SMU 1 Indiana 0

[mustangbill67]

SMU beat Indiana 1-0 on a warm, humid night in a very entertaining game. A very good crowd with lots of students. While we seemed to be the better team both in terms of skill and speed, Indiana, substituting in waves, appeared to wear us down towards the end of the game. Senior goalkeeper, Matt Wideman was the man of the match as he made at least 4 great saves to preserve the victory. Our defense was stellar even without Mynor Gonzales who sat out due to a red card last week. Stephen Grant started at left back in Gonzales’s absence and was solid as was Danny Lopez, Jay Needham and Ryan Mirsky. Schellas played a 4-4-2 and rotated Scott Geppert, Adrian Chevannes and Paulo da Silva at the two central striker positions. Chevannes is a presence at striker and even played as one of the two central defenders during the last 15 minutes. A real stud who will only get better as the season progresses and he gets to know the team better. He has really added another dimension to this team with his return after setting out last year. Another impressive player is Jeff Harwell, who returns after leaving the team at the end of the regular season last year. He has to earn his playing time at right mid field but he brings tremendous skill and savvy to the position. Senior Dario Saintus got our lone goal midway through the second half. Ben Shuleva who was playing a defensive midfield position played the entire game and controlled the midfield. He had a hard low shot hit the inside of the left post in the first half that was very close to going in. Bruno Guarda as an attacking midfielder also played very well. Everyone needs to get out and see this team. It has tremendous potential and is very entertaining to watch.

[PonyPride]

SMU beat Indiana 1-0 on a warm, humid night in a very entertaining game. A very good crowd with lots of students.

Very entertaining, indeed. Indiana, in my opinion, is underranked at No. 10 (IU beat defending national champion Maryland in the preseason), and plays a very attractive brand of soccer. Terrific win by the Ponies, in front of more than 2,200.

While we seemed to be the better team both in terms of skill and speed, Indiana, substituting in waves, appeared to wear us down towards the end of the game. Senior goalkeeper, Matt Wideman was the man of the match as he made at least 4 great saves to preserve the victory.

Seriously, this guy is playing out of his mind. In all three "home" games (including the two last weekend at UT-D), he has made at least one absolutely remarkable save. Last night, he drifted across the goal when IU took a corner kick, but when the cross was interrupted by a Brad Ring header, Wideman -- who already had left the ground -- twisted back in mid-air and tipped an excellent shot over the crossbar. Then, in the 88th minute, he preserved the win when he dove across the goalmouth to deflect a very hard shot by Nick (I think) Tudella, a shot that looked like it was headed inside the far post. Brilliant saves, both of them. I talked to Jay Needham after the game, and he said it's gotten to the point where the Ponies expect a save like that from Wideman every time out. Needham talked about how Wideman sets his feet exceptionally quickly, and is an explosive jumper, so even though he's "too short" he covers a lot of ground very quickly. Wideman also is a very smart player who never sacrifices his fundamentals in an effort to make the spectacular play, and he also seems to always be positioned perfectly. Nobody is suggesting the shutout streak will last forever, but this guy is amazing.

Our defense was stellar even without Mynor Gonzales who sat out due to a red card last week. Stephen Grant started at left back in Gonzales’s absence and was solid as was Danny Lopez, Jay Needham and Ryan Mirsky.

Grant was extremely impressive. He sure didn't look like a freshman making his first collegiate start. The guy is fast, tough and aggressive, and doesn't appear to be fazed by much. This guy is going to be a fixture in the back for years. Mirsky, I thought, played much better last night than he did last weekend. Part of his value, of course, is that he's a big guy, and he was exceptional in the air last night, not only winning 50-50 head balls, but directing his headers to someone, rather than merely knocking the ball away. Lopez and Needham showed up, meaning they were exceptional. As always.

Schellas played a 4-4-2 and rotated Scott Geppert, Adrian Chevannes and Paulo da Silva at the two central striker positions. Chevannes is a presence at striker and even played as one of the two central defenders during the last 15 minutes. A real stud who will only get better as the season progresses and he gets to know the team better. He has really added another dimension to this team with his return after setting out last year.

That was huge when Chevannes played in the back toward the end of the game. He went in because Grant had to come off with what looked like cramps, and he did a very solid job. Remember, he was a defender when he transferred to SMU two years ago (from Clemson), so it's not like he was in foreign territory back there. But you're right that he adds another dimension. If the Ponies get a lead on a team with big, fast forwards (like, say, Brown tonight), it wouldn't be surprising to see Coach Hyndman shift Chevannes to the back to add speed and strength in the back, leaving the more-than-capable Geppert and da Silva up front. Chevannes looks like he's one of those guys who allows Coach Hyndman a lot of options and flexibility.

Another impressive player is Jeff Harwell, who returns after leaving the team at the end of the regular season last year. He has to earn his playing time at right mid field but he brings tremendous skill and savvy to the position.

Harwell looks like a new player this year. Last year, he showed very good skill, but then once in a while he'd have a "freshman moment" with a missed assignment or a costly penalty. Last night, he went in when things got a little chippy out there, and quite honestly, I feared another immature foul. Harwell obviously is a much more mature player (including physically), and should be a vital cog for the Ponies as the season progresses.

Senior Dario Saintus got our lone goal midway through the second half. Ben Shuleva who was playing a defensive midfield position played the entire game and controlled the midfield. He had a hard low shot hit the inside of the left post in the first half that was very close to going in.

I'm becoming a serious Shuleva fan in a hurry. He reminds me a little of former SMU star Bryan Thompson, in terms of how calmly he collects the ball, navigates traffic and distributes quickly and accurately. But he also reminds a little of .... Damon Hughes? Cody Schroeder? Very strong guy who seems to have a serious nasty streak. He's not a dirty player, but get in his way and you'd damn-well better keep an eye out for him. He will take the ball from you, and if part of your leg comes with it, it doesn't appear that he'd mind one bit.

Bruno Guarda as an attacking midfielder also played very well. Everyone needs to get out and see this team. It has tremendous potential and is very entertaining to watch.

Couldn't agree with you more. There's something about this team that just seems kind of special. The last time the Ponies won the first four games of the season, they went 21-1 and spent much of the season as the No. 1 team in the country. I'm not saying this is the best team in the country, but it's hard to imagine any team being much better. The Ponies are loaded and have a chance to do something great this season -- come out to Westcott and support these guys.

[smu diamond m]

Wideman is a great name for goalkeeper.

[PonyPride]

Ha - true.

So was "Kevin Blokker."

[Water Pony]

How did the new field look and behave? Also, what are the plans to enhance Westcott, e.g. stands, fencing, amenities, etc.?