ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University men's soccer team dropped their 2022 season opener on Thursday (Aug. 25) to No.3 nationally ranked Nova Southeastern by a score of 2-0.
The Sharks were able to get on the scoreboard early, as in the 16th minute Floris van Nijnanten escaped the Trojan defense and found the back of the net. Just a few moments later, the Sharks had another great scoring opportunity after drawing a penalty kick. However, Anderson goalkeeper Amos Uber made a terrific diving save to keep the score at 1-0. He would finish the game with eight saves.
From that point on, both teams competed hard and each had their fair share of scoring opportunities, with Nova Southeastern outshooting Anderson 12-9 throughout the 90 minutes of play.
Early in the second half, the Trojans created a great equalizing opportunity as freshman Diego Jaramillo's shot was blocked, meanwhile Phillip Siegwald was there for the rebound but Nova Southeastern goalkeeper Eduardo D'Avino made one of his four saves of the evening. In the 72nd minute, Alberto Rentero scored the second and final goal of the night as he found the lower right corner of the net, fueling the 2-0 win for the Sharks.
"I am proud of the team and their efforts tonight," said coach Zion. "I thought we fought hard for 90 minutes against a good team. We had some great moments and maybe if the ball bounced a different way, the result could have been different. We can learn a lot from this game. We will analyze things and get back to work."
The Trojans will be back in action on Saturday (Aug. 27) as they will take on the Barry University Buccaneers at Spero Financial Field. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m., with video available via Flo Sports and live stats at www.autrojans.com. Stay after the conclusion of the match for fireworks show that is slated to begin around 9:15 p.m.
