ANDERSON, S.C. - After polishing off the regular season with a 1-0 victory over Mars Hill on Saturday, Anderson University men's soccer earned the fifth seed in the SAC Championship and will head to fourth-seeded Queens University of Charlotte to open its postseason campaign on Tuesday at the Queens Sports Complex. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
The Trojans
Despite entering the postseason with two setbacks in its last three
matches, AU holds an 8-7-1 overall record, while posting its most
conference victories since the team went 9-0 in 2011, finishing the
year with a 7-4 conference mark. With their seven SAC wins, the
Trojans finished in a tie for fourth in the final conference
standings, joining Queens, but fell in the tiebreaker due to the
Royals' 3-2 overtime victory in Charlotte on Oct. 21. The fifth
seed marks the second straight year the Trojans have been in the
No. 5 slot and marks the fourth straight season AU has been on the
road to open the SAC Tournament.
Senior midfielder Hodaka Yonezawa claimed the only goal in Anderson's 1-0 victory over MHU on Saturday, earning his third goal of the campaign. As a team, the Trojans are tied with Queens for fifth in the conference in goals scored with 29, as senior forward Andre Carle is tied for sixth in the SAC with seven goals, while teammate Lars Kaula follows in ninth with six.
Devon Ashy ended the regular season playing in every minute for the Black and Gold, finishing the year with over 1,490 minutes played and ranking fourth in saves with 67. Ashy claimed his fourth shutout of the season against Mars Hill on Saturday, grabbing four saves in the winning effort.
The Royals
Queens closed the regular season on a four-match winning streak and
capped off the month of October with a 7-1 record for the month. On
Saturday, the Royals grabbed a 1-0 overtime victory over Brevard to
set their record to 9-7 for the season and 7-4 mark in conference
play. The month of October was kind to Queens after finishing the
month of September with an abysmal 2-6 record.
Freshman forward Corey Brown has shined towards the end of the season, totaling four goals and a pair of assists in the Royals' last three matches. Brown provided the game-winner in the team's final three matches and totaled five game-winning goals throughout the year. The freshman enters the postseason ranking second in the league in goals with nine and third in assists with eight.
In goal, Matt Current has come on as of late for the Royals, as he is responsible for three shutouts despite starting in just seven of Queens' last eight contests.
The Series
Tuesday's matchup marks the fifth time Anderson and Queens will
pair up as SAC rivals, as the Trojans have yet to post a victory
over the SAC newcomers. The Royals earned two victories over AU in
2013, headlined by a SAC Tournament win in the title match, while
also earning three overtime victories in the span. Earlier this
season, the Royals earned a 3-2 overtime win in Charlotte, as Brown
provided the game-winner as time expired in the first overtime
period.
