ANDERSON, S.C. -- Trojan striker Adrian Castillo (Alboraya, Spain)'s first goal wearing the Black and Gold, a stunning 62-yard blast, proved to be the difference in Anderson's opening South Atlantic Conference contest against Emory & Henry on Sunday afternoon. The Trojans (3-0-1) defeated the Wasps (0-3) 1-0 to become 1-0 in SAC play. 

The first half was one of alternating possession, as both sides struggled to gain a rhythm. The Trojans had only two shots in the opening 45, while the Wasps tallied four. Emory & Henry earned two corner kicks, with Anderson recording none. The game was scoreless going into the break. 

"I thought we had a really slow start today," said Head Coach Michael Zion, "but great response from the team in the second half. Really gutsy performance. The team had to dig deep and find a way to get the job done, and they did." 

The Black and Gold finally cracked the back-and-forth when the Trojans' defensive performance on a Wasp corner kick resulted in a loose ball making its way to the feet of Castillo. Aware of the E&H keeper's position, Castillo launched the ball from just before midfield to soar 62 yards into the back of the net. His first goal of the season, Castillo's long ball pushed the Trojans to a 1-0 victory. 

"Special goal from Castillo," added Zion, "and a massive group effort to keep and really good E&H team scoreless." 

The gritty matchup saw a combined 32 fouls between the two sides, a season-high for Anderson, who committed 15 of the lot. Seven yellow cards were given during the match, four of which were cautions to the home team. 

AU held off the Wasp attack for eight corner kicks, and Trojan goalie Franco Antoniolli (Cardoba, Argentina) recorded three saves for his second-straight shutout. 

Anderson travels to Mars Hill (Sept. 19) for a Friday night under the lights SAC road game. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM.