Men's Soccer Weekend Recap

[saprissa13]

Overall this weekend was full of positives for the program. I was really impressed with Ben Shuleva as a solid ballwinner in the middle, as well as Leone and Stephen Grant in the back!!! Those two especially played at an extremely high level which is surprising for their first few college games. How about Chevannes up top? Seems like Schellas' crazy experiment worked. A little disappointed with Mynor's red card in the Cal game, we should expect more from such an experienced player. I wonder what exactly was said between the refs and coaches after the card as well....looked pretty crazy!!

[jkflamebo]

i believe ur thoughts are totally on point. cincinatti was a complete joke compared to what cal brought to the field. all in all tho very impressive weekend for the mustangs. i believe tho chevannes and paulo will be the best duo up top, the new kid geppert needs to take the backseat and wait another couple years to develop into an adequate producer up top. look forward to the indiana showdown at westcott!

[PonyPride]

Cincinnati is probably about as good as Cal, but Cal played very emotionally (their coach, Kevin Grimes, was an all-America at SMU and an assistant for Coach Hyndman for years). Grimer had his guys playing on a very high emotional wave, and it nearly carried them through. They should be commended.

From where I sat, I don't blame Gonzalez for the red card, nor do I blame the other guy (from Cal) who got tossed. Their arms were tangled up, and I'm not sure either guy intended to drill the other. The Cal guy hit Gonzalez first, and Gonzalez got his arm up, but it didn't look like an intentional swing for the purpose of creating injury. Gonzalez said after the game that he was OK, but he'll sit Friday against Indiana -- the Hoosiers are very good, and SMU needs a LOT of fans out at Westcott Field for the 7:30 game. Be there early, be LOUD and see a great team in the making.

I agree with a lot of what saprissa13 said. Adrian Chevannes is back after a one-year hiatus, and what a different player, and not just because he looks like Bob Marley in cleats now. Two years ago, he was a defending central midfielder with a bad mini-'fro .... now he's got the dreads, he's playing up front and destroying folks. He's fast as hell and strong as a bull. Had two goals this weekend, and could have had four.

I also agree that Ben Shuleva was a great pick-up (he transferred from St. John's). VERY physical, very smart, collects the ball quickly and gets rid of it. Brings a very tough, physical edge to the team's personna. The other transfer in the starting lineup -- Scott Geppert -- reminds me a lot of former SMU striker Andy Strouse -- faster than he looks, and very quick acceleration. He and da Silva and Chevannes are going to make some defenses look silly.

Matt Wideman was absolutely out of his mind this weekend, especially Saturday against Cal. For all the good performances by many Ponies, Wideman was (in my opinion) the man who won the game for the Ponies. He had several brilliant saves, including when he dove backward to tip a shot over the crossbar, and at least two point-blank saves when he snuffed guys coming in one-on-one.

Leone Cruz and Steven Grant do not play like freshmen.

Bruno Guarda and Paulo da Silva were better Friday than Saturday, but we all saw last year how good those two can be. Two guys looked visibly better this weekend than at any time last weekend. Chase Wileman played a major role last year, but clearly he's a more significant player this year. He seems a little faster and he kept his composure when he got absolutely whacked all night by Cal defenders. Great speed, toughness, and he's always been extremely smart. He'll be a very valuable senior this year.

[SMUSOCCERFAN]

I completely agree with you pony pride, and i know this team will continue to improve as the seasons goes on.

Everyone needs to keep in mind that these boys played back to back Friday and Saturday and that is extremely difficult especially with the nature of college soccer.

Ben Shuleva is a huge asset to this team. I dont think SMU has ever had a player like him that will crush anything that walks and do the dirty work so the team will succeed.
Adrian Chevannes-simple, he is a man with a point to prve.
Chase Wileman-I have never seen someone get kicked so much in my life.Definitely not the biggest or fastest but man he is technically amazing and his vision for the game is outstanding.My favorite player.
Bruno and Paulo-these guys will continue to improve and become the focal point of the team for years to come.
No one has talked about the defense yet, 0 goals allowed and some very good performances against some supposed big named forwards.

I hope this team continues to win and show why they are the best "soccer" playing team in America.Great technique and a joy to watch.

[PonyPride]

I've only seen a couple of games, so I'm still getting used to the new guys. As far as I can tell, Ben Shuleva looks like he's what Israel Jones was supposed to be for the Ponies -- the smart, distributing central defender who, like SMUSOCCERFAN said, will cripple a guy who gets in his way. The talk on the bench was pretty entertaining when Shuleva had a guy in his sights.

I don't know who would sit, but I wonder how long they can keep bringing Chevannes off the bench. Didn't see the two road games last weekend, but neither Cincinnati nor Cal who could do anything to handle him.

Good point about Wileman -- I'm betting the guy should have bought stock in icebags after Saturday's game. He's not that huge, so collisions certainly look violent. But he was getting the crap knocked out of him all night, and he kept getting up and coming back for more.

And you're dead-on about the defense. Jay Needham is on the Hermann Trophy Watch list, and there's something different about him this year that I can't pinpoint just yet -- something about the way he carries himself on the field. Daniel Lopez is fun to watch, because he's young, not that big, doesn't look that fast, but he's just a smart, tough player. Ryan Mirsky is the big guy in the back, which is vital in any defense, and he's going to benefit immensely from playing next to Needham for another year. Needham is one of those smart players who is in the right position, makes smart decisions, doesn't make the fancy play when the simple pass is available, etc. Hopefully that will wear off on Mirsky, who shows great promise but just needs a little more experience. Now I've decided that one of my favorite players to watch is Mynor Gonzalez. The man is a con artist. He never looks like he's running hard, but nobody pulls away from him. Hell, he looks like he's half-asleep, but he makes plays and will crack a guy if needed. Normally, at Westcott Field, I sit at the top of the stands. At the UT-D games this weekend, I sat between the benches. Had a great view of the little incident that led to Gonzalez and Holtrust (Cal) getting tossed out, and the coaches getting their yellow cards. What struck me was that Gonzalez doesn't even look like he sweats during the game. If he's not ejected, he never comes off the field, and I swear, the guy doesn't even break a sweat or breathe hard. You'll never see him look tired, and when the game is 80 minutes old, you can bet that he's outrunning most guys. Very smart player, very technically sound and a hell of a lot tougher than he appears to be. He'll never get the attention he deserves because he looks like he just woke up from a nap, but he is a stud who is a great asset for the team.

One other player who caught my attention this weekend: Jeff Harwell. Last year, he played cocky. Very good skill, but he knew he was good, and sometimes played like it. There's a difference between being confident and cocky, and last year he played cocky. Not sure what happened last year with him quitting, but he's back and looks much better. He looks like he's in MUCH better physical condition, and he seems able to use his skill without making some of the mistakes he made last year. There's no question he has talent, and knowing Coach Hyndman as I do, Harwell -- lilke every player on the team -- will have to earn every minute of playing time he gets. But if he develops like I think he can, and like some who know a lot more than me have said he can, he and Shuleva might give the Ponies a physical, nasty edge that will be a fantastic complement to the technical skill and speed of Guarda and Wileman in the midfield.

Couldn't agree with you more about the sheer aesthetics of the style the Ponies play, SMUSOCCERFAN. I read some website (can't remember which) before the tournament that said Cincinnati "should give SMU a game." No contest -- SMU could have won 16-0 if they wanted. Wideman was sensational between the pipes, but that was due in part, of course, to the fact that the defense played so well in front of him.

[Corso]

Geppert reminds you of Andy Strouse?
High praise, indeed.

[mustangbill67]

Unfortunately I have been gone the past 10 days and missed all the action. Will be at the Indiana game for sure. Sounds like the return of Harwell and Chavannes is a big plus but that is no real surprise. The two tranfers also make this a much stronger team. As to Lopez, don't forget he was probably the best player coming out of North Texas in 2005 and he is playing out of position at right back. I would not be surprised to see him move back to the mid field at some point in his SMU career. Everytime I have seen him play, he has been very creative and has great vision even though playing at defensive back.

[EastStang]

St. John's has historically been a physical tough program (as they proved against us several years ago). I'm glad to hear that we now have some toughness in the middle. That will serve us well as the season goes on.

[Pony Up]

Yes, I remember the St. John's game (2002?)

Just read on the school's site that Chevannes was tournament MVP -- even though he came off the bench in both games.

I'm coming up for the weekend. I'm eager to see the guys whip the Hoosiers Friday, and then up to Denton Saturday.

Go MUSTANGS!

[giacfsp]

Based on what I saw this weekend, Coach Bennett and Coach Gush might want Shuleva on their defense. This guy is rough on opponents!

Still haven't given up a goal -- keep it up this weekend, guys!

GO MUSTANGS!