The No. 8 SMU Mustangs defeated the eighth-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Championship on Nov. 7 in Dallas.
The two teams met earlier in the season in Ohio, resulting in the then No. 21 Mustangs winning a 1-0 double overtime thriller. This time, no extra time was needed.
The first half was a battle. Cincinnati accumulated eight fouls and a yellow card, continuing a trend of physicality that opponents have taken against the Mustangs in recent games.
SMU used its speed to stay on the attack for the majority of the half. The Mustangs dominated possession and had eleven shots to the Bearcats five. Many SMU chances sailed just wide of the net, including two by senior forward Idi Camara in the last three minutes.
Despite being outshot and out-possessed, Cincinnati managed to take a 1-0 lead into the half. The Bearcats goal came courtesy of senior midfielder Terence Carter. His header sailed into the upper right corner of the net from the middle of the box, coming off of a cross from junior midfielder Nick Melville in the 22nd minute. Senior forward John Manga was involved in most of the Bearcats attacks and played well.
Both goalkeepers, SMU’s Michael Nelson and Cincinnati’s Pedro Diaz, made two saves in the half.
The second half brought much of the same, though the Mustangs matched the Bearcats physicality. SMU continued to dominate possession and the scoring chances, outshooting Cincinnati nine to three.
Redshirt junior Brenden Lee netted the equalizer for SMU in the 58th minute. Sophomore Jared Rice passed to Camara in the box who then found Lee streaking into the middle for his fifth goal of the season.
There were few chances to be had with the score knotted up 1-1. However, in the 89th minute with just 20 seconds remaining in the game, the Mustangs got their fourth corner kick of the half. Rice crossed the ball to Camara who headed it towards the net. The shot was deflected but freshman midfielder Christian Boorom headed it past Diaz to give SMU the 2-1 victory.
With the win, the Mustangs advance to the semifinals on Nov. 13 in Tampa, Florida. They will play Tulsa, who defeated UCF on penalty kicks earlier in the day. SMU defeated the Golden Hurricane twice during the regular season, though both wins were by only one goal.
When you score the match-winning goal with 25 seconds left. @SMUSoccerM wins 2-1 to advance to semifinals! #PonyUp pic.twitter.com/KomAhGKdwP
— SMU Athletics (@SMUMustangs) November 8, 2015
