ANDERSON, S.C. - As the 2015 South Atlantic Conference Championships continues to inch closer, Anderson University men's soccer concludes its regular season when it travels to Mars Hill for a SAC contest on Saturday. Kick-off from Belk Field is slated for 4:30 p.m.
The Trojans
With a 6-4 conference record, AU is even with Queens in the SAC
standings for fourth place, as the Royals hold the tiebreaker over
the Trojans with their head-to-head victory on Oct. 21. With a
victory on Saturday and either a Queens or Lincoln Memorial loss,
Anderson would host the opening of next week's SAC Tournament.
Overall, the Black and Gold enters Saturday's match with an even
7-7-1 record.
Anderson has dropped its last two matches after its scheduled nonconference contest with Francis Marion was cancelled on Wednesday. With the even record, AU's last three losses have come by one goal, as six of the Trojans' last seven matches have been decided by one goal. Senior Andre Carle continues to lead the team in goals scored with seven on the year, while junior Lars Kaula follows with six.
Goalkeeper Devon Ashy has still played in every minute for the Black and Gold this season, as he is third in the SAC in saves with 63 and in minutes played with just over 1,400.
The Lions
Mars Hill will be playing in its final match of the season on
Saturday, as the Lions were eliminated from the postseason despite
posting back-to-back conference wins over Lincoln Memorial and
Newberry last week. With a victory on Saturday and a Lenoir-Rhyne
setback, MHU would tie for eighth place in the final SAC standings,
but would lose the tiebreaker due to L-R's 3-0 victory over Mars
Hill on Oct. 7. Overall, the Lions enter the weekend with a 4-9-1
record with a 3-6-1 mark in conference play.
Mars Hill has seen its struggles inside Belk Field this season, entering its final home match with a 0-5-1 home record. Before a 5-1 home setback to Tusculum on Oct. 17, the Lions dropped four one-goal decisions on the year. Junior Amine Merdjett leads MHU in goals scored with five on the year, capped off by the match's only goal in the Lions' 1-0 victory over Newberry last Saturday. Despite Merdjett's five goals for the season, Mars Hill ranks 10th in the SAC in goals scored and 12th in shot percentage with a .064 mark.
In goal, junior Connor Talbot has seen starts in 10 matches and has accumulated 45 saves for the year. Talbot's season has been headlined by a nine-save performance to go along with a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory over regionally-ranked Young Harris on Sept. 13.
The Series
Since entering the SAC before the 2010 season, Anderson and Mars
Hill have met eight times, including three matchups in the SAC
Tournament. In the span, the Trojans hold a 5-2-1 record against
their Tar Heel State rivals, but dropped last season's decision due
to a 52nd-minute goal from former MHU standout Alex Mullen, which
was the match's only goal. Before the setback, Anderson earned
victories in the previous two matchups, including a 1-0 victory in
the SAC Tournament semifinals in 2013.
