ANDERSON, S.C. - After a convincing 4-2 victory over Catawba on Saturday, Anderson University men's soccer looks for its sixth straight victory against a South Atlantic Conference opponent when it squares off against Queens on Wednesday. Kick-off from the Queens Sports Complex is set for 5 p.m.
The Trojans
Following its victory over the Catawba Indians, AU remains in a tie
for second place in the current SAC standings, joining
Carson-Newman with 18 points. The tandem is chasing
nationally-ranked Wingate, which dropped its first conference
decision of the year to the Eagles in Jefferson City on Saturday.
Overall, the Trojans boast a 7-5-1 overall record with a 6-2 mark
in league play.
The Black and Gold tallied five goals last week, as five different players found the back of the net. Junior midfielder Brad Du Plooy scored against Erskine on Tuesday, while teammates Andre Carle, Ryo Ogawa, Josh Calabria and Lars Kaula all contributed to Anderson's victory over Catawba on Saturday. On the season, Carle and Kaula paced the team with five goals apiece, while freshman Erik Dahlbeck followed with three goals. As a team, the Trojans are third in the SAC in goals scored with 25.
In goal, Devon Ashy notched his seventh victory between the posts, as he has played in every minute this season. Ashy continues to lead the conference in saves with 58, as he only needed two stops in the win on Saturday.
The Royals
Queens has posted victories in four of its last five matches, with
all four triumphs coming within the SAC. In their last contest, the
Royals fended off Newberry with a 1-0 road victory on Saturday. For
the campaign, Queens brings a 6-7 overall record into Wednesday's
contest. Despite the under .500 mark on the year, the Royals are an
even 4-4 in league play, as they sit alone in sixth place with 12
points in the conference standings.
Offensively, Queens is led by junior Corey Brown who has racked up five goals (sixth in SAC) and six assists (third in SAC), but enters Wednesday's match not having scored in the Royals' last three matches. After a two-goal performance against Lenoir-Rhyne on Oct. 3 and scoring the game-winner against Catawba on Oct. 7, Brown has been blanked, posting 10 shots in the last three contests. Classmates Marc-Kevin Schwenk and Isaac Walker follow Brown with three goals apiece.
Three different goalkeepers have seen time for Queens on the year, as freshman Sergio Lemus has earned the most starts with eight. Teammates Matt Current has been between the posts for four matches, while freshman Ben Wallace has started in a pair of contests. Lemus leads the trio with 20 saves, but is one of five goalkeepers in the SAC to allow over 20 goals for the year.
The Series
Since Queens joined the SAC before the 2013 season, Anderson has
yet to post a win over its Tar Heel State rivals. In 2013, the
Royals grabbed two wins over the Black and Gold, highlighted by a
2-0 victory in the SAC Tournament championship match, preventing AU
from claiming its fourth straight tournament championship. Last
season, Queens shocked Anderson with a 2-1 overtime win inside
Trojan Stadium.
