SMU Soccer Releases 2012 Schedule
DALLAS (SMU) – SMU men’s soccer head coach Tim McClements announced the Mustangs’ 2012 schedule today, with the Ponies set to face seven 2011 NCAA Tournament teams. SMU is coming off of a year in which the team won the Conference USA Championship, was the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament and posted a 13-7-1 record on the season.
The Mustangs open the season on Aug. 24 with a tilt against Campbell at Westcott Field.
SMU will travel to Tulsa, Okla., for the Hurricane Classic over Labor Day weekend as the team faces two tournament squads in South Florida and New Mexico. South Florida advanced to the Elite Eight after posting a 13-4-4 mark and going undefeated in BIG EAST regular season play. New Mexico was undefeated in 2011 with an 18-0-4 record, spent several weeks as the top-ranked team in the country and fell to USF in the Sweet 16 on penalty kicks.
The following weekend, SMU heads to the northeast for matchups at Dartmouth on Sept. 7 and at Harvard on Sept. 9. Dartmouth was defeated 1-0 by Providence in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Mustangs defeated the Big Green 2-1 in overtime on Sept. 16 last season.
Sept. 14-16, the Mustangs will host Oakland, UC-Davis and Tulsa in the SMU Classic Presented by Jason’s Deli at Westcott Field. Last year, SMU topped Oakland 4-1 at the Hurricane Classic.
SMU hosts 2011 NCAA tournament qualifier Cal St. Bakersfield on Sept. 20. The Roadrunners fell 1-0 to St. Mary’s in the first round of the tournament.
The Mustangs kick off Conference USA action against South Carolina on Sept. 24 at Westcott Field. SMU defeated the Gamecocks 1-0 on a goal by Ben Hill in the semifinals of the C-USA Championship last season. South Carolina fell to Wake Forest on penalty kicks in the NCAA Tournament.
The Ponies stop in Birmingham, Ala., Sept. 29 to take on UAB. Last year, SMU shut out the Blazers 2-0 in the C-USA Championship final to claim the Mustangs’ first tournament title since 2006. In the NCAA Tournament, UAB lost 3-1 to eventual runner-up Charlotte in the second round.
Tulsa and Kentucky head to Westcott Field Oct. 3 and Oct. 6, respectively, before SMU swings through Florida to take on UCF (Oct. 14) and FIU (Oct. 17). The Mustangs take a break from league play as they host Missouri State Oct. 21, before wrapping up the home schedule with Senior Day against Marshall on Oct. 28. The regular season concludes at Memphis on Nov. 2
The Conference USA Championship will be held Nov. 7-11 in Birmingham.
Season tickets are on sale now for $27. Tickets can be purchased online at smumustangs.com or by calling 214-SMU-GAME. Individual game tickets go on sale in August.
