DALLAS, Texas. – In its toughest contest of the season thus far, the UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's soccer team played to a 0-0 draw against Southern Methodist University (SMU) in its second-straight game away from home this season. This was the Spartans' second-straight contest away from its home this season.
UNCG is ranked No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches South Region and No. 23 in the nation, while SMU is sitting at No. 5 in the East Region and receiving votes in the national poll.
This was the second time the two teams have met all time, as SMU holds an advantage of 1-0-1.
From Head Coach Chris Rich
"I really liked our commitment to defending tonight. Tonight was not easy at all as SMU is a very good team and caused us many problems. We were fortunate to go into halftime 0-0. We made a few adjustments and were much better in the second half.
We are never happy to draw games, but this was a positive result on the road."
By the Numbers:
- SMU outshot UNC 18-7 and had six corner kicks to the Spartans four.
- Junior goalkeeper Niclas Wild made a career-high eight saves in the match.
- Marco Afonso had three shots in the game, as the Spartans totaled seven as a team.
- This was the second shutout of the season for UNCG.
How it Happened:
As the Spartans settled into play during the first half, the Mustangs outshot the Spartans 10-1. Wild stopped four shots on goal in the first half, including two huge strikes by SMU in the 29th and 32nd minutes.
The Mustangs kept the Spartans busy with five of their six corner kicks in the first half. UNCG's defense was outstanding, clearing each one from the box.
UNCG's offense reacted in the second half and had six shots to SMU's eight. Wild made another four saves to keep his second shutout of the season.
Ismail El Harchi made one shot on goal for the Spartans in the 48th minute for the Mustangs' Cole Johnson's only save of the game.
What this trip meant to UNCG Soccer, from coach Rich
"This trip to Dallas was great for us. We want to play the best teams in the country, and I believe SMU is one of them. This was also a special night as we had five of our alumni attend the game. We love our UNCG soccer family and are so appreciative of the support."
Records:
- UNCG: 4-0-2, 0-0-0 SoCon
- SMU: 4-1-1, 0-0-0 AAC
Up Next
UNCG returns home for a single game against Winthrop on Saturday, September 17 at 7:00 p.m. at UNCG Soccer Stadium. The Spartans will then hit the road for two games.
