ANDERSON, S.C. - Putting together five wins in its last six matches, Anderson University men's soccer looks to continue its winning ways Saturday for Homecoming against Lincoln Memorial on Saturday at Trojan Stadium. The South Atlantic Conference matchup is set for 3:30 p.m., immediately following the Homecoming ceremonies.
The Trojans
Since its heartbreaking 3-2 double-overtime loss to SAC leader
Queens on Sept. 25, AU has captured five wins, as all five has come
by just one goal. Most recently, the Trojans knocked off
non-conference foe UNC Pembroke 2-1 in double-overtime as redshirt
sophomore Andre Carle scored both goals to give him 10 tallies on
the season. Carle now has three matches this season where he has
scored two or more goals and has four game-winners on the year.
With Carle leading the way, Anderson has scored the most goals of any SAC team this season with 31. QU and Catawba are second on the goals list, each posting 28 for the year. Freshman Aaron Roberson is second on the team with five goals, while classmate Paul von Hinueber and junior Mattias Schyberg each have three.
Defensively, freshman Bo Haug has tallied eight of AU's nine wins on the year. Haug, who has 43 saves through 12 contests, holds a 1.03 goals against average with three shutouts.
Anderson currently sits alone in third place in the conference standings, as QU continues to lead the pack with a perfect 7-0 record and 21 points. With AU's 4-2-1 conference mark, the Trojans are a point behind Wingate which holds 15 points with a 5-2 SAC record. With four conference matches left, Anderson is seeking a top-four finish in the conference standings to host a SAC Tournament quarterfinal match.
The Railsplitters
Lincoln Memorial comes into Saturday's meeting with a
6-5-1 overall record and a 3-3-1 SAC mark. The Railsplitters find
themselves in a three-way tie for fifth place alongside Catawba and
Coker. In its most recent match, LMU knocked off NAIA's Trevecca
Nazarene 4-1 on Thursday afternoon.
Scoring in the match was senior Mario Pinto who is one of the most decorated men's soccer players in conference history. Pinto was named SAC Player of the Year last season, as he also garnered Daktronics First Team All-America, NSCAA Second Team All-America, Daktronics Southeast Player of the Year and Daktronics All-Southeast Region First Team all last season. For his career, Pinto has scored 45 goals and has notched 13 assists and in coming off a hat trick against Trevecca Nazarene. Pinto needs just four more goals to break the LMU school record for career goals.
Junior goalkeeper Marcel Barwanietz has started all 12 matches this season for LMU, recording 1.2 shutouts and matching Lincoln Memorial's overall record of 6-5-1. Barwanietz has made 34 stops with a 1.44 goals against average on the year.
The Series
Last season, Anderson and Lincoln Memorial squared off
twice with two wild matchups. In the regular season meeting in
Harrogate, the Railsplitters handed the Trojans their worst defeat
of the season, as AU fell 7-1 to LMU. The teams met later in the
season, as Anderson got its revenge, defeating LMU 1-0 in the SAC
Championship match.
The 7-1 regular season loss was Lincoln Memorial's first win over the Trojans since AU joined the SAC in 2012. AU currently holds a 3-1 against the Railsplitters.
