ANDERSON, S.C. - With an abundance of newcomers on the 2015 roster, Anderson University men's soccer will have a new look when it opens its regular season on Thursday on the opening day of the 10th Annual Loch Shop Shootout, hosted by Clayton State in Morrow, Ga. The Trojans will square off against Peach Belt Conference and in-state rival, USC Aiken, at 5 p.m. at Laker Field to kick-off their regular season.
The Trojans
Over 20 newcomers will be making their Black and Gold debut on
Thursday, as Anderson is slated to return just three starters to a
team that finished the 2014 season with a 8-9-1 overall record and
a 6-5 mark in the South Atlantic Conference. The Trojans look to
erase a disappointing 2014 season when it failed to advance to the
SAC Tournament championship match for the first time in their five
years within the conference.
The group of returners is headlined by Preseason All-SAC First Team honoree, senior forward Andre Carle, who has tallied 18 goals and six assists in his two seasons with the Black and Gold. Carle has started in 34 matches in his two seasons and has posted 117 shots for his career. During the offseason, the Normanhurst, Australia native played for Upward Stars F.C. and led the Stars to a win in the U.S. Open Cup.
Defensively, the Trojans lose their entire starting backline and goalkeeper from the 2014 season. Junior goalkeeper Devon Ashy is projected to be the starter for the 2015 campaign, as he has earned four career starts and a pair of victories.
The Pacers
USC Aiken posted its best season in program history in 2014 with a
14-6-1 overall record and claimed a berth into the NCAA Tournament.
The Pacers advanced to the PBC Tournament title match and fell to
then-unbeaten Young Harris, 1-0, in overtime. Despite the berth
into the NCAA Tournament, USC Aiken dropped its opening-round
contest to Pfeiffer, 3-1.
The Pacers return the core of their midfield for 2015, as sophomore Jordan Misiri was tabbed PBC Freshman of the Year with a six-goal season. Teammate Andre Simmond joined Misiri on the all-conference first team, as he paced the club with 11 assists and recorded six of the team's 40 goals a season ago.
On the defensive side of the pitch, senior Dean Smith returns to backline after starting in every match of his career. Smith, along with all-conference selection Sandre Duncan, anchored a backline that posted five shutouts in 2014. Graduating a pair of goalkeepers from last season, the Pacers carry four keepers that could all see time in 2015.
The Series
Anderson and USC Aiken lock up for the first time since the 2011
season when the teams met on the second day of the Laker Shootout.
After AU suffered a 5-1 setback to the host, Clayton State, on the
opening day, the Trojans bounced back with a 6-0 rout over the
Pacers to end the Shootout on a high note. Historically, Anderson
has not dropped a match to USC Aiken since the 2009 campaign.
