SMUSOCCERFAN wrote:ya, i agree with yall that it wasnt pretty but that was down to the way Tulsa play. They know our team backwards and forwards and they always play us tough. They were playing a 3-4-3 with their forwards pushing on our outside backs which made it difficult for the team to get the ball down and play.
It was a tough win, but they cant always play pretty.
One of the things SMU does so well is build out of the back end, with defenders carrying the ball forward before distributing. Coach Hyndman said after the game that Tulsa clearly had seen the tape of the Ponies win over Kentucky (he said SMU and Tulsa have seen each other -- either in person or on tape -- six times this year), and decided they were going to thwart that part of the SMU attack.
And yes, Blog, I think your scoring numbers are right -- scoring on this team is damn-near impossible. GK Matt Wideman gets a lot of credit, and deservedly so, but he also has a sensational defense in front of him. The back four of Mynor Gonzalez, Jay Needham, Ryan Mirsky and Daniel Lopez is fast, strong, technically superior and very poised. In front of him, Ben Shuleva is listed as a midfielder, but he's almost a fifth defender -- he stays back and patrols from sideline to sideline, while outside midfielders like Chase Wileman and Jeff Harwell have been terrific getting back. On some set pieces and corner kicks, the forwards even come all the way back -- Adrian Chevannes arrived at SMU in 2004 as a defender, and he frequently comes all the way back. When Coach Hyndman says defending is a team effort, , he really means it with this bunch. They're amazing to watch.
Come out next Wednesday (10/18) and watch them play South Carolina -- C-USA game, and a very dangerous opponent.