ANDERSON, S.C. -Anderson University men's soccer begins its search for a fourth straight Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship on Tuesday, as the No. 7 seed Trojans head to No. 2 seed Wingate in the opening round. Kickoff from the WU Soccer Complex is set for 6:30 p.m.
The Trojans
Despite a 3-2 overtime loss to Carson-Newman on Saturday, Anderson
earned the No. 7 seed after Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba suffered
setbacks in their respective conference matches over the weekend.
Catawba would eventually earn the final spot in the tournament,
while L-R closed its season in ninth-place in the SAC standings. AU
finished a point ahead of the Indians with a 4-5-2 SAC record (14
points).
Breaking a goalless streak of four matches, AU's leading goal scorer, redshirt sophomore Andre Carle, notched one of Anderson's two goals against Carson-Newman, ending the regular season with 11 goals, the fourth most in the SAC. Carle fell short of the top five, placing sixth, in total points in the conference with 23 on the year. Freshmen Aaron Roberson and Paul von Hinueber followed Carle in goals on the team with five and four, respectively. Redshirt sophomore Henrique Gazzi paced the team and tied for second in the league with seven assists on the year.
Freshman goalkeeper Bo Haug will get his first taste of postseason play on Tuesday, as he is the projected starter between the posts. Haug has made 16 starts and is seeking his 10th win on the year. The freshman carries a 1.06 goals against average with 62 saves this season.
The Bulldogs
Wingate enters postseason play as the conference's regular season
runners-up after finishing its 2013 campaign with a 11-4-1 overall
record with an 8-2-1 SAC mark. The Bulldogs finished two points
behind regular season champions, Queens, which won its first SAC
title since joining the league prior to the start of the 2013-14
athletic season. WU is currently riding a four-match unbeaten
streak, coming into the tournament with a 3-0-1 record with its
lone draw coming against Anderson.
All season long, the Wingate offense has been led by Peron Da Silva who is the lone Bulldog with double digit goals with 10 on the year. Da Silva ranks seventh in the SAC with 22 points, while teammate Shaun Gabsy closely follows in ninth-place with 17 points (6 goals, 5 points). For the season, WU has outscored its opponents 34-17, which includes seven shutouts.
A huge factor to the clean sheets has been the play of Wingate's two goalkeepers. Daniel DeGraff and Sanjit Kang have shared time in goal this season, as they each have eight starts for the year. DeGraff holds an impressive 6-1-1 record with 29 saves, while Kang carries a 4-3 mark with 16 stops. DeGraff currently has the team-lead in shutouts with four.
The Series
Tuesday's match sets up the third straight year Anderson
and Wingate face off in the SAC quarterfinals. AU has eliminated
the Bulldogs in the last two meetings, including a 1-0 victory in
last season's tournament. Earlier this season, AU and the Bulldogs
played to a scoreless draw, moving the overall record to 5-1-1 in
favor of the Trojans since joining the SAC in 2010. Anderson
currently holds a six-match unbeaten streak against Wingate.
