Thursday, August 26
No. NR/22 SMU 3, No. 8/7 Stanford 1
A dynamic second half from host SMU gave the Mustangs a 3-1 win over No. 8/7 Stanford at Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium in the 2021 season opener. SMU outshot the Cardinal 6-4 in the second half to take the win after the contest was tied 1-1 at halftime.
Gabriel Costa tallied two goals 15 seconds apart in the 78th minute, heading home his own rebound on a penalty kick attempt to give SMU a 2-1 lead. Costa put the game away for good at 77:23, catching the Stanford goalkeeper Eliot Jones off his line and drilling the back of the net from midfield for an incredible goal and the final 3-1 score line. Papa Ndoye opened the SMU goal account of the season at 27:26 to tie the match at 1-1.
Tulsa 2, Creighton 1
Reigning American Offensive Player of the Year Alex Meinhard scored the match-winning goal as Tulsa secured a 2-1 nonconference win at Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska. The Golden Hurricane outshot the Blue Jays 17-13, including an 11-5 tally in shots on goal.
Mariano Fazio put Tulsa ahead 1-0 at 76:34 with a strike into the lower left corner of the net to open the team's season scoring ledger. Meinhard followed almost six full minutes later, depositing the ultimate match-winning tally at 82:25 to give Tulsa a 2-0 advantage.
South Florida 4, Jacksonville 1
South Florida struck for three first-half goals and never looked back in a convincing 4-1 win against Jacksonville at Corbett Stadium. The Bulls finished the night with a commanding 17-6 shots edge, including 10-2 in attempts on frame.
Henrique Gallina chipped in two goals, including the match winner, and added an assist for the USF attack. Oscar Resano turned in a goal and an assist for the Bulls in the victory.
Temple 0, No. 10 Seton Hall 0 (2OT)
Temple traveled to No. 10 Seton Hall and enjoyed a solid performance to kick off the season, battling the Pirates to a scoreless draw.
Preseason American Goalkeeper of the Year Eoin Gawronski was phenomenal in goal for Temple, making six official saves on 17 total shots faced. Gawronski held his clean sheet after turning aside a penalty kick in the 97th minute to force a second overtime.
FIU 4, No. 13/14 UCF 0
No. 13/14 UCF came out on the wrong end of a 4-0 decision in its season-opener against FIU at the UCF Soccer Complex. The Panthers outshot the Knights 16-13 in the match and tallied a pair of goals in each half.