DUE WEST, S.C. – The Anderson University men's soccer team picked up a non-conference win on the road at the Erskine College Flying Fleet on Saturday (Oct. 15) by a score of 2-1.
The Trojans entered the match coming off a crucial 2-0 victory on Tuesday (Oct. 11) over the Mars Hill Lions, putting them a point behind for the eighth spot in the conference standings. Meanwhile, the Flying Fleet entered at 1-11-1, and a 1-7-1 clip in the Conference Carolinas, trying to end a five-match losing streak.
In the first half, the Trojans did a great job in the attacking third applying pressure on the Erskine defense. Anderson totaled nine shots in the first 45 minutes of action, with four of them coming on goal. However, Erskine's defense held strong as goalkeeper Evan Zizek finished with four of his five saves on the night coming in the first half.
Anderson continued to control the pace of play in the second half, finally finding the back of the net in the 49th minute as Pablo Sanz scored for the second consecutive match, and fourth of the season, to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead. In the 80th minute, senior midfielder Martin Carpena scored which proved to be the game-winning goal, finding the low left corner of the net to make the score 2-0. The Flying Fleet got on the scoreboard in the 89th minute, although an attempt at a rally proved to be too little too late, as the Trojans picked up the 2-1 win.
It was an all-around team effort for coach Michael Zion's squad. Defender Nick DeFazio was an anchor on the back line, totaling 87 minutes. Goalkeeper Simon Kratzer finished with two saves in his third start of the season.
"As a team we are undefeated in the last five matches, we are moving forward in the right direction," said coach Michael Zion. "We hope to keep the momentum going as we head into our last two conference matches with a playoff spot on the line."
The Trojans will be back in action on Saturday (Oct. 22) as they host the Catawba College Indians on senior night. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m., with coverage available on autrojans.com.
