ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University men's soccer team is getting set to host the preseason South Atlantic Conference favorite Carson-Newman University Eagles on Saturday (Sept. 10) at Spero Financial Field.
Wednesday evening marked the first South Atlantic Conference match of the season for the Trojans, as the team picked up a point in a 1-1 draw at Wingate University. Wingate jumped out to an early lead in the first minute as Niclas Wittur escaped the Trojan defense and found the back of the net. However, Anderson answered back in the 12th minute when Steven Udy delivered a great ball to Diego Jaramillo for the equalizing goal. Both defenses held strong the remainder of the 90 minutes of play as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
"While I felt that we deserved more from our performance, I was proud of the team and the character they showed on Wednesday," said coach Michael Zion. "To concede a goal in the first two minutes is difficult, but we responded the right way and got ourselves back in the game with chances to win it. Every point will matter in the end, and a draw on the road against a tough team is valuable. We will shift our focus to the next one and keep moving forward."
Carson-Newman enters the match with a 2-1-2 record, coming off a pair of draws against Lee University (2-2) and Limestone University (1-1). The Eagles played three matches in August, defeating West Alabama (2-1) and Spring Hill (5-3), while falling to No.11 Young Harris by a score of 1-0.
The Eagles earned the top spot in the preseason SAC coaches' poll, picking up seven first place votes. In 2021, C-N won the regular season title and finished the year with an overall record of 11-4-1 and 9-2 in the SAC.
For the ninth year in a row, the Eagles had multiple players selected to the preseason All-SAC team. Forward Harry Whitehead and defender Eric Schmutzer were both named to the first team, which marked the fifth consecutive season in which C-N had multiple players on the preseason first team. Forward Nic Carsh and midfielder Yannick Kranz were tabbed on the second team.
The Trojans will be back in action on Saturday (Sept. 10) when they play host to the Carson-Newman Eagles. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m., with video and live stats available at www.autrojans.com.
