Box Score
Box score
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Despite freshman defender Nick Bryant scoring
the match's first goal, fifth-seeded Anderson University men's
soccer could not hang onto its lead, as fourth-seeded Queens
eliminated the Trojans from the postseason, 2-1, Tuesday evening at
the Queens Sports Complex.
With the setback, AU closes its 2015 campaign with an even 8-8-1
overall record, while the Royals (10-7) advance to the semifinals
where they will square off with top-seeded Carson-Newman in Rock
Hill on Friday.
The Trojans posted 10 shots for the contest, as senior forward
Andre Carle led the way with three, while Bryant followed from the
backline with a pair of shots. Five Anderson shots found the frame
with Bryant's first-half tally being the only to get past Queens'
goalkeeper Matt Current.
Bryant's goal came in the 14th minute of action when the Trojans
were awarded a corner kick. Junior midfielder Brad Du Plooy sent a
cross into the Royal box and found the head of Bryant who chipped
in his first goal of his collegiate career. For Du Plooy, the
assist was his sixth of the year, marking the most by an AU player
since 2013.
The advantage was short-lived, as the home side responded in the
22nd minute when freshman Corey Brown sent a corner into the
Anderson box and found teammate Caio Maciel. Maciel knocked in his
second goal of the campaign and evened the score at 1-1, which
eventually set the halftime score.
In the second half, the Royals fired four shots before AU
tallied its first, as the fifth Queens shot proved costly. Moving
into the 67th minute, Brown broke away from the Trojan backline and
found teammate Ryan Ejezie inside the 18-yard box and fired a shot
past Trojan goalkeeper Devon Ashy for the eventual game-winning
goal. The tally was Ejezie's second of the year.
Anderson totaled three more shots for the remainder of the
match, but could not find the back of the net. In Queens' goal,
Current ended the match with four saves to lead the home side to
the semifinals.
The setback pushes AU's record to 10-2-2 all-time in the SAC
Championship since joining the league before the 2010 season.