WINGATE, N.C. - Junior Martin Brain's 83rd minute goal was all seventh-seeded Anderson University men's soccer needed, as the Trojans eliminated second-seeded Wingate from the 2013 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament Tuesday night at the WU Soccer Complex.
With the victory, Anderson is now a perfect 10-0 in the SAC Tournament since joining the league in 2010, as it continues its search for its fourth straight conference tournament championship. The victory marks the third straight quarterfinal victory over Wingate, as the Trojans have eliminated the Bulldogs in every SAC Tournament they have participated in, including a semifinal win in 2010. AU advances to the semifinals carrying an 11-5-3 overall record.
Despite the hard-earned victory, the match began in the Bulldogs favor, as it looked as if WU took an early lead, but the goal was called back after AU junior Mattias Schyberg was called for a hand ball inside the AU box. Due to the foul, Wingate's Gui Andrade was awarded a penalty kick. Andrade tried the left side, but freshman Bo Haug timed his dive perfectly to keep the match goalless.
After the teams went into the locker room for halftime without a goal, both teams had their opportunities for the first 35 minutes of the second half. It was the Trojans who broke through in the 83rd minute when AU was awarded a free kick just across midfield in Wingate territory.
Redshirt freshman Alex Delpy lofted a pass into the WU box where he found freshman Paul von Hinueber. The native of Hildesheim, Germany got his chest to the ball and pushed it back to Brain as his one-timer beat Wingate goalkeeper Daniel DeGraff to his left to give Anderson its game-winner. For Brain, the goal was his second of the season and broke a deadlock of more than 190 minutes between these teams during the 2013 season.
After the goal, Wingate was on the attack for the remainder of the match, recording three shots and six corner kicks in the final eight minutes of the match. The backline, led by redshirt sophomore and captain Lars Zimmerman limited the WU attackers to just two shots on goal to preserve the shutout and the win.
Haug recorded his fifth shutout of the season after making six saves on the evening. Haug and the backline held Wingate to just six shots on goal, as Haug saw 17 shots for the night. The Bulldogs' leading goal scorer, Peron Da Silva was limited to just two shots on the night, neither troubling Haug.
"We took a really difficult result on Saturday and to bounce back in this fashion speaks volumes about our team," Anderson head coach John Murphy said. "Wingate is the toughest team we have played this year, they are a very high octane group, but our defense was stout. Bo Haug was definitely the man of the match and Martin Brain took his goal well. To have a young team and with the way we played, I hope people will start to take notice in that we have one of the better teams in this part of the country. I give full credit to the kids, we have a tough semifinal coming up, but we'll take it in stride as all the kids are smiling tonight."
Anderson shifts its focus to Friday night as it travels to Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, S.C. for the semifinals of the SAC Tournament. The Trojans will face No. 6 seed Mars Hill, which upset third-seeded Carson-Newman 1-0 Tuesday evening. Kickoff against the Lions is set for 4 p.m.
