SMU defeat Gonzaga in NCAA 1st round
Published 11/24/2007 9:00:08 PM by staff from smusoccer
Junior midfielder Bruno Guarda scored on a penalty kick in the 76th minute to lead the SMU men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Gonzaga in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Championship. The Mustangs (14-4-2) now advance to play at Creighton, Wed., Nov. 28, in Omaha, Neb.
The Mustangs outshot the Bulldogs - whose season ended with a final record of 9-7-4 - by a final margin of 21-7, but Gonzaga goalkeeper Vito Higgins was sensational, making a career-high 14 saves to keep his team in the game. Sophomore forward Dane Saintus led the Mustangs with five shots, while Guarda added four.
Defensively, the Mustangs were able to muzzle the Bulldogs' top scorer, three-time all-West Coast Conference honoree George Josten, limiting him to just one shot. SMU goalkeeper Steve Sandbo dominated his end of the field, picking up three saves and notching his sixth shutout of the year.
SMU and Creighton have played 21 times before, mostly when they both were members of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Mustangs hold a 16-5-1 advantage in the series. SMU won the last meeting between the teams, 1-0, in a game played in Omaha, Oct. 1, 2004.
Label: NCAA soccer playoffs, SMU soccer, Bruno Guarda, Dane Saintus
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