Embry-Riddle vs. Webber International Match Notes

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Embry-Riddle (4-2-3, 4-1-1) vs. Webber International (5-6, 1-5)
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014
CITY: Babson Park, Fla.
SITE: Warrior Field
START: 3:30 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: 4-0-1
EMBRY-RIDDLE'S LAST 10 GAMES: 4-2-4
WEBBER INTERNATIONAL'S LAST 5 GAMES: 1-4
WEBBER INTERNATIONAL'S LAST 10 GAMES: 4-6

EAGLES LOOKING FOR FIFTH TSC WIN
Embry-Riddle is looking to win its third consecutive match on Saturday as the Eagles head to Babson Park, Fla. to take on Webber International.  ERAU is coming off a 1-0 victory over Warner on Wednesday.  With 13 points, the Eagles now have sole possession of third place in the league standings behind Thomas (18) and SCAD Savannah (16).
   
For the first time all season, senior Veit Couturier failed to find the back of the net against Warner, ending his streak of eight consecutive games with a goal scored. Couturier did pick up a point in Wednesday's match as he assisted on Daniel Gylfason's game winner, bringing his 2014 season point total to 26.  With career marks of 49 goals and 121 points, the Loerrach, Germany native is six goals away from breaking the school's career record for goals scored and two points shy of moving into the second place on ERAU's career points list.
 
Gylfason's goal against Warner was his fourth of the year.  The freshman now has 13 points on the season, second on the team behind Couturier, as he also leads the Eagles with five assists.
   
Senior goalkeeper Nils Carlson has played in all 874 minutes of 2014 for the Blue and Gold, making 47 saves with a 1.03 goals against average in his final Embry-Riddle campaign.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS
Webber International enters Saturday's match with a 5-6 overall and 1-5 in Sun Confernence play.  The Warriors are coming off a 2-0 loss to Northwood on Oct. 11 and have dropped five of their last six contests.  Their last win came on Oct. 8, a 1-0 victory over Johnson & Wales.
 
Freshman Ross Clarke leads WIU with 11 points  (5G, 1A), while Jose Netto and Stephen McGinn have contributed four goals each.  Warrior goalkeeper Brandon Stout ranks second in the conference with 45 saves. 

THE LAST TIME THEY MET
Oct. 19, 2013 - DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Sigurbergur Elisson's 10th goal of the season helped the 11th-ranked Embry-Riddle Men's Soccer team to the Eagles' 10th win of 2013 as the second minute score held up for a 1-0 victory over visiting Webber International on Saturday. Nils Carlson made eight saves en route to his 18th career shutout, breaking the program record set by Viktor Bergstrand in 2009. Embry-Riddle (10-1, 8-0) remains perfect in Sun Conference action and has guaranteed itself a home match for the first round of The Sun Conference Tournament (Nov. 9) while the Warriors (7-3, 4-3) dropped their second consecutive match, and third of their last four.

Embry-Riddle recognized the seven seniors on the 2013 roster at halftime of the contest as Ally MacDonald, Alan Vezza, Jacob Stevenback, Viktor Gudnason, Erik Norburg, Luis Velasquez and Nicklas Petersson competed in the final regular season home match of their careers.

The only score of the game came just 104 seconds into the action when a cross from Petersson into the WIU box was shouldered from Veit Couturier to a waiting Elisson who easily punctuated the play with his seventh score in the last two weeks, and extended his scoring streak to five games, while his point streak moved to eight consecutive contests.

Despite the early goal, the visitors had the better chances the rest of the first half, registering nine shots in the frame compared to just five for the Eagles. In the eighth minute the Warriors were denied twice in a row by Carlson as Mark Araugo's shot was saved and the ensuing rebound fell to Vicente Munoz whose shot was similarly saved by the junior keeper.

Couturier nearly put the home team up by two at the 21:10 mark, but his shot from just inside the box went wide right by a foot, leaving the score at 1-0.

Sam Willians had a pair of headers saved by Carlson in the 27th and 28th minutes, and in the 39th minute Carlson came up big again, keeping the Blue and Gold in front with a save on Fabian Egger's shot.

The second half was dominated by Embry-Riddle as the Eagles turned up the pressure on the Warrior defense, recording 14 shots, three of which were on goal. The Blue and Gold kept the ball in the WIU half for most of the second period, earning five corner kicks in the frame, while the Warriors managed none.

In the 58th minute the Eagles appeared to go up 2-0, but a late offsides call kept the Warriors just one goal down.

For 20 mintues in the middle of the second half the Eagles did not allow Webber International to record a shot, tallying 10 of their own, but were unable to capitalize.

Carlson made one of his eight saves in the 77th minute when Thomas Niggl's header looked destined for the back of the net and the Eagle defense was up the task in the 86th minute when a pair of Niggl's shots were blocked by Embry-Riddle defenders.

A final flurry from the Warriors in the last 60 seconds was put to rest by Carlson with his final two saves of the evening as the Eagles stretched their winning streak to nine.

The Eagles wrap up their 2013 league slate with two road contests next week in Georgia, beginning on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. contest against SCAD Savannah and concluding with a 2 p.m. game against Thomas on Saturday.

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
5,902 - Career Minutes played by Nils Carlson, second-most all-time in program history.
237 - Wins in Head Coach Dave Gregson's 20-year tenure at Embry-Riddle.
121 - Veit Couturier's career point total. He trails all-time leader Jasmin Kadric by 15 points.
28 - All-time wins against the Warriors in ERAU history, compared to eight losses and one tie.
13 - Points in the league table for the Blue and Gold
1.3 - 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.