Embry-Riddle vs. Warner Match Notes

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Embry-Riddle (3-2-3, 3-1-1) vs. Warner (4-6-1, 2-3-1)
DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014
CITY: Daytona Beach, Fla.
SITE: ERAU Soccer Stadium
START: 7:30 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Embry-Riddle Gameday Network
LIVE VIDEO: Embry-Riddle Gameday Network
LIVE AUDIO: Embry-Riddle Gameday Network
EMBRY-RIDDLE'S LAST 5 GAMES: 3-1-1
EMBRY-RIDDLE'S LAST 10 GAMES: 4-2-4
WARNER'S LAST 5 GAMES: 1-3-1
WARNER'S LAST 10 GAMES: 4-5-1

EAGLES LOOKING FOR FOURTH TSC WIN
After starting the 2014 season without a win in their first four matches, the Eagles are 3-0-1 in the month of October with three lopsided victories against St. Thomas, Florida Memorial and Ave Maria. ERAU stands in a tie for third in the league table, trailing SCAD Savannah (16) and Thomas (15) at 10 points along with Northwood.

Senior Veit Couturier continues his assault on The Sun Conference and the ERAU record book, racking up a team and conference-high 12 goals and 25 points for the Blue and Gold. His 49 goals ranks third all-time in program history, while his 120 points is fourth all-time, just three away from taking over the second spot on the list.

Other than Couturier, just four of the Eagles' points on the year have come from returners as newcomers have chipped in 31 to the Eagle effort, led by freshmen Daniel Gylfason (3 G, 5 A) and Lewis Blackmore (2 G, 3 A) and sophomore Moriba Ballah (3 G, 2 A).

Nils Carlson has played an astounding 5,812 of a possible 5,902 minutes in his Embry-Riddle career and added his 23rd career shutout on Friday against Ave Maria.

ABOUT THE ROYALS
Warner enters tonight's contest at 4-6-1 overall and 2-4-1 in league action with seven points. The Royals are under the direction of former Southeastern manager Drew Stacey (first season), and just defeated Johnson & Wales, 3-1 on Saturday.

Bruno da Silva leads the team with seven goals and two assists, while both Anthony Lopez and Nicolas Carapia have added three goals for the Royals.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET
Oct. 16, 2013 - LAKE WALES, Fla. - The 11th-ranked Embry-Riddle Eagles survived the Warner Royals' best shot on Wednesday evening, scoring two unanswered goals in the last twenty minutes of play at Royals Field to post a 3-2 comeback road win. The Blue and Gold (9-1, 7-0) stretched its winning streak to eight with the victory, thanks in large part to a pair of goals from freshman Sugurbergur Elisson. The Royals (6-6-1, 3-4) got two goals of their own from senior Diego De la Fuente, but couldn't find the equalizer after Elison's go-ahead goal in the 71st minute of play.

The first half was a true back-and-forth battle between the two sides, with neither team able to impose their will on the other. The Royals recorded the first shot of the contest, but Nils Carlson had no trouble making the save, pushing the ball over the touch line for the first of seven Warner corner kicks in the period.

NAIA National Offensive Player of the Week Nicklas Petersson tallied the first Eagle shot of the evening, but WU's Leo Viala watched the kick go wide right.

The first good opportunity for either team came in the 15th minute of play as a Royals' corner led to a header shot from Daniel Mosquera, but again, Carlson was up to the task, making his second save in as many attempts.

The middle portion of the period seemed to be controlled by the hosts, and on two separate occasions it looked like they would take a lead, but defender Erik Norburg had other plans, clearing two dangerous through balls that would have led to great shots by the Royals.

Veit Couturier had his second shot of the night saved by Viala when the Warner keeper came way off his line to close down the junior forward, and was able to clear the ball when Couturier took his shot.

Viktor Gudnason had a rocket of a shot that was blocked outside the box in the 29th minute, and a few moments later the Eagles' drew first blood on a well built up series of plays. Ally MacDonald got the ball in the Eagle half, carrying it over the line to find Couturier in the middle of the field. Couturier deftly one-touched the ball to a streaking Elisson and the rookie somehow got his right foot on the ball at a near-impossible angle, putting the shot into the upper-left hand corner of the goal for a 1-0 lead.

The first half ended with the visitors in front, but the Royals, celebrating senior night, came out aggresively in the second frame, registering several corner kicks and shots before Miguel Benito found De la Fuente on the right side of the Eagles' goal and the senior flicked it over Carlson to knot the score at 1-1.

The home team continued to up the pressure on the Eagle defenses and in the 59th minute a short corner led to nearly an identical goal for De la Fuente as he beat his defenders and Carlson for a 2-1 Warner lead.

Embry-Riddle was patiently waiting for an opportunity to strike and it finally came in the 71st minute when the Eagles earned a free kick on the left side of the pitch, just outside WU's box. Captain Ally MacDonald stood behind the commotion in the box and when Petersson played the free kick back to Carlson about 25 yards out, no Royal defender was there to meet him. MacDonald's long-range screamer found the back of the net with ease and the Eagles found themselves level at 2-2.

Less than a minute later Petersson was given the ball on the right side of the field, dribbling towards the end line before getting a pass off to Elisson at the near post. The rookie got a head on the cross and Viala couldn't stop it as the Eagles went up, 3-2.

Over the final 20 minutes the Royals outshot the Eagles nine to one, but the Embry-Riddle defense held steady, and Carlson made two big time saves with the clock ticking down to preserve the one-goal differential.

Warner outshot the Eagles 25-12, including an 8-5 advantage on shots on goal. Carlson made six saves in net for the Blue and Gold, earning his ninth win of 2013.

FINAL NAIA SEASON
The Eagles will close out their NAIA program history in the 2014 season as the Embry-Riddle Athletic Department will begin transitioning to NCAA II and the Sunshine State Conference. 2014-15 marks Candidacy Year One for the Embry-Riddle program, followed by Candidacy Year Two in 2015-16 and Provisional Membership in 2016-17.

If Embry-Riddle continues to meet all of the NCAA and SSC requirements, the Eagles will become full-fledged members of the NCAA II and the Sunshine State Conference in 2017-18.

EAGLES RANKED No. 9 IN PRESEASON POLL
Following a succesful 2013 season, the Eagles received preseason recognition from the NAIA Coaches' Poll as Embry-Riddle was slotted ninth in the preseason poll.

ERAU was also chosen to repeat as Sun Conference regular season champions by the league coaches, earning four first-place votes and 93 total points in the poll.

2014 Sun Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Embry-Riddle - 93 (4)
2. Thomas - 91 (4)
3. Northwood - 77 (2)
4. SCAD Savannah - 76 (1)
5. Florida Memorial - 58
6. St. Thomas - 56
7. Southeastern - 45
8. Webber International - 37
9. Warner - 32
10. Johnson & Wales - 24
11. Ave Maria - 16

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team

NUMBERS TO WATCH
5,812 - Career Minutes played by Nils Carlson, second-most all-time in program history.
236 - Wins in Head Coach Dave Gregson's 20-year tenure at Embry-Riddle.
120 - Veit Couturier's career point total. He trails all-time leader Jasmin Kadric by 16 points.
25 - All-time wins against the Royals in ERAU history, compared to three losses and one tie
10 - Points in the league table for the Blue and Gold
1.5 - Goals per game for Couturier in his senior campaign

GREGSON REMAINS ONE OF NAIA'S ELITE
Dave Gregson will coach his 21st season at Embry-Riddle in 2014, and the Eagles' manager holds distinction amongst his NAIA peers. Gregson's 235 victories at ERAU rank 14th on the NAIA's active winningest coaching list, while his .648 winning percentage ranks 10th amongst those coaches.