ROCK HILL, SC—Winthrop men's soccer heads to UNC Asheville for a second consecutive road contest as the two will square off at 5 p.m.
GAME SNAPSHOT
WHO: Winthrop (1-7, 0-3 Big South) at UNC Asheville (1-8-2, 0-3 Big South)
WHEN: Oct. 6, 2019 / 5 p.m.
WHERE: Asheville, NC (Greenwood Soccer Field)
BROADCAST: BSN on ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Sidearm
TWITTER GAME UPDATES: @Winthropsoccer
TICKETS: $6 for adults / $4 for children 5-17 / Buy Tickets in advance (
Click Here)
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS UNC ASHEVILLE
Winthrop and Asheville meet for the 43
rd time when the two teams hit the field Saturday evening. It is a series that dates back to the first season for Winthrop soccer in 1974. The Bulldogs were the first opponent in Winthrop men's soccer history and defeated the Eagles 7-0. Asheville won the meeting last year in Rock Hill, 1-0 but the Eagles still lead the all-time series 26-13-3 overall and 20-10-2 when playing a regular season conference matchup. Winthrop has now lost back-to-back games against the Bulldogs by a 1-0 score. Winthrop is 1-3-1 in its last five trips to Greenwood Soccer Field.
THE LAST TIME THESE TWO TEAMS MET
The two teams last squared off on Oct. 25, 2017 in Rock Hill as a goal just 47 seconds into the second half stood as the game-winner for the Bulldogs. Winthrop and Asheville each had 12 shots in the game as Nabil Milani made four saves to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard. Three of the four saves forced Milani to leave his feet as the Eagles tested him with good opportunities.
A GLANCE AT THE EAGLES
Winthrop heads to Asheville looking to end a seven-game losing streak, which has seen the Eagles lose four of the games by a single goal. The Eagles are coming off a 3-0 loss at Presbyterian College, their worst defeat of the season. A victory for Winthrop would put themselves in better position to play their way into the conference tournament but a loss would make it an uphill battle with just four league games following this matchup. Both Winthrop and Asheville are 0-3 in the league as the winner will have the leg up in the chase for a Top 6 spot to advance to the tournament.
WINTHROP LEADERS
GOALS: Alfie Rogers (3)
ASSISTS: Jordan Walshaw (3), Leif Estevez (3)
POINTS: Jordan Walshaw (7), Leif Estevez (7)
SHOTS: Jordan Walshaw (16)
MINUTES: Jordi Mola (669)
A GLANCE AT THE BULLDOGS
Asheville is coming off a heartbreaking loss to High Point on the road as the Panthers scored with six seconds left in the second overtime. It was the second straight game to go into a second overtime for the Bulldogs as they tied Furman at home on Sept. 29. The Bulldogs are 0-2-2 at home this season having earned ties in their last two at Greenwood Soccer Field. Taylor Durall leads the Bulldogs in points (7) and goals (3) while Izaiah Vignali and Lane Carroll each have two goals.
10th YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF 2008 BIG SOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP
This season the Eagles celebrate the 10
th anniversary of the 2008 Big South Conference Championship team. That team survived some of the most dramatic games in program history on its way to a 15-6-1 record overall as it fell 3-1 at William & Mary in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles captured a 3-2 win at Coastal Carolina on Nov. 5 in foggy conditions as Matt Lacey's laser from 35 yards on a counter found the upper left corner of the goal with 4:16 left in regulation. The Eagles rallied in that game from a 2-1 deficit early in the second half to clinch the regular season title. In the conference tournament (Held at Coastal) the Eagles advanced to the title game in penalties against Liberty. The title game saw the Eagles steal their third title in program history against Coastal. The Chanticleers grabbed a 3-2 lead on a penalty kick in the 87
th minute as the Eagles scored with just 21 seconds on the clock to force overtime and then in the 101
st minute Daniel Revivo buried a service to the back post for the golden goal victory.
BIG SOUTH PRESEASON POLL
Winthrop was picked sixth in the Big South preseason poll as High Point was voted as the favorite with 7-of-9 first-place votes. High Point was followed by Radford, Campbell, Presbyterian College and Gardner-Webb. Tied for 7
th was UNC Asheville and Longwood while USC Upstate was voted 9
th. The top six teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the Big South Conference Tournament.
WHAT'S AHEAD
Winthrop returns home for a midweek contest against Gardner-Webb on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. That game will air live on ESPN+.
