PonyFans.com

There is only one regular season common opponent. Loyola-Marymount. SMU tied them 1-1, UCLA slaughtered them 4-0. I think our defense is definitely going to be tested in this game, but if we can weather the early going, we might very well be able to push through some counter-attacks and pull an upset.

This is a game that makes me worry for a number of reasons. I still remember to well watching the Ponies fall to the bruins a couple of times back in the late 80's. Every time, SMU would travel out to LA. I would show up to watch us lose. ucla has revamped the field, but it is still not so great, and gives ucla a big home advantage. Also, every time it seemed the referees would call the game to ucla. Major homer activities. And every time I thought SMU had a better club than ucla.

I wish the boys the best. Sorry I don't live in LA anymore to be there to root them on.

Go Ponies!

One of those games you saw was a major reason for an NCAA rules change. It used to be that a player receiving five yellow cards had to sit out a game. That's still the case, but the count starts over at the beginning of the NCAA tournament. SMU played that game without midfielder Giampaulo Pedroso because of a yellow card (and a ridiculous yellow card, at that) that he'd received in the previous game. Had the count started over in the playoffs, he would have played, and we would have had a very good chance to win. As it was, our season ended that day.

Good luck, Ponies -- stampede those little cubs!

UCLA is a fifth seed and a very good team with loads of top talent. Win or lose this will be a watermark game for SMU as to whether this young team has really improved since being blown out by several highly ranked teams at the beginning of the season. I predict a close match if our defense and keeper play well. To win, we need to stick the ball in the back of the net when the opportunity is there. The ability to score on a consistent basis has been a continuing weakness.

That's true, but the emergence of Paulo da Silva has been a huge boost to the offense, and has made Duke Hashimoto much more effective, because he's not getting the snot beaten out of him by defenses that formerly focused solely on him.

With that said, this will be a hell of a challenge. UCLA is very talented, very athletic, very fast and very deep. We need an extraordinary performance to pull the upset.

Anyone know if Wideman will stay in goal, or if Sandbo is going to go back in?

Wideman is in goal tonight.

10 minutes in, no score. Each team has one shot.

GOOOOOOOOOOAL

Kellan Zindel, assisted by Paulo da Silva ( 13:08 ).

SMU 1, UCLA 0

Is there anyway to get sound????

There is a radio link on the All Access page, but you have to have the UCLA subscription.

And how might one get a UCLA subscription?

Nervermind, getting hit up for the $6.95

SMU 1, UCLA 0 at the half.

Who does the winner play?

Most of UCLA's games they have won 1-0. That is a good thing SMU scored first.

Yes, when we score first it is good