Dallas, TX - On a beautiful Saturday afternoon on the Hilltop, the SMU Mustangs (3-0, 1-0 LSA North) hosted the Texas A&M Aggies (2-5, 0-0 LSA South) in their 2012 home opener.  Last year’s matchup between the Mustangs and the Aggies saw SMU drop the regular season contest in overtime 12-13 in College Station only to rally and win the Lone Star Alliance Semi-Final 18-14 in Southlake and advance to the conference championship game.

After a scoreless opening few minutes from both teams including a penalty on SMU, the Mustangs were able to get on the scoreboard first thanks to a relentless attack ride and goal by Alex Prince (Bolles – Jacksonville, FL) from Matt Murphy (St. Mark’s School – Dallas, TX).  Both teams then traded goals in a tight contest that featured an outstanding doorstep save by goaltender Cary Nelson (Gilman – Cockeysville, MD) as well as back-to-back scores from freshman midfielder Michael Armstrong (Bellarmine – San Jose, CA).  The first quarter ended with the Mustangs ahead by a score of 4-2. 

The Aggies scored the first goal of the second quarter and then again after an SMU goal making it 5-4 before the Mustang offense broke loose.  Leading goal scorer and freshman standout Matt Murphy (St. Mark’s School – Dallas, TX) notched his first goal of the game with an impressive 1v1 dodge.  Then midfielder Zack Shainsky (Oregon Episcopal – Portland, OR) decided to showcase his abilities in what would eventually be a career day for the freshman.  With the Mustangs two men down, Shainsky took several aggressive checks and successfully got around the heavy pressure to find Zach Gibson (Pace Academy – Atlanta, GA) on the doorstep for a score.  After Cole Sisto (Seton Hall Prep – Westfield, NJ) sent a screamer past the goalie from just inside the restraining box and another Texas A&M goal, Shainsky took a feed from linemate Conor Law (Landon – Bethesda, MD) a few yards above the crease and finished the first goal of his young career to make it 9-5 SMU heading into halftime.      

The Mustang defense took over in the third quarter holding the Aggies to one goal.  They even got into the action offensively when junior defenseman Cam Banta (Woodberry Forest – Westfield, NJ) tossed a perfect full-field pass to streaking long-stick midfielder Chad Kehoe (Bolles – Jacksonville, FL) who blew through the A&M defense and scored his second goal of the season.  Penalties highlighted the third quarter and entire second half with SMU down five men at one point after goaltender Cary Nelson (Gilman – Cockeysville, MD) broke his stick trying to disrupt an Aggie transition opportunity. 

“I was happy with the outcome, but our penalty streak in the third quarter could have been disastrous,” added Head Coach Karl Lynch. 

Coming out of the final break with a 10-6 lead, Matt Murphy (St. Mark’s School – Dallas, TX) scored his second goal of the game on another impressive 1v1 dodge.  Texas A&M was able to bury two in the back of the net before Zack Shainsky (Oregon Episcopal – Portland, OR) capped his performance with his second goal of the afternoon in addition to two previous assists.  Before the last whistle, A&M scored to make the final 12-9 in favor of the young Mustang squad.  

For his efforts offensively, defensively, and in the transition game Zack Shainsky (Oregon Episcopal – Portland, OR) was awarded the game ball by Coach Lynch. 

The Mustangs play host to division rival University of Oklahoma (4-3, 1-2 LSA North) next Saturday before their spring break away trip to Southern California the following week. 

Dallas, TX - Following a convincing season-opening victory over Texas Tech last weekend, the Mustangs of SMU (2-0, 1-0 LSA North) traveled to San Marcos, TX to avenge last year’s 9-11 loss to the Texas State Bobcats (2-2, 1-1 LSA South).  The contest featured a match-up of two relatively young teams with veterans in key positions including two extremely talented goaltenders.    

The game opened with missed opportunities for both teams.  The Mustangs were unable to convert on 11 shots during the quarter including several on the door step.  It was a similar story for the Bobcats with SMU goalie Cary Nelson (Gilman – Cockeysville, MD) standing firm in the cage all afternoon with a .714 save percentage. 

In the second quarter, freshman attackman Matt Murphy (St. Mark’s School – Dallas, TX) was finally able to open the scoring.  Junior midfielder John Sabo (Culver Academy – Plymouth, IN) buried the second goal of the game in an unsettled situation to give the Mustangs a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.  Just before the break, the Mustangs were called for a three-minute illegal stick penalty but were able to hold the Bobcat offense scoreless during that time.

Coming out of halftime, Texas State dominated time of possession in the third quarter.  Numerous transition scoring opportunities resulted in four goals for the Bobcats as the Mustang offense stalled.

Heading into the fourth quarter down 3-4, SMU freshman midfielder Michael Armstrong (Bellermine – San Jose, CA) tied the game on an extra-man possession with 11:28 remaining.  The Mustang offense then kicked into gear thanks to back-to-back goals by Matt Murphy followed by a heater from Rob Garvey (Ridgewood – Ridgewood, NJ) netting a 7-4 SMU lead with 7:29 left in the game. 

Despite some chippy play and several late SMU penalties, the defense held firm and denied all attempts by the Texas State offense to make a comeback.  The game ball was given to the man-down unit.  Cam Banta (Woodberry Forest – Westfield, NJ) led the way defensively and was all over the field with 6 ground balls. 

“Playing almost a full quarter of the game because of penalties is really not conducive to rhythm on offense” said SMU Head Coach Karl Lynch.  “Going forward it’s nice to know we can grind out a victory of this kind.”

The Mustangs have next weekend off before they host the Texas A&M Aggies (2-0, 0-0 LSA South) on February 25^th for their 2012 home opener.    

Dallas, TX – The SMU Mustangs (1-0, 1-0 LSA North) traveled to Lubbock, TX on Saturday to face LSA North opponent, Texas Tech, and emerged victorious with a final score of 13-5.

Freshman attackman Matt Murphy (St. Mark’s School – Dallas, TX) opened the game with his first collegiate goal and paced the Mustangs on the afternoon with 6 goals and 2 assists. Fellow freshman attackmen Rob Garvey (Ridgewood High School – Ridgewood, NJ) and Alex Prince (Bolles School – Jacksonville, FL) also had successful debuts with 2 goals and 2 assists of their own.

Contributing to the Mustangs fast start was the face-off play of both John Sabo (Culver Academy – Plymouth, IN) who won 7 of 9 face-offs and Trey Williams (The Westminster Schools – Atlanta, GA) who won 6 of 8. Chad Kehoe (Bolles School – Jacksonville, FL) was ferocious defensively at LSM and collected 6 ground balls in addition to the first goal of his career on a fast break.

Defensively, close defenseman Niko Lundeen (Gulliver Preparatory – Miami, FL) and goalie Cary Nelson (Gilman School – Cockeysville, MD) led the way in limiting the Red Raiders scoring opportunities.

Head Coach Karl Lynch added, “Our trip to Lubbock was successful. We saw just how talented our freshmen are with the ball. I was also really impressed with our team defense. Hopefully with a good week of practice we can eliminate some of the full field recovery sprint work that dominated the second half.”

The Mustangs will travel again next weekend to San Marcos, TX to face the Texas State Bobcats (2-0, 1-0 LSA South).

Dallas, TX – Guiding the Southern Methodist University Mustangs in the 2011-12 campaign will be Head Coach Karl Lynch , Defensive Coordinator Jason Gildea and Assistant Coach Corbin Embrey .

While many recognize Karl Lynch as the King of Content with MCLA The Lax Mag, few know that he has been coaching in the MCLA since 1993. With coaching tours at Arizona State University, Trinity University and the University of North Texas, Coach Lynch is very familiar with the MCLA landscape. In 2009, he was named the LSA Coach of the Year after leading the Mean Green to its first ever conference championship game. He also served as the Lone Star Alliance conference director for several years.

“We’ve spent the last five years going against each other on the sideline, and I’ve always admired the job Karl did at North Texas,” said former Head Coach Tom Greene.  “His teams always played tough, got up and down the field, and worked hard for him.  On top of that, he’s been extremely important to the growth of the MCLA over the last ten years with his role as commissioner and now with the magazine.  As an SMU alum and former coach, I couldn’t be happier to hand Karl the keys to the program.”

Jason Gildea returns for his second season as the Mustangs Defensive Coordinator. A two sport athlete at Roanoke College, Jason captained both the lacrosse and soccer teams. Locally, he founded the Frisco Lacrosse Association.

“SMU is coming off a season that showed one of its strongest defensive units to date.  I am pleased to return and help guide a group of young successful athletes with the sight on the LSA Championship once again,” commented Coach Gildea.  “We look to grow even stronger in the back as we add some young defensive talent to the squad this year.”

In between flights to Malaysia, Corbin Embrey will be assisting the Mustangs this year working primarily with the offense. A versatile midfielder, Corbin played under Coach Lynch at the University of North Texas where he received All-LSA honors his junior and senior seasons.

“We are very fortunate to have Corbin on the coaching staff,” said Coach Lynch. “He is looking forward to helping the young players develop and contribute to the team’s success. It’s an added benefit that he acted as a team president while in school and should help the executive board navigate through the MCLA.”

The first team meeting of the 2011-12 SMU Men's Lacrosse season will take place on Tuesday, August 30th, at 7:30 PM in the Hughes-Trigg Forum located at the bottom level.  This meeting is mandatory for all who are interested in trying out for the team.  

Practice will begin the following night at 6:00 PM in Ford Stadium and will continue on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the fall semester.  Further information regarding tryouts will be distributed at the meeting.  Please contact Head Coach, Karl Lynch , with any questions you may have in the meantime.