Nov. 24, 2007

DALLAS - Junior midfielder Bruno Guarda, the C-USA Player of the Year, 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 No. 8 seed 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, and 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.