With a large contingent of players slated to return, Kevin Hudson does not need to bring on board a large recruiting class. Four of the newcomers are transfers and one is a true freshmen. All of the transfers are capable of making an immediate impact and will intensify the competition for playing time and the overall strength of the team. Junior defender Brandon Terwege who transfers in from UCLA and sophomore forward Nick Taylor who transfers in from New Mexico should hit the ground running. Freshman goalkeeper Ryan Burig who is 6'5" should compete for playing time between the pipes down the road.
Departures and Gaps – The Mustangs lose only three players due to graduation. All were contributors during their tenure at SMU. Departures include midfielders Emil Cuello, Caleb Smith and Christian Boorom. Cuello was a 2018 All-American Athletic Conference and All East Region First Team selection with twelve career goals and seventeen career assists. Smith had three career goals and two career assists. Boorom had nine career goals and three career assists.
Opportunities for Improvement – SMU was 4-4-1 at the end of September in 2018 with losses to Providence, Denver, Houston Baptist at home and conference foe UCF on the road. During those four games they allowed nine goals and only scored two. The Mustangs settled in and improved as they gained experience which is a plus but the slow start hampered their win-loss recored and RPI. Successfully integrating the newcomers in with returning players is among the keys to continued improvement and avoiding another slow start in 2019.
Summary – SMU will enter the 2019 season with the loss of only three seniors from the 2018 team that was 10-5-3 overall with a 5-1-1 mark in American Athletic Conference play. The departed seniors will be missed but that is a luxary compared to what SMU faced heading into the 2018 season when they had to replace a nine member senior class that included the AAC Defensive Player of the Year, Midfielder of the Year and the Goalkeeper of the Year. Unless there are additional departures or injuries, the Mustangs should have a deep roster in 2019. Kevin Hudson will have the nice problem of sorting out the best lineup among various options and dividing minutes and responsibilities in many different ways. If everything falls into place the Mustangs will be a strong, athletic, and experienced team in 2019.
Newcomers –
Henrik Bredeli – Defender – Tranby, Norway – Drammen VGS High School – A 6'2" left back. Bredeli transfers in from North Carolina. He didn't appear in any matches during his freshman season at UNC. Competed competed with Norway U-15 through U-19 teams. Has fifty-four caps for Norway youth teams. Played for IF Farm Larvik, appearing in thirteen contests in Norway's second dividion during the Summer of 2018.
Ryan Burig – Goalkeeper – Loveland, Ohio – A 6'5" netminder. Played with the Cincinnati United Premier, the Columbus Crew Academy, and the Dayton Dutch Lions.
Brandon Terwege – Defender – Highland Village, Texas – A junior transfer from UCLA where he started in nineteen contests in 2018. Started in sixteen contests at UCLA as a freshman. Has played with U.S. national youth teams and has two caps with the U-17 National Team. Played with the FC Dallas Academy.
Gabriel Costa – Midfielder – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Transfer from Azusa Pacific University where he was the 2018 PacWest Conference Player of the Year as a freshman. First Team All-PacWest. United Soccer Coaches Division II First-Team All-American. Netted fourteen goals and contributed thirteen assists at Azusa Pacific.
Nick Taylor – Forward – Coppell, Texas – Coppell High School – A sophomore transfer from the University of New Mexico where he started every contest last year scoring a total of four goals and contributing five assists. Played in twelve contests at UNM in 2017 with three starts. 2018 Second-Team All-CUSA selection. A 2016 NSCAA Winter-Spring High School Boys All-America Team selection at Coppell HIgh School.
Mitchell Murphy – Forward – Quincy, Illinois – Notre Dame High School – Played club soccer with Lou Fusz. Two-time Illiniois All-Sectional Player of the Year. All-State selection. Scored thirty-three goals and contributed twelve assist at Notre Dame High School.
Henry Smith-Hastie – Midfielder – Los Angeles, California – Loyola High School – Played for Santa Monica United. Named League MVP. First Team All-CIF. Scored seventeen goals and added sixteen assists his senior season at Loyola High School.
Stephen Canty – Goalkeeper – San Antonio, Texas – Tivy High School – Played for Classics Elite. Four-year starter at Tivy High School where he had a 1.134 career goals against average. 5A All-State selection. Team captain.
Matt Mclaws – Midfielder – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Deer Creek High School – Played for Oklahoma Energy FC. Led his team in goals scored and assists. Member of OKC Energy PDL team.
Anthony Perea – Defender – Frisco, Texas – Lone Star High School – Played for the Dallas Texans Academy. Left sided player.
