STORRS, Conn. (SMU) – A pair of second half goals lifted the Connecticut men’s soccer team to a 2-1 victory over No. 24 SMU on Saturday evening at the Joseph J. Morrone Stadium. UConn improved to 7-6-2 overall and 5-1-1 in American Athletic Conference action with the win, while the Mustangs fell to 8-5-2 and 3-2-2 in league play.

SMU was outshot 22-11 in the contest, with the Mustangs registering six of those shots on goal. Goalkeeper Michael Nelson was forced to make eight saves in the contest. It was the second-straight contest that the redshirt-freshman finished with eight to tie him for a season high.

The Mustangs got on the board in the 23rd minute for the initial lead when senior Damian Rosales beat his defender and drove in a cross from just inside the 18-yard box on the right side of the field. He connected with redshirt-freshman Benjamin Joseph who drove the ball into the upper corner from the top of the 18. The goal was Joseph’s second of the season and the assist was Rosales’ second.

The Ponies were able to take the lead into the break, but UConn came out and scored its first goal to come-from-behind seven minutes into the second frame. Jakob Nerwinski tallied an unassisted marker, with Cyle Larin following it up with the match winner in the 71st minute off an assist from Kwame Awuah.

Freshman Mauro Cichero had a team-high three shots for SMU including two on goal, while junior Idrissa Camara added a pair on target of his own.

The Mustangs are back in action for their final regular season test when they host Cincinnati on Nov. 1 for Senior Night at Westcott Field. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT with live stats and video available at SMUMustangs.com.

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