ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University men's soccer team scored eight goals in their South Atlantic Conference quarterfinal match on Monday (Apr. 5) against Mars Hill, advancing to the semifinals with an 8-0 win.
The Trojans got on the scoreboard early in the sixth minute of the match when Andres Osorio played a through ball to Harry Ward, setting him up for his third goal of the season. Just ten minutes later, Renato Oban escaped the Lions defense for the second goal of the night.
Perhaps the goal of the night came in the 22nd minute when Alexandre Cox-Ashwood broke free on the left side of the field, and connected on a cross with Ben Lemen. Lemen launched a rocket to the upper left corner of the net to give the Trojans a 3-0 lead. Before halftime, Caleb Compton scored a pair of goals to grow the lead to 5-0 heading to the intermission.
"A big-time performance from our team tonight," said coach Michael Zion. "We were sharp in front of goal, moved the ball with confidence, and defended well."
It was more of the same in the second half, as the Trojans continued to control the pace of the game. Compton scored his third goal in the first few minutes of the second half to complete the hat trick. Miguel Gallegos and Eloy Allimadi scored a pair of goals to fuel the 8-0 victory for Anderson.
"I'm proud of the team and what we accomplished tonight," said Zion. "It was fantastic to play in front of our home fans and honor our seniors."
The Trojans will be back in action on Thursday (Apr. 8) when they travel to face Lenoir-Rhyne in the semi-finals. The game is scheduled to start at 7:00, with live coverage available at www.autrojans.com.
