Dec. 13, 2007

DALLAS (SMU) - Standout midfielders Bruno Guarda and Ben Shuleva capped off their stellar 2007 seasons by being named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Midwest Region first team.

The honors were the latest in a long line of accolades for the pair, both of whom were named first-team All-Conference USA in November.

Guarda, a junior from Piracicaba, Brazil, was named Conference USA Player of the Year for the second time in as many years. He finished the season tied for the Conference USA lead with five game-winning goals, and earned Conference USA Player of the Week and National Player of the Week (from NSCAA and collegesoccernews.com) honors . He led the Mustangs with 23 points on eight goals and seven assists, and all three totals were either the second-best or tied for second-best in Conference USA.

Shuleva, a senior from Dublin, Ohio, anchored the defensive end of the Mustang midfield and had seven points on three goals and an assist. He scored both SMU goals in a 2-2 tie at Tulsa, earning Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week honors. Shuleva also led the Mustangs in the classroom, earning Conference USA All-Academic honors and being named third-team Academic All-America by CoSIDA and ESPN The Magazine