ROCK HILL, SC— Winthrop men's soccer closes out the regular season on the road Wednesday evening when it takes on Gardner-Webb at Greene-Harbison Stadium.
 
GAME SNAPSHOT AT GARDNER-WEBB
WHO: Winthrop (5-9-2, 3-3-1 Big South) at Gardner-Webb (8-7-1, 5-2 Big South)
WHEN: Nov. 6, 2019 / 6 p.m.
WHERE: Boiling Springs, NC (Greene-Harbison Stadium)
BROADCAST: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Statbroadcast
FOLLOW ON TWITTER: @Winthropsoccer
TICKETS:  Free Admission

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS GARDNER-WEBB
This series dates back to 1990 when the two teams first met in Boiling Springs. This marks the 25^th meeting all-time as the Eagles lead the series 16-6-2 overall and 7-3-1 in Big South regular season meetings. Gardner-Webb has won the last two meetings, outscoring the Eagles 10-1 in those two contests.  
 
LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET
Winthrop and Gardner-Webb last met Oct. 9, 2018 in Rock Hill, SC on Eagle Field. The Runnin' Bulldogs grabbed an early lead when Jack Hoey headed home a cross in the 18^th minute. The Eagles equalized before halftime when Marc Carreras ripped a shot top corner, only to have Gardner-Webb retake the lead 20 seconds later on another goal by Hoey. Gardner-Webb earned its third goal of the match on a header from Mads Rismoen in the 73^rd minute and added another goal moments later when as David Morenoa found the back of the net. Winthrop had a 12-10 advantage in shots and shots on goal (7-5).
 
SCOUTING GARDNER-WEBB
The Runnin' Bulldogs clinched the third seed for the Big South Tournament with its 2-1 overtime win at Presbyterian College on Saturday. It was the second straight win for Gardner-Webb following a three-game skid with losses to UAB, Campbell and High Point. Ranked second in the league in scoring at 1.81 goals per game, the offense is led by Oskar Wang (8g, 4a). Wang is 1-of-4 players with four or more goals as he's joined by Pedro Benito (5g), Jorge Salgado (4g), and Abel Gebrekiros (4g). Daniel Husa has anchored the Runnin' Bulldogs defense, playing all but 86 minutes this season. Husa is 7-7-1 and has three shutouts to go along with a 1.87 goals against average. This season Gardner-Webb is 2-2-1 at home having won its last home match 5-0 over UNC Asheville.
 
A GLANCE AT WINTHROP
Eagles pulled off an improbable win on Saturday, scoring four goals in the final 11 minutes to earn a 6-4 road victory and push their unbeaten streak to five games. Jordan Walshaw netted a hat trick and assisted on two other goals to help lead the Eagles to victory. For his efforts he was named the Big South Conference Co-Attacking Player of the Week. The win qualified the Eagles for the Big South Conference Tournament, its first trip since 2015. It had been 16 years since the Eagles last scored six or more goals in a road game and nine years since scoring six in a conference game. Walshaw now has four goals and nine assists for 17 points on the year, which ranks 3^rd in the Big South. With nine assists this season, Walshaw is tied for 4^th nationally while leading the Big South. Marc Carreras assisted on the opening goal of the game at Upstate and now has a point in four straight games (4g, 1a). Walshaw is 4^th in the Big South in points per game (1.07) while Carreras is 9^th at 0.79 ppg. Winthrop is currently tied with Presbyterian College in the standings and both teams have a chance to earn a home game for the conference tournament quarterfinals.    
 
10^th YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF 2009 BIG SOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP
This season the Eagles celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the 2009 Big South Conference Championship team. The Eagles were coming off a championship in 2008 as it lost some of the greatest players in the history of the program. The Eagles were still loaded with talent and after dropping the opener 3-1 at North Carolina State, they won five in a row. Heading into the Big South Tournament the Eagles were struggling, having lost three straight (outscored 10-1). Winthrop, seeded fourth, defeated Gardner-Webb in penalties to advance to the semifinals and then advanced to the championship after defeating top-seeded Coastal Carolina 4-2 in penalties. The Eagles went on to defeat Liberty 2-1 in the championship game, advancing to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season. Winthrop went on to lose 3-2 at 20^th-ranked Duke in the opening round of the NCAA College Cup.

BIG SOUTH PRESEASON POLL
The Eagles were voted 7^th in the 2019 Big South Conference preseason poll. Winthrop returns nine players that started at least eight games from a team that was 3-5 in the league last year. The Eagles finished in 7^th last season, a point out of tying Longwood and USC Upstate for 6^th. Defending regular-season champion High Point is the preseason favorite while Radford and Campbell tied for 2^nd in the poll.
 
WHAT'S AHEAD
Winthrop will await the results from Wednesday's action to see where it is seeded and where it will play on Sunday in the Big South Tournament quarterfinals.
 
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
To keep up with the latest news on the Winthrop men's soccer program follow the Eagles on Twitter (@Winthropsoccer), Instagram (@winthropsoccer) and Facebook (/WinthropUniversitySoccer).