ANDERSON, S.C. - After a scoreless first half, Anderson University men's soccer used three second half goals to seal the upset of No. 18 ranked Wingate, 3-0, in South Atlantic Conference action Saturday afternoon at Trojan Stadium.
With the victory, the Trojans shoot up the conference standings to third place and can clinch a home match in the SAC Tournament with a win or draw next Saturday at Carson-Newman. AU improves to 8-7 overall with a 6-4 mark in league play as it has gone unbeaten against their Tar Heel State rivals in their last eight matchups, headlined by holding the 'Dogs scoreless in their previous five meetings. With the setback, Wingate falls to 10-3-1 on the year with a 7-2-1 record in the SAC.
The AU defense held the high-powered Wingate offense to just three shots for the match, despite WU ranking second in the league in goals entering Saturday. With WU's attackers held in-check, the Trojans totaled 12 shots for the afternoon, including eight coming in the final 45 minutes. Junior forward Andre Carle led the offense with five shots with three coming on goal, while senior Martin Brain, sophomore Aaron Roberson and freshman Magnus Larsen recorded two shots apiece.
After a scoreless opening period, the Trojans broke the scoring drought in the 50th minute when newcomer Alexander Beck sent a free kick into the WU box. Beck sent the pass to the far post and found the head of Larsen who flicked a pass to an open Roberson. With the pass in the air, Roberson headed in the shot to hand AU a 1-0 second half lead. The goal was Roberson's second tally for the year.
In the 63rd minute, the Black and Gold struck again when sophomore Ryo Ogawa, who earned his second start of his collegiate career, crossed a pass into the Bulldog box and found Carle's head. Carle headed in AU's second goal of the day by beating Wingate goalkeeper Stephen Banick to his left for the goal. The goal was Carle's sixth of the season and he is currently tied with Larsen for the team lead.
Anderson closed its scoring in the 68th minute when Brain arced in his first goal of the season after receiving a pass from teammate Hodaka Yonezawa. For Brain, the goal was his first since scoring a penalty kick in the semifinals of last season's SAC Tournament, which would eventually send the Trojans to their fourth straight SAC Tournament championship.
Sophomore goalkeeper Bo Haug earns his first shutout in 21 days and his fifth of the season as he closed the match with just one save. The three Wingate shots were the fewest amount allowed by the Trojans this season, as the backline, captained by Lars Zimmermann, held the Bulldogs scoreless for the first time in four matches.
Anderson closes its nonconference schedule on Wednesday when it hits the road to Francis Marion. Kickoff from Florence is scheduled for 7 p.m.
