No. 16 Men's Soccer Hosts Campbell Friday Night

[PonyPride]

No. 16 Mustangs Host Campbell In Season Opener On Friday
Kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. at Westcott Field

Aug. 22, 2012

SMU OPENS 2012 SEASON AT HOME
No. 16 SMU hosts Campbell to kick off the 2012 season. The Mustangs are 29-5-3 in season openers all-time and have outscored their opponents 111-37 in those contests. The Ponies boast an 18-1-2 all-time mark when starting the season on the Hilltop.

SMU vs. CAMPBELL
This is the first meeting between the two schools. The Camels posted a 9-9 record in 2011 and a 5-4 mark in the Big South. Former Mustang standout and current MLS player Josue Soto played two seasons at Campbell before transferring to SMU in 2009.

MUSTANGS NO. 16 IN NSCAA POLL
The Mustangs are No. 16 in the pre-season NSCAA National Rankings. SMU was ranked 19th in the nation in the 2011 NSCAA Final Rankings.

MR. JUAN-DERFUL
Junior Juan Castillo was named to the Preseason All-Conference USA team. Castillo played in 17 games for the Mustangs last season and was second on the team in points (13), goals (5) and game-winning goals (3). He was tabbed Second Team All-C-USA and was named to the NSCAA Midwest Region Second Team in 2011.

WHOA NELLIE!
Senior T.J. Nelson is captain of the 2012 Mustangs. Over three seasons, Nelson has played in 52 games, scoring two goals and adding five assists. He has helped the Mustangs to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2010, as well as the 2011 C-USA Championship and the 2010 C-USA regular season title. Last year, the midfielder was named Second Team All-C-USA and to the NSCAA Midwest Region Second Team. Nelson served as co-captain with Adam Still last season.

2011 IN REVIEW
SMU earned its first Conference USA Championship since 2006. The Mustangs entered the tournament as the fifth seed, but rolled through Marshall, top-seeded South Carolina and No. 17 UAB. Arthur Ivo and Diogo de Almeida were named Offensive and Defensive MVP, respectively. Goalkeeper Jaime Ibarra and Nelson were also named to the All-Tournament team.

The Mustangs posted a 13-7-1 record on the season and were the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. SMU fell to 2009 champion Akron, 3-2, in the second round at Westcott Field.

Castillo and Nelson were selected Second-Team All-Conference. Defender Aaron Simmons was named to the All-Freshman team.

NKOTB
Freshman center back Michael King comes to SMU ranked as the No. 23 player in the nation by College Soccer News, No. 24 and a four-star recruit by TopDrawerSoccer, and the No. 37 prospect by ESPN Rise. King was a member of the U-17 national team and was one of the final 24 players in selection for the U-17 World Cup. He played club soccer for Texas SC Houston.

Sophomore Andrew Morales begins his Mustang career after spending the 2011 season at Duke. Morales started all 22 games at midfield for the Blue Devils where he was named to All-ACC Freshman Team. He ranked third among field players in minutes played, and finished the season with one goal and four assists for six points.

Freshman midfielder Derek Schrick was named the 2012 Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year, is ranked as the No. 66 player nationally by ESPN Rise and is a TopDrawerSoccer four-star recruit. Schrick was tabbed a 2011 NSCAA High School All-American, the 2011 Missouri State Player of the Year, the 2011 Kansas City Metro Player of the Year and was a 2011 First-Team ESPN Rise Missouri All-State honoree. He played club soccer for the Sporting Kansas City Juniors.

Freshman forward Leobardo Vazquez arrives on the Hilltop as the No. 62 recruit by College Soccer News, is the No. 64 player and a four-star recruit by TopDrawerSoccer, and is the No. 74 prospect by ESPN Rise. He played club soccer for Texas SC Houston.

NEXT GAME
SMU heads to Tulsa, Okla., to compete in the Hurricane Classic over Labor Day weekend. The Mustangs face No. 5 USF on Aug. 31. The Bulls advanced to the Elite Eight last season after posting a 13-4-4 mark and going undefeated in BIG EAST regular season play. On Sept. 2, SMU takes on No. 6 New Mexico. The Lobos were undefeated in 2011 with an 18-0-4 record, spent several weeks as the top-ranked team in the country and fell to USF in the Sweet 16 on penalty kicks.

TICKETS
Season tickets are on sale now for $27. Individual game tickets are $6 for adults, and $3 for children 12 and under. Special group ticket prices are available. Tickets can be purchased online at SMUMustangs.com or by calling 214-SMU-GAME.