The SMU Mustangs’ run in the 2024 NCAA men’s soccer tournament ended in heartbreak Sunday night in a 3-2 defeat to Marshall’s Thundering Herd at Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium.

The Mustangs, who were participating in an Elite Eight contest for the 14th time in program history, came into the game with momentum after defeating Washington in the first round and No. 5 Dayton in the Sweet Sixteen.

Marshall took the lead in the first half with a goal from Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos and went into the break with the lead in a tense matchup. The second half was more entertaining and saw four goals–two from Marshall’s Marco Silva and Pablo Simon and two from SMU’s Milton Lopez. 

SMU’s head coach Kevin Hudson thought the team had a great opportunity to win despite the choppy nature of the game.

 “I thought we handled the adversity really well and were good enough to win for sure,” Hudson said. “I’m gutted for everybody who has given so much but immensely proud of the guys in that locker room.”

SMU finished the game with 11 shots and nine corners compared to Marshall’s seven shots and zero corners. This was Lopez’s first brace for SMU and first goals in the NCAA tournament. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon but was postponed to Sunday due to inclement weather in Dallas.

SMU men’s soccer finished the season with their head held high, securing their third consecutive first round seed and national bye into the 2024 NCAA tournament. 

The team finished 12-2-6 overall this season (4-2-2 in the ACC).