SMU traveled to Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday to get set to play the biggest match of the past decade. The Mustangs last made the NCAA tournament quarterfinals in 2010 and made the College Cup in 2000 and 2005.
SMU has gotten through by beating Coastal Carolina in overtime and No. 9 UCF in overtime. Now, the No. 1 team in the nation awaits and SMU will be playing at Virginia hoping to make history. The match will played Friday at 6 p.m. and air on ACC Network Extra.
“Yeah, I mean, why not," defender Philip Ponder said when asked if he felt SMU had a national championship-caliber team. “That’s what we’ve been preaching. ... Yeah, I would say why not? Why not go for a national championship? Why not have big dreams? There’s no fear in failure. I think we have a shot.”
SMU’s history with national championships in any sport is very sparse. Men’s golf won one in 1954, indoor track in 1983 and outdoor track in 1983 and 1986. The football team has claimed three national championships.
If the Mustangs win the next three matches, it would bring the school its first modern title -- in a sport that often favors schools from bigger conferences. There’s still a long way to go, but it’s felt like a magical season from the start.
Like SMU, Virginia has lost just one match this season, to Pittsburgh back in October. The Cavaliers have outscored opponents this year 38-7 and allow just 7.7 shots per match total.
SMU’s one loss came to Memphis. That loss happened on the exact same Friday evening as Virginia’s loss -- Oct. 18. SMU has outscored opponents 61-14 this year, of nearly equal dominance to what Virginia has done against its competition.
The last several weeks, it’s felt as though SMU is a team of destiny. Winning two straight NCAA tournament matches in sudden-death overtime. Before that, it won the AAC title by winning two one-goal matches, including an overtime victory in the conference semifinals.
SMU even won its last two matches of the regular season, each by one goal. That’s six matches in a row decided by one goal. All six where SMU ended up victorious.
Virginia is Goliath in many ways. It’s won seven national titles, all since 1989. It’s won two in the past decade and one as recently as 2014. It’s made 12 College Cups. Virginia hasn’t missed an NCAA tournament since 1980. It’s a dynasty under head coach George Gelnovatch.
SMU, in its own right, has always had a solid soccer program. But getting this win would do something for the soccer program that very few would expect. And slaying Virginia would put SMU in the driver’s seat to actually win that first national championship.
“We have a special team,” said head coach Kevin Hudson. "We told them on Aug. 13 or whenever we started that this team has the makings of something special. And I think it can continue to push on. Hopefully this isn’t the culmination of our season, it is another step in the journey. And we’re excited to see what’s next.
