ANDERSON, S.C. - Looking to increase the university's lead for its third consecutive Beville Cup, Anderson University women's soccer prepares for its final regular season nonconference matchup when it welcomes archrival Erskine to Trojan Stadium on Wednesday. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m.
The Trojans
Last week, AU splits its South Atlantic Conference matches,
beginning with a victory over Brevard on Wednesday, but followed
the three points with a setback against regionally-ranked Wingate
on Saturday. With the split, Anderson holds a 5-9-1 overall mark
with a 3-6-1 record in league play as they hold the eighth place
slot in the SAC standings. An eighth place finish in the final
standings would secure a spot into next week's SAC Tournament,
which begins on Nov. 4.
With a victory next Saturday at Carson-Newman, the Trojans would earn the No. 8 seed in the tournament and will travel to the league's regular season champion in the quarterfinals. A win would mark AU's first appearance in the SAC Tournament since 2012.
Junior defender Faith Johannes scored Anderson's two goals against Brevard last Wednesday, as the Las Vegas, Nev. native has scored AU's last three goals, snapping a six-goal streak by freshman Lyssa Engle. Johannes has three goals to her credit this season, while Engle has tallied nine goals, which ranks fourth in the SAC. As a team, the Trojans rank sixth in goals scored with 23 on the year.
Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper Sadie Lancaster ranks fifth in
the conference with 57 saves, as she has played between the posts
for a league-leading 1,365 minutes this season. Lancaster also
ranks eighth with her five wins on the year, while also corralling
two shutouts.
The Flying Fleet
Erskine enters the rivalry match having won one match in its last
seven, as it holds a 3-10-1 overall record with a 2-7 mark in
Conference Carolinas. The Fleet's last victory came on Oct. 16 when
it knocked off in-state rival South Wesleyan in overtime, 1-0.
Since the victory, Erskine has dropped two straight to conference
rivals Barton, 3-1, and to King, 3-2.
Katherine Coleman leads the Fleet attack with four goals on the year, despite playing in 11 of the team's 14 contests. With the junior's score tally, Coleman is responsible for 33-percent of the team's goals, as the team ranks ninth in Conference Carolinas in goal scored with 12. Teammate Kate Harrington follows Coleman with three goals, as she leads the team with 39 shots. Harrington is the only player on the team with 20 or more shots on the year.
In goal, junior goalkeeper Ashton Burgess has earned the start in all 14 matches, making a conference-leading 128 saves for the season. Burgess has three shutouts to her credit this season, while she ranks fifth in the league in save percentage with a .815 mark.
The Series
Anderson looks to remain unbeaten against Erskine since AU broke
away from Conference Carolinas and jumped into the SAC before the
start of the 2010 season. Last year, the Trojans cruised to 5-0
shutout in Due West as Johannes, Anna Masdottir and Emily Perez all
scored goals in the win.
NOTE: The women's soccer program will conduct its "Kick ALS" Night, as the team will look to raise awareness and funds towards the fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. The team will wear special red jerseys that are currently being auctioned off the team's Facebook page.
