VIDEO: Zarnick, Hudson after men's soccer draws FIU, 1-1

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VIDEO: SMU defender Owen Zarnick and head coach Kevin Hudson met the media after Zarnick's goal — his second in as many games — lifted the Mustangs to a 1-1 draw against Florida International.





From SMUMustangs.com:

No. 16 SMU Ties Against FIU On Wednesday Night

DALLAS (SMU) — No. 16 SMU drew 1-1 against FIU in their midweek non-conference match, Wednesday.

FIU took the first lead from the penalty spot in the eighth minute and the Mustangs responded at the end of the first half with Owen Zarnick's goal.

Brock Pope and Bailey Sparks assisted Zarnick's goal. The assist was Pope's first for the Mustangs and Sparks' fourth of the season.

SMU dominated the match by outshooting the Panthers 20 to 11. Defensively, the Mustangs limited the visitors to only four shots on goal with Martin Dominguez recording three saves.

The Mustangs remain undefeated in non-conference play with a 3-0-3 record. They have an overall record of 5-1-3 after nine matches this season.

How It Happened
While both teams were still getting into the flow of the match, FIU earned a penalty kick in the eighth minute. The visitors took the early as Bernardo Dos Santos converted the penalty kick.

The momentum switched in favor of the Mustangs as the match progressed, but despite drawing multiple fouls in the final third and earning corners, SMU remained trailing until the final minutes of the first half.

In the 41st minute, SMU drew a foul at the edge of the penalty box. Sparks swung a cross from the free kick spot, and Pope headed the ball to bring it down to Zarnick.

Zarnick shot the ball with a strong one-timer for his second career goal. The California native has scored a goal in two consecutive matches.

The first half ended with a level scoreline.

The momentum stayed on the Mustangs' side at the start of the second half. SMU kept the ball FIU's half, earning 10 corner kicks in the first 20 minutes of the second half.

SMU saw multiple chances, forcing 16 total corner kicks through the second half, but the score remained 1-1 at full-time.

Other Notes
SMU recorded 17 corners. It is the first time they have forced more than 15 corners in a single match since their match at ECU in 2012.

Zarnick scored a goal in two consecutive matches. Both goals are from a set piece.

The Mustangs matched their season-high of 20 shots in a single match. They made 20 shots in their season-opener 1-0 win over Air Force.

Sparks has made a goal contribution in eight out of all nine matches this season.

This is the first draw between SMU and FIU. SMU leads the series 18-3-1 and 7-2-1 at home.

Up Next
The Mustangs will host UTRGV for their seventh non-conference match of the season, Sunday.