine who would advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
SMU drew first blood as midfielder Josue Soto opened the scoring in the shootout.
The Mustangs took a 2-1 lead after a goal by midfielder Peyton Hickey.
SMU goalkeeper Craig Hill made a magnificent save on Creighton’s next attempt which gave the Mustangs a huge advantage in the shootout. Hill finished the night with 11 saves.
“In a shootout the odds are stacked against the goalie and to make a save puts your team in a position to win the game,” Hill said. “I got one and my teammates did the rest of the job.”
With SMU up 4-3, Ivo had a chance to seal the Mustangs’ ticket to the third round and the junior did not disappoint. Ivo buried the ball in the back of the net and sent the SMU home crowd into a frenzy.
“I have no words to describe it,” Ivo said. “It’s just an unbelievable feeling after fighting for so much and coming back.”
The Mustangs were able to come away victorious despite being outshot 27-14 and losing the corner kick battle 15-3.
SMU will face William and Mary in their third round matchup on Sunday with location and time to be determined.
