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Ryan Mirsky.

When he first got into the lineup as a freshman two years ago, Mirsky played like he was "just a big guy" — which, admittedly, was very much needed on a team that had very little in the way of bulk, especially on defense. But while he rambled around on defense, Jay Needham and Mynor Gonzalez often cleaned up after him when he got over-exuberant and sometimes had defensive breakdowns.

Fast-forward two years to this season, and Mirsky is now the anchor of a stellar SMU defense. Adrian Chevannes, Patrick Clendenny, Daniel Lopez, Chad Bauman .... they're all very good players. But Mirsky has become a bona fide stud. He wins nearly every 50-50 ball in the air. He stands up to the opponents' biggest forwards and doesn't get pushed around. He is joining Bruno Guarda and Jeff Harwell as the team's best shooters on free kicks. Most importantly: he's playing very smart soccer, virtually eliminating mistakes and never making the flashy play when a simple one is available.

He'll never get the headlines that Guarda and the goal-scorers up front get, and if any player is going to get defensive accolades, it likely will be senior goalkeeper Steve Sandbo — a gifted player in his own right, but potentially the beneficiary of a trend to assume that great defense is largely because of a great goalie. Sandbo is very good, but Mirsky has been sensational. He deserves all-Conference USA honors, and maybe All-America honors .... if not this year, than definitely next year. Especially after Leone Cruz went out of the lineup, Mirsky has been absolutely dominant.

The Ponies are No. 6 in the country, and can score on anyone. If the defense plays up to its potential, the Ponies can really make a nice run. Keep up the great play, Ryan.

Ryan has been impressive this year although he was pretty good last year as well. My biggest concern with the Mustangs is their occasional lapses in "finishing" scoring opportunities especially against the better teams.

That's true, but I agree that Mirsky has been a surprisingly good shooter this year. I totally agree with the comments about his improvement this year. Not sure about the All-America thing, but he's definitely worthy of all-CUSA voting.

Mirsky has been awesome this year - I totally agree with Dement-ed's idea that he was a big guy sort of crashing around out there, and now is a fairly polished-but-punishing bruiser ... just what we needed (especially after Cruz went out).

But my vote for most improved this year is Jeff Harwell. First of all, he looks smaller than he did before, if that's possible, but this guy is tough as nails. He can wrap free kicks around a corner, his accuracy is impeccable and he dribbles through traffic he has no business surviving. Despite his size, he also seems like one of those guys who will take off your kneecap just because the ball's on the other side of the field and he seems a little bored. He has pushed forward at times this year, and has embraced the defensive responsibilities of playing midfield in Coach Hyndman's system more this year than ever before. When we have a lead and SMU needs to run out the clock, he can maintain possession (while completely [deleted] off the other team, which makes it even better) more than anyone on the team, even Bruno Guarda - he seems to know when to dribble around in the corner, how to draw fouls and when to swing the ball to the other side just in time to infuriate opponents.

He'll never lead the team in scoring, but this guy is vital to the Mustangs. You can tell in the overall play of the team when Harwell's not on the field.

Scott Geppert and Ben Shuleva.

Both ended the 2006 season with ripped-up knees, and both are vital contributors this season .... that's REALLY improving (although both were damn good before they got hurt last year).

Nice win over FIU today - FIVE IN A ROW.

Another guy who has to be considered is Dane Saintus. He was pretty much a bit player last year, getting spot duty here and there but not one of the main core guys - now he's a huge part of the offense. He's stronger than he looks, fast as hell, a very good shooter and much better passer/creator than I thought.

Nonetheless, Mirsky gets my vote, too.

I do not know if Jeff is the most improved player but in my opinion he is one of our most valuable players. In crunch time, I want to see Jeff on the field. He is extremely creative and he can make goods things happen. The team plays at a higher level when he is on the field. I am glad he is only a junior.

Harwell is awesome. The possession balance changes completely when he's in the game. He looks small enough that he might get killed out there, but the dude is tough as nails, and he seems like the classic example of the guy who "makes everyone around him better."

BEAT MEMPHIS!