ANDERSON, S.C. - After suffering its second setback of the season two weeks ago, Anderson University women's soccer bounced back with a pair of shutouts last week and seeks its third straight victory on Wednesday when it heads to Queens for a South Atlantic Conference clash. Kick-off from the Queens Sports Complex is slated for 7:30 p.m.
The Trojans
In its two victories last week, AU out-scored its opponents, 7-0,
headlined by a 2-0 triumph over SAC rival Catawba for its sixth
conference win on the year. The Trojans are a perfect 6-0 inside
Trojan Stadium on the year and have won their last seven contests
at home dating back to last season. For this season, Anderson heads
into Wednesday's match with a 12-2 overall record with a 6-2 mark
inside the SAC, as it sits in a tie with Lenoir-Rhyne for third
place in the league standings.
Freshman striker Kenzie Van Heusen shined on Saturday against the Catawba Indians with a goal and an assist in the 2-0 victory. With the assist, Van Heusen is tied for the SAC lead with seven assists, while also ranking seventh in the conference in goals with eight and fourth in points with 23. Junior forward Idoia Agirre continues to lead the conference in four offensive categories including goals (18), points (42), shots (69) and shots on goal (52).
Defensively, all three Trojan goalkeepers saw action between the posts last week, as freshman Abby Helm recorded her third complete clean sheet for the season against Catawba, making six saves. Helm paces the SAC with 11 wins on the year, as her 0.87 goals-against average in second in the league.
The Royals
Queens University of Charlotte has not dropped a match in its last
five contests, entering Wednesday with a 4-0-1 record in its last
five matches. Most recently, the Royals knocked off Newberry on the
road, 2-1, which improved their record to 7-5-2 for the year with a
5-2-1 mark in conference play, as they sit alone in fifth place in
the current SAC standings.
Leading the Royals attack on the year is freshman Charlotte Ring who has scored seven goals and accumulated 15 points for the season. Ring scored Queens' game-winning goal on Saturday in the victory over Newberry, netting the match's final tally in the 69th minute of play. Two matches prior to the win, Ring recorded her first career hat trick in a 4-1 triumph over Mars Hill on Oct. 10.
In goal, senior Tori Danchak has earned starts in all 14 matches on the year, seeing over 1,241 minutes played. Danchak ranks fourth in the SAC with 66 saves as her season is headlined by a 10-save performance in a scoreless draw with Lincoln Memorial on Sept. 19.
The Series
Wednesday's match marks the third time Anderson and Queens have
locked up as SAC rivals, as the previous two matchups have ended in
identical 1-1 draws. The Trojans have never beaten their Tar Heel
State rivals in their program's history, dating back to the teams'
Conference Carolinas years.
