ANDERSON, S.C. - After a thrilling 1-0 win over second-seeded Wingate in the opening round of the 2013 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament on Tuesday, seventh-seeded Anderson University men's soccer heads to the semifinals when it will meet sixth-seeded Mars Hill. Kickoff from Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, S.C. is set for 4 p.m.
The Trojans
With the fourth tournament win over Wingate since joining
the SAC in 2010, Anderson is now 10-0 in tournament play after
winning three straight, beginning in 2010. Junior Martin Brain
notched the game-winner in the 83rd minute to seal AU's victory,
breaking a scoreless deadlock between the two teams that lasted
over 192 minutes in their two meetings this season. The win also
continues a streak of six straight clean sheets in tournament
matches, as the Trojans have not been scored on in the conference
tournament contest since a 2-1 win over Wingate on Nov. 1,
2011.
Overall, Anderson holds an 11-5-3 record and is currently slotted eighth in the NCAA Southeast Region, two spots away from the top six, which would place them in the NCAA Tournament. With four of the top six teams losing in their respective conference tournaments, AU could move up the standings with a conference tournament championship.
Redshirt sophomore Andre Carle, who was named to the All-SAC second team on Wednesday, continues to hold the team-lead in the goals scored with 11. With his game-winner on Tuesday, Brain moves into a five-way tie for fifth on the team with two goals on the season, as the Preseason All-SAC second-team honoree now has five points on the year. Redshirt freshman Alex Delpy recorded his third assist on the year on Brain's goal.
Defensively, freshman goalkeeper Bo Haug shined at Wingate, posting six saves en route to his fifth shutout of the season. For the year, Haug has made 68 saves and carries a 1.00 goals against average.
The Lions
Pulling off the only other upset of the conference
tournament thus far, sixth-seeded Mars Hill knocked off
third-seeded Carson-Newman 1-0 Tuesday night in Jefferson City,
Tenn. MHU's Gregg Munn netted the match's only goal in the 18th
minute when his shot deflected off a C-N defender and into the
goal. For Munn, the goal was his first of the season.
Overall, the Lions are currently 7-9 after posting a 6-5 mark in the SAC, four points ahead of the Trojans for sixth-place. Despite a four-match winning streak in the middle of October, MHU has bounced back with a three-match winning streak, highlighted by the 1-0 win on Tuesday. Previously, the Lions have defeated Brevard (3-0) and Catawba (2-0) to close the regular season. Sophomore Thor-Joak Stenberg has paced the team with two goals in the last three contests.
In goal, sophomore Chris Mitchell has started in 11 of MHU's 16 matches and is responsible for all five of the team's clean sheets. Mitchell holds a 0.89 goals against average with 43 saves on the year.
The Series
In their last meeting, the Trojans escaped Meares Stadium
with a 1-0 win after Carle stole the ball Mitchell inside the MHU
box and score the match's only goal. The win was AU's fourth
victory over Mars Hill since joining the league in 2010, moving to
4-1-1 in the series as conference foes.
Anderson has repeated last season's conference tournament schedule, as AU defeated Wingate in the opening round the last two seasons. The Trojans will meet MHU in the conference semifinals for the second straight season, as the teams played to a scoreless draw in last year's matchup. Despite the tie, Anderson advanced to the 2012 championship, winning 3-1 in penalty kicks.
