Mens Soccer wins 2-1 OT

[bogey55]

Mustangs win 2-1 OT over FIU

[smusoccer]

Way to finish up regular season with a win.

[PonyPride]

Goals by Josue Soto and T.J. Nelson, who had the game-winner in overtime.

FIU is a very hard team to play — they play a very physical style, and they had nothing to lose tonight. To go to Miami and beat them on their field is impressive.

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Soccer Wraps Up Regular Season, Defeats FIU 2-1 In OT
Soto and Nelson score for the Mustangs

Nov. 5, 2010

MIAMI (SMU) - The No. 5 SMU men's soccer team closed out the regular season by defeating Florida International 2-1 in overtime Friday night. Senior Josue Soto and sophomore T.J. Nelson scored for the Mustangs. SMU posted a 15-1-0 mark during the regular season and was 7-1-0 in Conference USA action.

"The game was a hard-fought battle," Head coach Tim McClements said. "I think that it really shows FIU's drive and dedication. They could have easily folded up, but they didn't - they came out fighting. They played like they didn't have anything to lose, and that's a dangerous recipe for us going in to the game. We scored early in the first half, but then the game kind of opened up and that really favored FIU. It was a really end-to end game. We played hard, but we didn't play as well as we normally do because they played so hard and never gave up."

Soto opened up the scoring with a goal just 2:24 in to the game. The ball was served in to the box and bounced around before Soto gained control and sent it in for a 1-0 Mustang lead. The goal was Soto's sixth of the season.

Nelson netted the game-winner in the 99th minute for SMU when he gathered a rebound and fired it home for his second goal of the season. Both of Nelson's tallies have been overtime game-winners. His other goal came in the 103rd minute of the Mustangs' season opener against Missouri State.

FIU scored in the 48th minute with Carlo Schmid received a cross and sent the ball in far post to knot the game at one.

"The season has been great," McClements said. "The players have been great, and they've responded anytime there has been a difficult situation or distraction. We're just trying to get ourselves ready to win the conference championship and go to the NCAA tournament."

SMU heads to Memphis to compete in the Conference USA Championship Nov. 10-14. The Mustangs are the No. 1 seed and have a bye in the first round. SMU plays Friday, Nov. 12, against the winner of the No.4/No.5 quarterfinal match.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

Good test on the road when everything has been going the right way. Nice to see the team come through and take care of business.

Let's keep it up - I want a home NCAA tournament match!

[redpony]

A win is a win but this was not impressive. Wonder how bad it will hurt our nat'l ranking. Letting an unranked team take you to OT is not good.

GO PONIES!!!

[gk00dad]

A win is a win but this was not impressive. Wonder how bad it will hurt our nat'l ranking. Letting an unranked team take you to OT is not good.

GO PONIES!!!

It won't affect ranking at all. If you've been following college soccer for a few years you'd know that RPI is what the NCAA uses to establish seeding. RPI takes into account strength of schedule based on win/loss not how bad a team beats another team. The score in the FIU win doesn't matter nearly as much as the fact that Tulsa has mailed in the season since we played them.

[Corso]

Really? THAT's how you congratulate a team on a 15-1 regular season? 15-1!

Keep grinding your anti-McClements axe.

Have you ever seen FIU play? That is among the most physical teams in the nation, and if you have seen our guys play, most of our players are highly skilled, technical players, but hardly the biggest bruisers around. FIU undoubtedly looked at this as its game of the year and came out trying to physically mangle the Mustangs. At this point, we want a win, but style points aren't going to change the rankings much. The top priority should be going into the C-USA tournament and the NCAA tournament healthy. Seems we are healthy, and even if we get upset in the conference tournament, we're going to be hosting NCAA games.

Congratulations, Ponies, on a fantastic season. Keep it going!

[redpony]

Corso- I certainly hope you didn't graduate from SMU as you seem to have both comprehension and retention issues.
I have said nothing negative about TMc this season. In fact, I have often stated that I do not care who the coach is as long as he can maintain the same winning traditions of the previous coach. We are finally getting back to the national rankings that we had under SH.
Secondly, I will state that IMO no top 5 ranked team should get taken to overtime by an unranked, lower level team especially one that finished last in your conference.
I am glad this team has the talent to advance further than past TMc teams and look forward to them getting to at least the quarter finals of the 'big tourney'.

GO PONIES!!!

[gk00dad]

Secondly, I will state that IMO no tp 5 ranked team should get taken to overtime by an unranked, lower level team especially one that finished last in your conference.
I am glad this team has the talent to advance further than past TMc teams and look forward to them getting to at least the quarter finals of the 'big tourney'.

GO PONIES!!!

Like I said you haven't been following college soccer much. Tell that to Akron. Not only tied a game but lost to unranked Cleveland State. Looks like the pollsters still think they're the team to beat. What you fail to understand is that there is a lot of parity in the college game these days. Even the ACC which is supposed to be the strongest conference year in and year out, are getting beat up this year. We have one of the best squads in the country. Let's enjoy the prosperity.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

I watched Akron play and they are no better than we are.

If we can play well in the NCAA tournament we really could go pretty far.

I know we have tended to underperform in the NCAAs in the past but hopefully that is behind us.

I can't wait for the big tournament.

[Corso]

Got my undergraduate and grad degrees from SMU, thank you, and my retention is just fine. You've had it in for Coach McClements and Coach Erwin ever since they were hired.

[redpony]

Got my undergraduate and grad degrees from SMU, thank you, and my retention is just fine. You've had it in for Coach McClements and Coach Erwin ever since they were hired.

Totally wrong- just since they took successful programs and trashed them. Show me prior to this season how their records were better than the coaches they replaced or shut up. It's all about winning, plain and simple. I will agree that the hiring process was done more with thoughts toward budget and not toward quality or qualifications of the coach. Sad that we trash previously successful programs just to save a few dollars. As I have stated many, many times I don't give [deleted] who the coach is as long as they build a program better than the one they received (and that is measured in W/L). Comprende?? estupido!

[Dark Horse]

Totally wrong- just since they took successful programs and trashed them. Show me prior to this season how their records were better than the coaches they replaced or shut up. It's all about winning, plain and simple. I will agree that the hiring process was done more with thoughts toward budget and not toward quality or qualifications of the coach. Sad that we trash previously successful programs just to save a few dollars. As I have stated many, many times I don't give [deleted] who the coach is as long as they build a program better than the one they received (and that is measured in W/L). Comprende?? estupido!

Your posts have suggested that you think Coach McClements intentionally dismantled what Coach Hyndman left him. A lot of teams go through a transition period while getting used to a new coach and new system ... and yes, while McClements did serve as an assistant under Hyndman, he has changed up the system a bit. There is more talent on the team this year, and Coach McClements, Coach Wolf, Coach Hudson and Coach Hason have done one hell of a job.

As for the idea of a hiring process that focused on saving dollars, that falls on Orsini, not McClements. Get off his back.

[ponyscott]

Saving dollars in the athletic departments, especially with basically a non-revenue sport is essential in these days and times.
Coach Hyndman as good as he is a coach, went through his tough times during his transition at FC Dallas, as the fans hated him and really made his life difficult. Well he made it through and FC Dallas is really good and guess what SMU Mens Soccer is really good too after their transition period.
I don't get on Other Sports too often but redpony, no disrespect intended, you have been so openly critical of Orsini and especially the soccer programs and its apparent to all that are active on these boards.
Hopefully the teams make it far into the NCAA's and we all can be proud.