MARS HILL, N.C. - Freshman forward Kenzie Van Heusen knocked in a rebound from a free kick with 26 seconds remaining and handed Anderson University women's soccer a 2-1 victory over South Atlantic Conference rival Mars Hill in its regular-season finale on Saturday at Belk Field.
With the win, the Trojans set the program record for the most triumphs for a regular season with 14, as they capture their second straight victory and improve to 14-3 on the season. AU also ends its conference schedule with an 8-3 mark, as it begins its postseason on Tuesday with the opening round of the SAC Championship. Mars Hill (4-13-1, 2-9 SAC) saw its season come to a close with the setback.
"It's great for our team to end the regular season with such a convincing record," Anderson head coach Ciaran Traquair said. "Hopefully it gives us a little boost for the first round of the SAC Tournament."
The Trojans controlled the majority of the match, out-shooting the home side 15-3, despite recording just two shots for the first 45 minutes. Junior attacker Idoia Agirre closed the afternoon with a match-high four shots, while Van Heusen and defender Faith Johannes followed with three shots apiece.
After a scoreless first half that saw a combined three shots between the teams, Anderson found the scoreboard early in the 50th minute when Agirre brought in a pass from teammate Alaina Gay and struck a shot into the back of the net. Agirre closes the regular season with 20 goals, becoming the first SAC player since Wingate's Jade Montgomery to eclipse the 20-goal mark in the season, after she scored 21 in 19 matches in 2012.
Despite the goal, the Lions fought back seconds later in the 52nd minute when MHU's Abby Mills broke away from the Trojan backline and netted her first goal of the season to even the score at 1-1. The goal would come from one of Mars Hill's three shots for the match.
Following the Lion goal, Anderson fired nine shots for the remainder of the half until the 10th shot proved costly for the home side. After the Trojans were awarded a free kick just outside the Mars Hill 18-yard box, Agirre placed a shot on goal and forced MHU goalkeeper Tori Stajduhar to make a save. Unable to corral the shot, Van Heusen found the loose ball inside the box and fired it past Stajduhar for her ninth goal of the season and make the score 2-1 with 26 seconds left on the clock. For Agirre, the assist was her seventh of the season, which ties her with Van Heusen for the team lead.
"It was a very typical end-of-a-season match that lacked energy and quality," Traquair said. "The tempo and quality was not at the standard that we expect, but the girls got it done in the end."
Freshman goalkeeper Abby Helm grabbed one save for the afternoon, as she notched her 13th win between the posts on the year. Helm's counterpart, Stajduhar, totaled 10 saves for the match marking her second-highest save total of the campaign.
With the regular season coming to a close, Anderson looks towards the postseason, seeking its first SAC Championship win in program history when it travels to fourth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne on Tuesday. The matchup will be a rematch of AU's opening-round contest from last season when L-R ended the Trojans' season with a 3-1 win before eventually advancing to the SAC title match. Kick-off from Bears Field is scheduled for 7 p.m.
