DALLAS, TX- On a windy night in Dallas, star senior Josue Soto produced a moment of magic, scoring a fantastic left-footed goal to give SMU a 1-0 victory over William and Mary(m), earning them an NCAA Quarterfinal trip to Chapel Hill to face the North Carolina Tar Heels next weekend.

Playing in chilly conditions with winds of around 25 miles per hour, both teams struggled to find their feet early. Play was disjointed for the first few minutes when out of nowhere in the sixth minute Soto dribbled right through the heart of the defense firing a low shot to Andrew McAdams' left. McAdams got down brilliantly to turn the ball around the post for a corner.

While Soto was stopped on that chance, it wouldn’t take long for the Senior to put SMU in front. In the 11th minute, freshman Robbie Derschang, who was solid down the left side all night for the Mustangs, found junior defender Ian Kalis.  Kalis quickly moved the ball along to Soto who transitioned onto his left foot and fired a rocket past McAdams from just outside the box for his seventh goal of the season to give SMU the lead. Soto’s goal was the first time McAdams was beaten in over three games.

Throughout the first half William and Mary(m), playing most of the match without their senior forward and top scorer Alan Koger, struggled to find much going forward. The Tribe had no problem retaining possession, but every chance going forward was cut out by SMU’s excellently composed defense led by senior Leone Cruz and senior Captain Kekoa Osorio. SMU held a comfortable 1-0 lead going into halftime with William and Mary(m) managing just one shot on goal in the first 45 minutes.

With the wind at their backs, the Tribe came out a much stronger team in the second half with a Nicholas Abrigo free kick going just over the bar ten minutes into the half. William and Mary(m) almost made the breakthrough midway through the second half with freshman Roshan Patel, the Tribe’s most dangerous player going forward throughout the game, linking up with freshman John Ciampa whose cross was just behind senior Jimmy Carroll with the goal at his mercy.

With William and Mary(m) pushing forward for the equalizer, SMU freshman forward Juan Castillo found himself behind the defense multiple times forcing a great save out of McAdams in the 68th minute and pushing another chance just wide in the 72nd.

The Tribe would close the game on a flurry, with junior James Lofton hitting the post from a tight angle in the 81st minute. The game would then come to a climax right before full time as some nifty work from Ben Anderson found Patel out wide who lofted a ball into the box. In the ensuing scramble, the ball eventually found its way to senior Nathaniel Baako who headed the ball into the net with just 25 seconds left on the clock. The Tribe’s celebrations would be short lived however as the linesman’s flag was raised correctly calling Baako offside.

SMU would see out the last few seconds and book their place in the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time since 2005 where they will face the North Carolina Tar Heels who defeated the Michigan State Spartans earlier in the evening on penalty kicks.

Man of the Match: Josue Soto

Scoring Summary
SMU—Josue Soto 7 (Ian Kalis 3, Robbie Derschang 4) 11’