ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University men's soccer team earned a point at home on Wednesday (Oct. 4) with a hard-fought 0-0 draw against the Tusculum University Pioneers at Spero Financial Field.
Anderson entered the match with a 3-3-1 record, coming off a dominant 4-0 victory over Emory & Henry. Ivan Cardona led the way offensive as he notched a hat trick with three goals.
Both sides struggled to create scoring opportunities in the first half of play, as there were just five total shots with four of them coming from the Pioneers. The defensive back lines for each squad played well to limit chances in the attacking third. The score was a 0-0 stalemate going into the second half.
Tusculum was able to control more possession in the second half, leading to nine total shots, ending the night with six of their 13 shots on goal. Trojan goalkeeper Franco Antoniolli Funes picked up six saves on the night to preserve the clean sheet, as did Tusculum keeper Sondre Liahagen Kolnes who finished with three. At the end of 90 minutes, each team earned a point in the standings with the 0-0 draw.
"Tonight was a game that could have gone either way," said coach Michael Zion. "We fought hard and were tough to break down, but on the other hand lacked in the final third and ultimately could not generate enough offensively to break the deadlock. At the end of the day, we will have wanted more but we were able to pick up a point. Every point matters in this conference and we will keep striving to get into our rhythm. Onto the next one."
Anderson will be back in action on Saturday (Oct. 7) as they travel to Coker University. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m., with video and live stats available at autrojans.com.
