Erica Penuruni (Freshman defender Dylan Schauder hydrates in between breaks during a morning training session. )

It’s one thing to battle the heat as you step into your car, that instantly transforms into a stifling sauna; or to endure the brutal walk to class that leaves you with the fresh-out-of-the-gym look.

But, it takes another level of determination (and perhaps lunacy) to jump, dive, and sprint for 90 minutes on a sweltering 105-degree field.

This is the typical experience for the SMU Men’s Soccer team whenever a heat wave decides to make its way across Dallas. 

They withstand two-a-days, and long practices, and this past weekend took on the Memphis Tigers at high noon on a 105-degree Wescott Field.

While the Mustangs were warming up to take on the Tigers, fans were finding ways to cool down.

So the question is; how do the players, coaches, and even fans beat the heat?

The Daily Campus dives into the heat waves that stretch across the fields and ask players, coaches and fans this same question.

“I’m carrying around my water bottle constantly and drinking all day,” SMU goalkeeper Jaime Ibarra said. “Mentally, it’s also about getting good sleep and staying positive.”

Particularly for a goalkeeper, the sun can be brutal, penetrating all of that gear.

That’s why preparation even comes down to making the right wardrobe decisions.

“You don’t want to wear a dark color, or black, because it attracts the sun and makes it even harder to play in,” Ibarra said.

The players aren’t the only ones taking a beating from the heat. SMU Men’s Soccer Athletic Trainer, Drew Yoder, touches on how even the gear is affected.

“Whenever your losing a lot of fluids, your gear is going to soak up a lot of that, so obviously its going to get heavy so it’s just important to keep their energy high and play through it,” Yoder said.

However, SMU is provided with gear that can relieve players of the oppressive heat factors.

“SMU is sponsored by Adidas,” SMU’s Athletic Public Relations Olivia Kiespert said. “The men’s soccer team uses Adidas’ ClimaCool line of clothing, which is lightweight and ventilated, and helps the players stay as cool and dry as possible in the Texas heat.”

While players find external relief from well-designed clothes, they also rely on a sports drink during and after games for internal rejuvenation.

“We use a sports drink called Pure Sports that’s high in sodium and protein and it replenishes their electrolytes more than the other drinks that are high in sugar,” Yoder said.

The heat not only affects the player’s mentality and physical state, but the structure of the game as well.

In SMU’s final exhibition game against the Memphis Tigers, officials decided to break the game into three 30-minute periods, rather than the typical two-halved game in efforts of relieving players of the heat.

Fans at the Memphis game shared their heat-beating tactics.

“I don’t know how they [players] are dealing with it down there,” the mother of SMU goalkeeper Devin Cook, Michelle Perales said.

Although the heat maybe merciless, it does cultivate some favorable qualities.

“Playing in the heat is harder but it speeds up my training process,” defender Diogo de Almeida said.

Whatever the unpredictable and extreme weather Dallas decides to bestow among the SMU community, rest assured your SMU men’s soccer will tread on towards victory.