ANDERSON, S.C. - Looking to get back on the winning track as it begins its postseason schedule, Anderson University men's soccer, which earned the No. 5 seed, begins the 2014 South Atlantic Conference Tournament with a trip to fourth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne on Tuesday. Kickoff from the Moretz Sports -Athletic Complex is slated for 7:30 p.m.
The Trojans
Anderson enters the tournament on a two-match setback streak, as it
fell to league rival Carson-Newman which netted a 90th minute goal
and handed the Eagles a 2-1 victory on Saturday. With the loss, the
Trojans moved to 8-9 overall and 6-5 in the conference, as they
earned the No. 5 seed and were forced to play a road contest to
open the postseason. As Anderson begins its fifth SAC Tournament in
program history, the Trojans have a chance to advance to their
fifth straight conference tournament championship, having won three
of the last four tournament crowns.
Sophomore forward Aaron Roberson scored AU's lone goal against Carson-Newman, as he jumped into a tie with Lars Zimmermann for third on the team in goals scored. Leading the way is freshman Magnus Larsen as he is tied for third in the conference with seven goals, while teammate Andre Carle is tied for seventh with six goals. The goal-scoring duo is tied for fourth in the SAC in points with 17. The Trojans currently lead the SAC in one offensive category, as they have totaled 99 corner kicks on the year, which is seven ahead of Lincoln Memorial, which sits in second.
Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper Bo Haug ranks second in the conference in victories with seven and is responsible with five shutouts, which ranks second. Haug has posted 41 saves for the year.
The Bears
With a 2-1 victory over Queens on Saturday, Lenoir-Rhyne enters the
annual tournament with a 6-7-4 overall record and a 6-4-1
conference mark as it finished a point ahead of AU in the final
standings. Saturday's win snapped a three-match winless streak, as
the Bears entered the weekend with a 0-1-2 mark in their last three
matches.
Lenoir-Rhyne's offense is currently in the middle of the pack for the conference, as it ranks fifth in goals scored with 25 and fourth with 101 shots on goal. Three Bears lead the attack with senior Ben Jones holding a team-high 15 points with four goals and seven assists. Jones has fired a team-high 45 shots for the season with 20 troubling opposing goalkeepers. Junior Ben Meredith and Eric Elder share the team-lead with Jones in goals scored as the trio is responsible for 12 of the team's 25 goals.
In goal, freshman Jorge Hernandez has played in over 1,278 minutes in 13 starts. Hernandez ranks fifth in the Sac in saves with 64 and has one clean sheet to his credit.
The Series
Anderson looks to avenge a regular season setback to the Bears, as
LR sealed a 2-1 double overtime win as Meredith scored in the 103rd
minute to give the visitors the victory. Meredith scored twice in
the victory, clinching LR's second win over the Trojans since AU
moved into the SAC before the 2010 season. Tuesday's contest will
mark the third time the teams have met in the SAC Tournament, with
AU pulling out victories in both matchups, headlined by a 1-0
overtime triumph in the 2011 final.
