Sparks, Pinho lift men's soccer to first ACC win at Cal

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From SMUMustangs.com:

SMU Grabs First ACC Win at Cal

DALLAS (SMU) — SMU won 2-1 at Cal to grab its first Atlantic Coast Conference win, Friday.

The Mustangs resumed their trend of dominating possession by outshooting the Golden Bears 12 to seven. They made seven attempts on goal while only allowing five from the hosts.

Bailey Sparks opened the scoreline early with a goal in the 11th minute from the penalty spot. SMU closed the first half with the lead, but the hosts responded with an equalizer in the 55th minute of the match.

Both teams trade control of the ball through the second half but Kyran Chambron Pinho became difference maker by taking back the lead for SMU with a goal in the 84th minute. The Mustangs fly home from California with three points.

SMU improved their record to 3-1-2 and is now 1-1 in ACC play.

How It Happened
The Mustangs took charge of the match as soon as the whistle was blown. They held onto possession and created chances with forward runs.

It was not long until Nikola Djordjevic created the Mustangs' first significant goalscoring opportunity in the 11th minute. Djordjevic drove through the right wing and was tripped at the six-yard box to give SMU a penalty kick.

Sparks converted the penalty kick with a shot to the lower left corner of the goal. The goal was Sparks' third penalty kick goal for SMU.

SMU outshot Cal six to three in the first half, but the score remained 1-0 until the half-time whistle.

The second half started off favoring the Golden Bears. The hosts found an equalizer in the 55th minute with Cal Zalayet's shot from outside the penalty area.

As the play resumed a back-and-forth battle broke out with the Mustangs slowly taking control of the match. The score remained level until the 84th minute when Sparks drew a foul at the top of the penalty box.

Chambron Pinho took the free kick and curled the ball to the upper right corner of the goal for the match winner. The goal was Chambron Pinho's first of the season.

Other Notes
Martin Dominguez made his first start and second appearance for the Mustangs, recording a career-high of four saves. His first appearance was against Florida Atlantic in 2023.

Sparks continued his streak to six consecutive matches with a goal contribution (three goals, three assists).

Sparks is perfect from the penalty spot, scoring three goals from three penalty kick attempts.

The Mustangs has outshot their opponents five times out of six matches this season.
SMU is now 5-1-1 against Cal all-time.

Up Next
The Mustangs return to Washburne Stadium to host UIW in a non-conference matchup, Monday.