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ROCK HILL, SC—The Winthrop men's soccer team heads to nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina for a midweek showdown.

The Eagles take on the 16^th-ranked Chanticleers at 7 p.m. as the two teams clash for the 46^th time in history. Coastal Carolina leads the all-time series 25-17-3 and has won the last two meetings and three of the previous four. It's one of the longest active rivalries for the Eagles as the two teams began playing in 1978 and have also squared off four times in Big South Conference Championship matches.

Winthrop (6-6, 2-2 BSC) is looking to erase last Saturday's result at Campbell after allowing a season-high five goals as it heads to Conway, SC where it 1-3-1 in the last four regular season games. Two of the three losses were by one goal (both overtime).

This season the Eagles have struggled at times defensively through inconsistent play and injuries and will need to be healthy as well as on top of their game against a Coastal offense ranked 3^rd nationally at 2.71 goals per game. Winthrop is ranked 17^th nationally in scoring at 2.08 goals per game.

Senior Alex Isern continues to be productive offensively as he scored in the loss to Campbell on Saturday to extend his point streak to seven games. He's tied for the team lead with five goals and is leading the team with 16 points. He's currently ranked 15^th nationally in assists per game and 42^nd in points per game.

Tied with Isern for the team lead in goals is juniors Mason Lavallet and Achille Obougou as well as senior Marc Segarra. Lavallet scored the other Eagle goal at Campbell and is now second on the team with 12 points. Obougou has four goals in the past four games while Segarra has been in and out of the lineup with an injury.

Head coach Rich Posipanko said he wasn't sure how many guys will be out for the tough road contest against the Chanticleers, but that all the injuries and guys out with illness couldn't have come at a worse time.

The Eagles will look to avoid the same fate as last season when they suffered one of their worst losses in school history, falling 6-0 to the Chanticleers. In all 45 meetings, seven times has one team scored at least five goals and 22 meetings have been decided by one goal with three ties as well.

Coastal Carolina is coming off an 8-0 drubbing of Virginia Military and is currently 11-1-2 overall and a perfect 6-0 in league play. The Chanticleers have won eight straight games, half of which been shutouts. They are also a perfect 7-0-1 at home with the tie come back on Sept. 9 against Bowling Green, 3-3.

Senior forward Ashton Bennett leads the team offensively with 11 goals on the year. The reigning NCAA scoring champion from a year ago is ranked ninth nationally in goals per game and 11^th in points per game. Bennett isn't the only scoring threat as sophomore Ricky Garbanzo has six goals and four assists while freshman Tevin Skyers and senior Robby Joe Daniels each have four. Junior midfielder Pedro Ribeiro is a skillful player that leads the team with six assists.

Sophomore Federico Bertele has been solid in net for the Chanticleers as he's ranked 11^th nationally in goals against average (.636) and has recorded three shutouts. Coastal Carolina currently has a two-game shutout streak going at CCU Soccer Field.

Game Notes:
-Winthrop is 7-11-2 all-time against Coastal Carolina in Conway, SC
-The Eagles have actually won two of the last three meetings in Conway having defeated them twice in 2008
-Coastal has at least three goals in five straight games
-Three of Winthrop's wins this season have come on the road
-Last time the Eagles faced the Chanticleers when they were ranked nationally was in 2011 as CCU won 6-0 on Eagle Field
-The Eagles have started a different combination in the back in half of the team's games this year
-Winthrop has won four of its last six games
-Ashton Bennett of Coastal Carolina has scored in four straight games and has scored two goals in each of the last three