ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University men's soccer team finished in a highly intense 1-1 draw with South Atlantic Conference foe Lenoir-Rhyne on Wednesday (Sept. 20) at Spero Financial Field. The Trojans came into the match off a 3-1 victory over the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters in the SAC season opener, after their first match was postponed at Carson-Newman (Sept.9).
It was a competitive and chippy 90 minutes of play between the two teams as the match ended with 10 yellow cards, five on each side. In the first 45 minutes, the Bears and Trojans were feeling each other out as each side struggled to create scoring opportunities with the Bears having a six to five shot advantage.
To start the second half, Lenoir-Rhyne was able to control possession and the pace of play. They outshot Anderson 16 to four in the half while having two more corners. However, in the 79th minute the Trojans were able to capitalize in the attacking third. Ivan Cardona broke free on the outside to connect with Mariano Carpena who found the back of the net off a header. Lenoir-Rhyne answered back to even the score in the 87th minute as Colton Eliasen's shot deflected off an Anderson defender and by goalkeeper Franco Antoniolli Funes, who finished the night with five saves.
Anderson will be back in action on Wednesday (Sept. 27) as they travel to take on the No.8 nationally ranked Limestone Saints. Gametime is set for 7:30 p.m., with video and live stats available at autrojans.com.
