EMBRY-RIDDLE

Oct. 26, 2013 | Thomasville, Ga. | TU Soccer Complex

All-Time Series Record: Embry-Riddle leads 6-1

Last Three Meetings
Oct. 20, 2012 | ERAU, 3-1
Aug. 28, 2011 | ERAU, 2-1
Oct. 5, 2007 | TU, 3-2

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
#11 Embry-Riddle (11-1, 9-0) at #24 Thomas (10-3-2, 6-0-2)
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013
CITY: Thomasville, Ga.
SITE: TU Soccer Complex
START: 2 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Stretch Internet
EMBRY-RIDDLE'S LAST 5 GAMES: 5-0
EMBRY-RIDDLE'S LAST 10 GAMES: 10-0
EMBRY-RIDDLE ON THE ROAD IN 2013: 6-0
THOMAS AT HOME IN 2013: 6-0

AT A GLANCE
11th-ranked Embry-Riddle travles to 24th-ranked Thomas on Saturday with a chance at an undefeated Sun Conference regular season. The Eagles have aleady solidified the 2013 league regular season crown after their 2-1 overtime road win over SCAD Savannah on Wednesday, but they could become the first Sun Conference team since Palm Beach Atlantic (7-0-0) in 2001 to post an undefeated and untied mark in league action.

ABOUT THE NIGHT HAWKS
Head Coach Ricky Zambrano has his team humming as Thomas has not been beaten on the pitch in 10 matches. A 4-3 loss to Talladega on Sept. 7 was forfeited by TC, so the Night Hawks bring an 11-game unbeaten streak into Saturday's contest, including a 6-0 mark at home.

The Night Hawks are one of the best offensive teams in the country, averaging 3.0 goals per contest and a very impressive 18.8 shots per game and 10.4 shots on frame each match (sixth-best in the nation). The Eagles and Night Hawks rank in the top two in the conference in every offensive category, and are 2-3 in goals allowed oer game, trailing only Webber International.

TU looks to a pair of forwards for the majority of its offense in senior Rowan Liburd and sophomore Jarrod Ingram. Liburd's 12 goals leads The Sun Conference while Ingram's 11 ranks second. The two have combined for 101 shots with 65 of those on frame. Steven Conway paces the team with eight assists.

Alex Condell has appeared in goal for TU the last four games, allowing just four scores, while Andres Payne played in TU's last game against Northwood, allowing one goal.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET
Oct. 20, 2012 - DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle men's soccer team registered perhaps the biggest win of the season in late October when they toppled 16^th-ranked Thomas in Sun Conference action at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium. The Eagles improved their overall record to 5-8-1 overall and 5-3-1 in league play to close out its 2012 regular season home schedule, while Thomas moved to 12-4 overall and 7-2 in the conference.
 
The Night Hawks got their offense going early as Rowan Liburd tested ERAU goalkeeper Nils Carlson with a strike in the fifth minute. The Eagles had their first scoring chance of the night in the ninth minute when Ally MacDonald was brought down on the line of the 18-yard box. Taking the resulting free kick, MacDonald was able to bend the ball around the Thomas wall, but Night Hawk goalkeeper Andi Hoffer saw the ball at the last minute and managed to get a glove to it to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard.
 
The next few minutes saw the Eagles pinned in their half as Thomas increased its offensive intensity, outshooting the Eagles 4-0 in a five-minute stretch. After Nathan Would hit the post on back-to-back shot attempts the Night Hawks were able to score when Luke Salmon collected Would's second miss and slotted a shot past Carlson into the far side netting  to put the Night Hawks up 1-0.
 
After absorbing even more offensive pressure in a half that saw the Night Hawks outshoot the Blue and Gold 11-3, the Eagles created some offense of their own. Sam Farihurst, playing in the final home game of his Embry-Riddle career, played a long ball across the field to MacDonald who then combined with Marcus Starke for the give-and-go on the left side. After outrunning his Thomas defender, MacDonald lifted a cross into the box where Nicklas Petersson rose above two Night Hawk defenders to pull the Eagles level with his fifth goal of the season.
 
The ERAU goal came with less than three minutes left in the first frame and neither team was able to creating additional scoring chances, sending the game into the halftime break with a 1-1 tie.
 
The Eagles' second goal of the night came in the 59th minute through another combination play between MacDonald and Starke on the left side. The play started deep in the Eagles' defensive third when Carlson played the ball out to MacDonald just outside the box. MacDonald passed the ball up the field to Starke and once again continued his run allowing Starke to get the ball back to him. MacDonald sent in his second cross of the night from the left side, but this time his cross found Veit Couturier who volleyed the ball past Hoffer to put ERAU up 2-1.
 
With just under 10 minutes remaining, the Eagles added an insurance goal. A series of quick passes led to Fairhurst getting the ball at his feet. Working along the top of the box, Fairhurst drew the Thomas defense in with a few touches before finding an unmarked Viktor Gudnason who drilled his first shot of the night past Hoffer to seal the Eagle win.
 
Carlson finished with nine saves on the night, while Hoffer totaled two saves in the Thomas effort.

ALL-TIME SERIES
The Eagles hold a 6-1 lead in the all-time series as the Night Hawks' lone victory came in 2007. Thomas, who before last season had been an independent competitor, has never hosted the Eagles in Thomasville.

SETTING UP THE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The Eagles have clinched the No. 1 seed and home field advantage throughout the 2013 TSC Tournament. ERAU will host the No. 8 seed in the tournament on Nov. 9, but the opponent has yet to be determined. If the Blue and Gold win that quarterfinal match, they will then host the semifinals and finals at the ERAU Soccer Stadium on Nov. 15-16.

ONE OF THE ELITE COACHES
Entering his 20th season at the helm of Embry-Riddle Men's Soccer, Dave Gregson ranked 13th in the NAIA on the active winningest coaching list. Gregson's 230-119-25 record through 20 seasons of play gives him a .648 winning percentage.