AUSTIN, TX -- Heavy rain showers and muddy field conditions meant that it was unclear whether the Texas Longhorns' game on Friday evening against the SMU Mustangs would even happen. After a delayed start, the Longhorns (2-0) stayed focused and seemed to catch the Mustangs off-guard by roaring out to a 5-0 first quarter lead. Southern Methodist made a game of it by halftime, bringing the score to 6-3, and even made it within two goals in the second half. Texas, however, prevailed 13-9 by the time the horn sounded.

With leading scorer Tyler Nix playing limited minutes, attackmen Evans Swann and Doug Boyer stepped up to top the scoring column with five and three goals, respectively. Even when captain Ernst Leiss was forced to leave the game, Mark Anderlik provided solid minutes to shore up the Longhorn defense and ensure that the Mustangs never tied the score. Before leaving, Leiss contributed a goal and an assist in addition to his usual steely faceoff and defensive play. Goalie Towers Wilen had a busy second half, finishing with eleven saves.

Though the team passed what Head Coach Noah Fink had earlier called "the first tough test of the season", the coach seemed less than exuberant about the effort. "We're still not quite up to the speed we need to be at to play with the top level of competition. We made some mental errors and let SMU climb back into a game that we should have put out of reach early."

The four-point difference was the greatest final margin in the last four games between the two in-state rivals. The previous three games were all decided by just one goal. Next weekend, Texas will face Texas Tech and Illinois State at home.

by Aaron Motsinger