The 10-seed Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7-3-6, 2-3-3 ACC) open ACC tournament play this evening in Dallas, taking on the 7-seed SMU Mustangs (7-4-4, 3-2-3 ACC). For the Deacs, this game will have to be the first in a series of victories for the sake of their NCAA tournament hopes, as they currently sit 44th in the RPI rankings, a major metric for the selection committee, which likely puts them on the wrong side of the bubble for the 48-team field. They did themselves a world of good in their most
recent game, though, routing a Notre Dame side that is also on the bubble by a 3-0 score at Spry last Friday. Of course, the Deacs will also be looking at this game as the first step in their quest to defend their ACC Championship, a title they won last year with some heroics on the road along the way. As for the Mustangs, they are likely on the right side of the bubble currently, sitting 32nd in the RPI rankings, but a loss in this game could be trouble for their tournament hopes as well. SMU most recently dropped a 1-0 loss to ACC Regular Season Champion #4 Virginia in Dallas last Friday. To put it plainly, a loss could be a death sentence for either side, so this match should be a tense and emotional affair.
Opponent History
The SMU program began play in 1975, and, immediately, they were a competitive side. They were led by Jimmy Benedek from 1975-1983, posting a 119-31-15 record during his tenure, including 1 Texas Collegiate League regular season title, 5 straight SW Conference Soccer League titles, and 3 NCAA Tournament appearances. Benedek was replaced by Schellas Hyndman, who became the program’s icon. Hyndman would lead the Mustangs from 1984-2007, posting an incredible 368-98-38 record in charge. The Mustangs would miss the tournament in only 1 of his 24 seasons at the helm, also winning a total of 9 regular season conference titles (3 WAC, 4 MVC, 2 CUSA) and 6 conference postseason championships (2 WAC, 3 MVC, 1 CUSA). SMU also found new levels of success in the national tournament, making 11 NCAA quarterfinals under Hyndman and twice making the College Cup. For all of Hyndman’s success, though, a national title would elude him. Their 2000 College Cup campaign ended at the hands of eventual champions UConn in a 2-0 semifinal loss, and they would fall short at the same hurdle in 2005, losing by a 4-1 score to that year’s champion, Maryland.
Hyndman would leave the SMU program after the 2007 season to take the head coaching position at FC Dallas in MLS, and the Mustangs would appoint Tim McClements in his place. McClements had briefly served as an assistant under Hyndman at SMU from 2000-2001, and he returned to Dallas after leading the Vanderbilt men’s soccer program from 2002-2005, when the program folded. His tenure was not nearly as successful as the two coaches that preceded him, as he posted a 68-46-16 record at the helm from 2008-2014. There were some bright spots, including an NCAA quarterfinal run in 2010, CUSA regular season titles in 2010 and 2012 as well as a CUSA tournament title in 2011, but his tenure was defined by some program lows, particularly the 2009 (6-8-2) and 2013 (3-12-2) seasons, which were the first two losing seasons in program history. After only 3 NCAA tournament appearances in his 7 seasons at the helm, SMU allowed McClements’s contract to expire at the end of the 2014 season and appointed their current head coach, Kevin Hudson. Hudson was both a player and an assistant coach under Schellas Hyndman at SMU, and he also served as an assistant under McClements for his entire tenure. Hudson has brought the Mustangs back to national relevance, having posted a 122-48-27 record in a tenure that has included 4 AAC regular season titles, 3 AAC tournament titles, 7 NCAA Tournament appearances, and 2 trips to the NCAA quarterfinals, one in 2019 and the other last season. Hudson also led the Mustangs to a 4th place finish in their first ACC season last year, a season in which SMU and the Deacs met for the 1st and 2nd time. The Mustangs took the first meeting by a 3-0 score at home, but the Deacs earned a memorable result in the postseason shortly after, overturning a 2-0 deficit in the final 15 minutes of the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, ultimately escaping Dallas with a 5-4 victory in a penalty kick shootout.
Tactics and Breakdown
The Mustangs set up in a 3-4-3 formation that offers them a lot of width and a solid defensive structure. Against the ball, they press pretty modestly and settle into more of a mid block, looking to keep bodies back to win aerial duels and win loose balls in their own end. They are compact, hard working, and organized, and they do not allow much space to their opponents in the middle of the field. In possession, the Mustangs like to build out and play their way up the field, drawing opponents in by playing out of the back and then looking to exploit the space that they vacate. SMU is at their best when they can get the ball out in transition and into the wide areas, as they use their numerical advantage on the flanks to great effect. A lot of the goals they score are from crosses into the area or cutbacks into late arriving runners, and, when they do get the ball out in transition, they will commit a lot of players forward to follow the play and make themselves available for those cutbacks and crosses. With that said, they have shown some weakness when faced with aggressive pressing in possession, particularly in the first half of their most recent game with UVA when they couldn’t get much going offensively. Wake’s press is far from its calling card, but it could play a pivotal role in limiting the Mustangs’ attack in this game.
Statistically, SMU’s defensive mettle jumps off the page. They sit 5th in the ACC by goals against average, and they surrender fewer than 8 shots per game and fewer than 3 shots on goal per game. The Mustangs have only held opposing teams off the board 5 times this year, though, leaving them 11th in the ACC in shutout percentage. On the other end of the field, they are an inconsistent outfit. They sit 10th in the ACC in scoring offense, shots per game and shots on goal per game. They have been held off the scoresheet in 3 of their last 5 games, and, in the other two games, they have scored 2 or more goals. In addition to these statistics, also of interest to the Deacs will be the Mustangs’ set piece numbers, as they sit 31st in the nation in corner kicks per game. Wake has definitely been an improved team in terms of defending set plays this year, but this SMU team has a lot of height all over the field, so they may be able to exploit the Deacs’ historic issues in this facet of the game. The main story of this game, though, will be the Deacs’ elite attack against the Mustangs’ solid, well-drilled defense.
Players to Watch
The main player to watch for the Mustangs is forward #30 Stephan Soghomonian. Soghomonian had largely been a bit player for SMU this season, scoring 1 goal in his first 9 appearances, only one of which was a start. However, Soghomonian has forced his way into the lineup, exploding for 8 goals in his last 6 games, including hat tricks against Cal and Boston College. He is a pure finisher that just finds ways to put the ball in the net in and around the 18 yard area, so the Deacs will need to make sure he is well marked throughout this game. Another player to watch for SMU is midfielder #10 Daniel Escorcia. Escorcia is the Mustangs’ leader in assists with 6, and it is easy to see why. He is a great passer of the ball, but his most notable attribute is his dribbling ability. He is brilliant with the ball at his feet, and he uses his immense talent with the ball to make progressive runs through the opposing midfield to connect midfield to attack for this SMU side. If the Deacs are going to get the result they need in this game, they will have to limit Escorcia’s ability to get out and run.
For the Deacs, the clear player to watch is midfielder #18 Cooper Flax. To put it simply, Flax is not only the Deacs’ best player: he is a senior captain that could be playing his final game in a Wake Forest jersey tonight. He has pulled Wake out of the fire over and over again this season. His vision and intelligence on the ball make him Wake’s primary creator in the attacking end, and he can also score himself from anywhere on the field. He leads the Deacs in both goals and assists, so if Wake is going to win this game, he will probably have a huge part in getting them the result they need. Another player to keep an eye on for the Deacs is defender #19 Cristian Escribano. Escribano has had a quietly great season at left back for Wake as a calming presence for an embattled backline. Another senior captain, Escribano will be desperate to keep the Deacs’ ACC Tournament hopes alive, but he will not have an easy time of things against an SMU team that will load up on the flanks. He is good in possession and has proven to be a solid defender this season, but he has had his struggles trying to keep pace with fast, talented wingers/wingbacks like SMU has. His defensive performance will also be critical in keeping the Deacs’ season alive.
Where to Watch
Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM EST at Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium in Dallas, and the game will be broadcast on ACCNX/ESPN+.
