ANDERSON, S.C. - Matching its longest winning streak of the season on Wednesday, Anderson University men's soccer seeks its fifth straight win as the Trojans hit the road to Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday. Start time from the Moretz Sports - Athletic Complex is set for 5 p.m.
The Trojans
With a 3-2 win over Newberry on Wednesday, Anderson moved
to 8-2-1 overall and into a three-way tie for second place in the
South Atlantic Conference standings with Wingate and Mars Hill,
each having a 4-2 record. Queens continues to lead the conference
after moving to a perfect 6-0 in league play with a 2-1 win over
Catawba on Wednesday night.
In the midst of Anderson's four match winning streak, AU received goals from six different goal scorers to outscore its opponents 9-5. Redshirt sophomore Andre Carle, who scored two goals on Wednesday, led the team with three goals, while freshman Aaron Roberson netted two against North Georgia to follow Carle. Redshirt sophomore Henrique Gazzi notched two assists against NGU to pace the team in the category.
A major factor in the winning streak has been the play of freshman goalkeeper Bo Haug who recorded each win, making nine saves and posting two clean sheets. For the season, Haug is 7-2-1 on the year, with 40 saves and a 1.08 goals against average which ranks fourth in the league.
The Bears
After winning six of its first eight contests, L-R has
dropped three straight, including two SAC matches to Carson-Newman
(3-0) and Mars Hill (1-0), respectively. With their 2-3 conference
mark, the Bears are currently tied with C-N for eighth place in the
conference with six points.
Junior midfielder Ben Jones will be the focal point for the AU backline as he enters Saturday's match with six goals on 57 shots this season. Jones continues to lead the team with 30 shots on goal, as classmate Daniel Delderfield is second on the team in the category with just eight. Delferfield is one of four players on the L-R roster to play in every minute this season.
Defensively, the Bears are led by defender Tom Holland who was Lenoir-Rhyne's lone representative on the Preseason All-SAC first team. Holland, who has yet to record any points for the year, has started in 10 of L-R's 11 matches. In goal, the Bears have sent out just one goalkeeper as senior Stefan Dill matches L-R's 6-5 overall record, making 41 saves and carrying a 1.20 goals against average.
The Series
In last year's regular season finale, AU blanked
Lenoir-Rhyne 2-0 as the Trojans got both their goals from Lars
Zimmerman who netted a goal in each half. Since joining the SAC in
2010, Anderson holds a 4-1 advantage over the Bears, highlighted by
two conference tournament victories. One of those tournament
victories came in 2011 when the Trojans knocked off L-R in the
championship match in overtime, eventually sending AU to the NCAA
Southeast Regional.
