SMU Soccer Draws With Temple

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DALLAS (SMU) – The SMU men’s soccer team played American Athletic Conference opponent Temple to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night at Westcott Field. The Mustangs now sit at 1-1-1 in conference action and 2-8-1 overall, while the Owls’ record moves to 0-1-2 in league play and 7-3-2 overall.

“The most important thing when you’re in conference play is to come through games getting points,” Head Coach Tim McClements said. “We would have much rather had three points than one point, but I felt that we played well in the first half. I’m really proud the players came back after the goal in the second half and retook the game at the end.”

Sophomore Eddie Puskarich gave the Mustangs the early lead with his first goal of the season in the third minute. The Fairview, Texas, native intercepted a pass in SMU’s attacking third and connected on a shot from about 20 yards out for the early lead.

SMU held the offensive advantage in the first frame with a 7-6 edge in shots.

The second half, though, belonged to Owls, as they outshot SMU 12-8, and

scored the equalizer that forced the match into overtime in the 68th minute. Senior Nolan Hemmer found himself in the right place at the right time when he registered his first goal of the season on a rebound off a shot from freshman Robert Sagel. It was also Sagel’s first assist.

In the overtime periods, the Mustangs outshot Temple 5-1 giving them a 20-19 overall advantage in the match. The Ponies also held the 6-4 edge in corner kicks.

Senior Jaime Ibarra finished the match with eight saves, while his counterpart junior Dan Scheck was forced to make five.

Puskarich and fellow sophomore Leobardo Vazquez led SMU with two shots on goal apiece, while sophomore Will Smith and senior Max Rockwell each register one.

“I really thought we took over the game at the end and generated a number of quality opportunities,” McClements added. “It’s obviously frustrating, but at this point you take away from the game what it gives you and continue to move forward and get better.”

The Mustangs are back in action on Saturday when they travel to Cincinnati for a 6 p.m. CT conference match against the Bearcats. Check SMUMustangs.com for ways to follow.