ANDERSON, S.C. - After taking its longest break away from the field of the season, Anderson University women's soccer return to Trojan Stadium on Saturday to complete a three-match homestand against Tusculum for a South Atlantic Conference showdown. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Trojans
AU has gone without a setback in its last three contests, finishing
2-0-1 as it closed the month of September. With their recent
success, the Trojans are 4-3-1 on the season and hold a 2-1-1 mark
in conference play as they sit in a tie with Queens for fifth place
in the standings. With Anderson's next victory, the Trojans will
match last season's win total for the season as the 2013 edition of
the Black and Gold finished the year with a 5-7-5 overall
record.
Freshman Lyssa Engle led the AU offense last week, scoring all of the Trojans' five goals, highlighted by a four goal effort in a 4-1 win over Mars Hill. For her stellar offensive performance, the Fairborn, Ohio native captured co-SAC Player of the Week honors, becoming the first Trojan since 2011 to earn the honor. With the five goals for the week, Engle ranks second in the conference with eight goals scored on the year. Currently, Engle has scored more goals by herself than four teams in the league have scored this season.
Fellow freshman Maddie Volz also ranks in the top-10 in goals scored, as she has totaled four goals on the year. With Volz's goal tally, the freshmen pair of Engle and Volz is responsible for 63 percent of Anderson's goals scored on the year. Volz's season has been headlined by an 11-point performance in a 9-0 victory over Coker on Sept. 20. Volz paced the Trojans with her first collegiate hat trick while also dishing out two assists to lead AU to its first conference win of the year.
Teammates Alaina Gay and Rachael Whaling each have a pair of goals on the year, while Emily Cowan, Brooke Forrest and Mariana Poveda each have a goal on the year. Cowan is currently tied with Volz for the team-lead in assists with four.
Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper Sadie Lancaster has been
between the posts for every minute this season. Lancaster has three
shutouts on the season, while ranking ninth in the SAC in saves
with 28.
The Pioneers
Tusculum snapped a brief two-match losing streak on Wednesday when
it knocked off Conference Carolinas opponent Lees-McRae with a 4-1
triumph. With the victory, the Pioneers moved to 6-3-1 overall
record while still clinging to a 2-1 mark in the SAC. Despite the
two-match winless streak, TC has won four of its last six
contests.
Equaling Queens for the most matches played up to this point of the season, Tusculum ranks just behind AU in goals scored on the year with 15, four behind Saturday's opponent in AU. A well-balanced TC offense has seen seven different Pioneers score a goal this season as junior forward Taylor Lewis leads the team with five goals and an assist on the year. Lewis led the Pioneers with two goals in TC's 4-1 win over LMC on Wednesday.
Sophomore Shannele Sunderland ranks second on the team with three goals, while teammates Katie Chadwick and Payton DeHart follow with two goals and six points apiece. Junior Gabrielle Whitt has one goal this season, but currently leads the team in shots on goal with 11.
In goal, goalkeepers Marissa Williams and Miriah Martin have shared time with Williams earning the most starts with six. Williams has made 28 saves on the year and has posted three shutouts. Martin, who has started in four contests, enters Saturday with 17 saves and holds a perfect 4-0 record with two clean sheets.
The Series
Last season, Anderson and Tusculum played to a scoreless draw as
then-freshman Lancaster earned her first collegiate shutout playing
in place of an injured Kaitlyn Neipp. Since 2010, AU holds a 1-2-2
record against the Pioneers with its only win coming by a
double-overtime 1-0 win in 2011.
