SMU soccer wins seventh in a row, now #1 in nation

by PegNews wire

SMU 1, Memphis 0

Junior midfielder Bruno Guarda scored his seventh goal of the season, and senior goalkeeper Steve Sandbo collected his fourth shutout of the season to lift the SMU men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Conference USA foe Memphis.

The victory was the seventh in a row for the Mustangs, who are ranked No. 2 in the newest Soccer America magazine poll. With the win, the Ponies improve to 11-2-2 this season and retain the top spot in Conference USA with a 6-0-1 record against conference opponents. Memphis slips to 8-3-4 overall and 2-1-3 in C-USA games.

Guarda scored the game's only goal in the 35th minute when junior forward Richard Oliva lifted a long crossing pass to Guarda, who headed the ball past Memphis goalkeeper Tyler Strom. Guarda now has a team-leading 20 points this season, and his goal ties him with Oliva for the team lead.

Despite the close score, the Mustangs dominated much of the game, outshooting Memphis, 9-5, and maintaining a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal, as well as a 9-5 edge in corner kicks.

The Mustangs now head to Lexington, Ky., next Saturday to face the Kentucky Wildcats before returning home to close out the regular season with home games Nov. 7 against Bradley and Nov. 9 against Central Arkansas.

Mustangs jump to #1 in Soccer America magazine poll

The SMU men's soccer team, riding a seven-game winning streak, has jumped over Wake Forest to claim the No. 1 spot in this week's Soccer America magazine poll.

The Mustangs picked up a tough road win Wednesday at South Carolina and a home win Saturday over Memphis to improve to 11-2-2 this year, while Wake Forest had a five-game winning streak snapped with a 1-0 loss to Boston College.

SMU also sits atop the Conference USA standings with a 6-0-1 mark against conference foes, and not surprisingly remains a dominant presence among the Conference USA statistical leaders:

• Bruno Guarda leads the conference with 20 points. He's tied (with junior forward Richard Oliva, among others) for third in the conference with seven goals and tied (with sophomore forward Dane Saintus, among others) for second in the conference with six assists. Guarda also is tied for second in the conference with an average of 1.33 points per game. After scoring the game-winning goal in both SMU victories this week, Guarda sits alone at the top of Conference USA with four game-winning goals.

• Senior goalkeeper Steve Sandbo - Conference USA's Defensive Player of the Week in each of the last two weeks - has jumped to the top of the conference among goalkeepers with a goals-against average of 0.95 goals per game. He also is tied for the conference lead with four shutouts this season.

• Oliva also is tied for fourth in points with 15.

• Junior midfielder Jeff Harwell is tied for ninth in the conference with four assists.

As a team, the Mustangs also are dominating the conference statistics. SMU is:

• First in points with 92

• First in goals scored with 33

• Tied for first in assists with 26

• First in goals-against average with 0.88

• Tied for first in shutouts with 5

Bruno Guarda named National Player of the Week

SMU midfielder Bruno Guarda has been named National Player of the Week by collegesoccernews.com.

The junior from Piracicaba, Brazil, scored the game-winning goals in each of SMU's victories last week, a 2-1 win at South Carolina Wednesday night and a 1-0 win over Memphis Saturday night at Westcott Field.

Against the Gamecocks, Guarda converted a centering pass from junior defender Daniel Lopez and flicked a shot past SC goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer with the outside of his foot to score the game-winning goal in the 81st minute. Against Memphis, Guarda scored the game's only goal in the 35th minute off a long assist from junior forward Richard Oliva.

Guarda's goal against the Tigers gives him seven this season, tying him (with Oliva) for the team lead. He also has six assists this season (tying him with sophomore forward Dane Saintus for the team lead), for a team-high 20 points. In his career, he has 45 points on 28 goals and 17 assists.

Mustangs sweep weekly conference awards

Junior midfielder Bruno Guarda and senior goalkeeper Steve Sandbo have swept this week's Conference USA Player of the Week awards after leading the SMU men's soccer team to a pair of tough wins over C-USA rivals.

A junior midfielder from Piracicaba, Brazil, Guarda scored the game-winning goal in each of SMU's victories this week: a 2-1 win Wednesday night at South Carolina and a 1-0 home win over Memphis Saturday night. The 11-2-2 Mustangs have won seven straight games, and are unbeaten in their last 10 games. Guarda leads the Mustangs with 20 points this year on seven goals and six assists - each of which ties him for the team lead in those categories. The 2006 All-America honoree and preseason Conference USA Offensive Player of the year also was named this week's National Player of the Week by collegesoccernews.com.

This is Guarda's second C-USA Offensive Player of the Week award. He earned the award earlier this year after leading SMU to victories over Virginia and Georgetown in the SMU/Mi Cocina Classic.

Sandbo's Defensive Player of the Week honor is his second of the year, and his second in as many weeks. The senior from Columbus, Ohio, picked up two more wins in SMU's victories over South Carolina and Memphis. Sandbo allowed just one goal - a penalty kick in the rain-soaked win at South Carolina. His shutout Saturday night over the Tigers was his fourth of the season and seventh of his career.

Source: SMU