CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Despite freshman defender Nick Bryant scoring the match's first goal, fifth-seeded Anderson University men's soccer could not hang onto its lead, as fourth-seeded Queens eliminated the Trojans from the postseason, 2-1, Tuesday evening at the Queens Sports Complex.
With the setback, AU closes its 2015 campaign with an even 8-8-1 overall record, while the Royals (10-7) advance to the semifinals where they will square off with top-seeded Carson-Newman in Rock Hill on Friday.
The Trojans posted 10 shots for the contest, as senior forward Andre Carle led the way with three, while Bryant followed from the backline with a pair of shots. Five Anderson shots found the frame with Bryant's first-half tally being the only to get past Queens' goalkeeper Matt Current.
Bryant's goal came in the 14th minute of action when the Trojans were awarded a corner kick. Junior midfielder Brad Du Plooy sent a cross into the Royal box and found the head of Bryant who chipped in his first goal of his collegiate career. For Du Plooy, the assist was his sixth of the year, marking the most by an AU player since 2013.
The advantage was short-lived, as the home side responded in the 22nd minute when freshman Corey Brown sent a corner into the Anderson box and found teammate Caio Maciel. Maciel knocked in his second goal of the campaign and evened the score at 1-1, which eventually set the halftime score.
In the second half, the Royals fired four shots before AU tallied its first, as the fifth Queens shot proved costly. Moving into the 67th minute, Brown broke away from the Trojan backline and found teammate Ryan Ejezie inside the 18-yard box and fired a shot past Trojan goalkeeper Devon Ashy for the eventual game-winning goal. The tally was Ejezie's second of the year.
Anderson totaled three more shots for the remainder of the match, but could not find the back of the net. In Queens' goal, Current ended the match with four saves to lead the home side to the semifinals.
The setback pushes AU's record to 10-2-2 all-time in the SAC Championship since joining the league before the 2010 season.
