SMU junior midfielder Arthur Ivo has been named Conference USA Player of the Week and added to the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week for his efforts against conference foes No. 17 Tulsa and Memphis.
Ivo has helped lead the No. 5 Mustangs to a 13-1-0 overall record and 5-1-0 mark in Conference USA action.
On Wednesday, in a much anticipated conference showdown against No. 17 Tulsa, the junior came through in the clutch. Ivo scored a goal in the 62nd minute on a free kick, from 40 yards out to tie the game at two.
“We work on free kicks almost everyday at practice and I kind of got lucky,” Ivo said. “The ball moved a lot but I got lucky and it went right through the keeper’s hands.”
He then had the game-winning assist to fellow midfielder Robbie Derschang, who sent the ball into the far upper 90 for the win.
“It was a great ball by Arthur [Ivo], he just saw me wide open on the counter,” Derschang said.
Saturday in a 3-0 win over Memphis, Ivo was at the top of his game yet again. This time he notched a goal in the 49th minute on a set piece from 20 yards out.
Ivo also assisted on a goal when he set up for another free kick just outside the box and hit the crossbar which allowed defender Leone Cruz to rebound the ball and score.
Ivo is originally from Braganca Paulista, Brazil but played his high school soccer at Oakridge High School in Arlington.
At Oakridge, he earned All State honors all four years and led his team to a state championship in 2005.
As a freshman at SMU, Ivo made an immediate contribution by starting eight games and finishing third on the team in goals scored.
A year later, his contribution significantly decreased, and only he started six games. However, Ivo has bounced back with a superb junior year.
On the season, Ivo has tallied seven goals including two game winners and four assists which are all good enough for second on the team.
He is also a perfect two for two on penalty kick conversions and has collected at least one point in four consecutive matches.
This is the second time this season Ivo has been named Conference USA Player of the Week.
Ivo will star in the Mustangs’ final home game against Kentucky on Saturday at 7 p.m.
“We’ll do whatever it takes to win; we’re giving a hundred percent to win the game,” Ivo said. “We just go out there and play our heart out.”
As a team the Mustangs are ranked fifth in the country according to the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com Natonal Rankings. SMU also sits at the top of Conference USA with 15 points.
Kentucky is currently in fourth place with an overall record of 5-6-4 and a 2-1-2 mark in conference action.
