Embry-Riddle vs. Thomas Match Notes

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Embry-Riddle (5-3-3, 5-2-1) vs. Thomas (11-1-3, 6-1-1)
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014
CITY: Daytona Beach, Fla.
SITE: ERAU Soccer Stadium
START: 7 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: 4-3-3
THOMAS' LAST 5 GAMES: 3-1-1
THOMAS' LAST 10 GAMES: 8-1-1

EAGLES HOST No. 5 NIGHT HAWKS
Embry-Riddle will be playing for tournament seeding in its final two regular season matches of the 2014 season as they host Thomas in their home finale tonight and travel to West Palm Beach, Fla. to take on Northwood on Nov. 1. ERAU is 5-2-1 in league action after Wednesday's 1-0 loss to SCAD Savannah, and is fourth in the standings with 16 points. ERAU can finish as high as second in the league with a pair of wins.

Veit Couturier continues to lead the Eagle offense with 13 goals and two assists, striking for two game-winning goals. Freshman Daniel Gylfason has contriubted four scores and a team-leading six assists, while Moriba Ballah has three goals and two assists for Embry-Riddle.

Nils Carlson has played every minute in net in 2014 for the Blue and Gold, making 56 saves with a 0.94 goals against average with four shutouts to his credit.

ABOUT THE NIGHT HAWKS
The NAIA No. 5 Night Hawks are coming off a 1-1 tie with Northwood last Saturday in a game the Night Hawks had to play with eight men towards the end of the contest. Thomas spent several weeks as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation earlier in the year, and boasts an offense that is amongst the nation's best, averaging nearly 3.0 goals per contest, led by Severin Abt's 10 goals.

Alex Condell has played in all 15 matches for TU, making 46 saves with a 1.53 GAA on the year.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET
Oct. 26, 2013 - THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The 11^th-ranked Embry-Riddle Eagles saw their 10 match winning streak come to an end in Thomasville, Ga. On Saturday afternoon as the Thomas Night Hawks took down ERAU 2-1. The loss sends the Eagles to 11-2 overall and they wrap up their conference slate at 9-1, while TU moves to 11-3-2 and 7-0-2 in league action. The Eagles, who wrapped up the 2013 Sun Conference regular season crown on Wednesday, travels to Flagler next Friday for their season finale scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.
 
The first half was evenly played by the Eagles and Night Hawks, although Thomas nearly went up 1-0 early when Jarrod Ingram's shot was saved by a diving Nils Carlson in the fourth minute, bouncing off the right post. The follow-up shot from Lyle Gifford was high and it took another six minutes before either team attempted a shot.
 
Viktor Gudnason had a pair of chances in the 10^th and 13 minutes, both going wide, and Ingram again nearly put his team in front at the 14:12 mark when his chance just barely missed the goal.
 
Gudnason had a chance in the 18^th minute when his header missed wide left, after which another break in goal chances occurred  until the 30^th minute.
 
Diego Ramos buried a strike from 25 yards out into the upper-left corner of the net to put the hosts up. It was Ramos' first score of the season and Rowan Liburd's sixth assist of 2013.
 
Captain Ally MacDonald recorded the visitors first shot on frame in the 32^nd minute, but his header was saved by Andi Hoffer to keep the game 1-0 in favor of the Night Hawks.
 
Ingram's shot at point-blank range with 33 minutes gone was saved by Carlson, and the Eagles controlled the ball for the next few minutes, leading to the equalizer a few moments later.
 
Nicklas Petersson took a corner in the 37^th minute of action, finding the head of Gudnason, but the ball didn't find the goal until Magnus Magnusson got his own head on it for his second goal of the year, bringing Embry-Riddle level at 1-1.
 
Neither team threatened much the rest of the period until Liburd broke away from several Eagle defenders, but was tracked down in time before he could get a solid shot on Carlson.
 
TU held a slight 7-6 advantage in shots with a 3-2 advantage in shots on goal.
 
A few changes for both teams at the break provided a more open match, as the Eagles managed to out-shoot the hosts 11-6 during the frame.
 
A shot from Petersson about five minutes into the period was dramatically saved by TU's keeper, and that would be the last shot the Eagles would have for a while as the Night Hawks kept the ball in the Eagles defensive half and recorded several corners and shots that were turned away by the ERAU defense.
 
With 66 minutes gone in the match, Rowan Liburd outpaced the Eagles' back line and slotted home his 13^th goal of the year to give Thomas a 2-1 lead.
 
The rest of the game was dominated by the Blue and Gold, but time after time the Thomas back line and Andi Hoffer were up the challenge.
 
Petersson's free kick was on frame and was destined for the net, but Hoffer made an incredible save to keep his team in front.
 
The last 10 minutes proved tense as the Eagles continued to pepper the Night Hawks' goal with shots, but were continually denied, included Gudnason's shot with eight minutes left that was saved off the line by a member of the TU defense.
 
As the finals seconds ticked away MacDonald nearly pulled the Eagles level with a shot as the horn sounded that glanced past the right post.
 
Embry-Riddle outshot the Night Hawks 17-13, while Thomas was whistled for 11 fouls compared to the Eagles' six.

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
6,080 - Career Minutes played by Nils Carlson, second-most all-time in program history.
238 - Wins in Head Coach Dave Gregson's 20-year tenure at Embry-Riddle.
123 - Veit Couturier's career point total. He trails all-time leader Jasmin Kadric by 13 points.
16 - Points in the league table for the Blue and Gold
6 - All-time wins against the Night Hawks in ERAU history, compared to two losses
1.2 - 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 238 victories at ERAU rank 14th on the NAIA's active winningest coaching list, while his .650 winning percentage ranks 10th amongst those coaches.