Embry-Riddle vs. St. Thomas Match Notes

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Embry-Riddle (0-2-2, 0-1-0) vs. St. Thomas (1-8-0, 1-1-0)
DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 1, 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: 0-2-3
EMBRY-RIDDLE'S LAST 10 GAMES: 3-4-3
ST. THOMAS' LAST 5 GAMES: 1-4
ST. THOMAS' LAST 10 GAMES: 1-9

EAGLES STILL SEARCHING FOR FIRST WIN
Embry-Riddle entertains St. Thomas on Wednesday at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium, still in search for its first win of the 2014 season. The Eagles dropped a 2-1 decision to Johnson & Wales on Saturday, despite scoring first for the fourth time in as many games.

Currently the third-longest winless streak to open a season in ERAU program history, the Eagles will also be looking to break a streak of a four-game home winless streak against St. Thomas.

Veit Couturier continues to pace the Eagle offense with four goals, one in each contest for the Blue and Gold. Daniel Gylfason has assisted on three of Couturier's scores while he and Moriba Ballah are the only other Eagles to dent the scoreboard.
 
Nils Carlson ranks second in The Sun Conference with 30 saves in four games, saving nearly 80-percent of the shots he faces.

ABOUT THE BOBCATS
Felix Mats brings his team to Daytona Beach following the Bobcats' first win of the season, a 1-0 defeat of Webber International on Saturday. St. Thomas (1-8, 1-1) has played a full slate against tough competition, dropping close matches to Texas Wesleyan, Nova Southeastern and Warner, amongst others.

A quartet of Bobcats have scored two goals each (Marcelo Norton, Orlando Lawrence, Chris Valdez and Mikhail Weatherly) as the team has 10 scores on 113 shots through nine contests.

In goal, both Jack Hubbard and Deljan Bregassi have seen time for STU, with Hubbard posting 16 saves in seven games (three starts).

THE LAST TIME THEY MET
Oct. 2, 2013 - MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - The 21st-ranked Embry-Riddle Eagles got two goals from senior captain Ally MacDonald, as well as an assist from the Inverness, Scotland native to lead the Blue and Gold to a 4-1 road victory over St. Thomas on Wednesday. The Eagles (5-1, 3-0) controlled the game for the most part, holding the Bobcats (1-5, 0-3) to just five shots on frame en route to winning the squad's fourth straight match.

In contradiction from the rest of the game, the Bobcats were the first to threaten as a STU forward broke away from the Eagle defense and placed a shot just wide of goal that would have put St. Thomas up in the third minute of play.

Eagle keeper Nils Carlson was called into action sparingly during the first frame, but on one such occassion, came off his line well and stopped a breakaway by STU on what appeared to be a sure goal.

It took the Eagles until the 44th minute to reach the scoreboard as MacDonald rifled home a shot from 25 yards out off his left foot into the lower-right corner of the STU goal, giving the Eagles a 1-0 halftime lead.

Embry-Riddle wasted no time in the second period as MacDonald's diving header 67 second in to the frame off a Nicklas Petersson free kick pushed the ERAU advantage to 2-0.

From that point forward the Eagles had the better of the match and three minutes later when MacDonald switched fields and found Petersson, the fellow senior buried his fourth goal of the season as the Eagles went in front 3-0.

The Eagles enjoyed a 12-5 advantage in corners during the match, but the Bobcats earned more in the second period, and nearly scored several times, but the ERAU defense wouldn't budge.

Viktor Gudnason tied MacDonald with his fifth goal of the year in the 71st minute, becoming the beneficiary of a Sigurbergur Elisson pass after the freshman deftly dribbled around his defender outside the penalty box before feeding Gudnason for a 4-0 Eagle lead.

Junior Montano broke up the Eagles' shutout in the 74th minute on a strike from deep, a curling shot that dipped below the crossbar. But the Eagles weren't in danger and easily held on for the 4-1 decision.

A 22-14 advantage in shots helped the Eagle cause while Carlson made four saves in goal for the Blue and Gold.

The win marked the first win since 2008 for Embry-Riddle against St. Thomas, despite a sloppy pitch that kept Eagle athletic trainer Kelley Harrison busy on the sideline stretching the Eagles out. The Eagles' 5-1 mark is the best start since 2009 when the Eagles went 6-1 to open the season.

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
5,432 - Career Minutes played by Nils Carlson, third-most all-time in program history.
233 - Wins in Head Coach Dave Gregson's 20-year tenure at Embry-Riddle.
104 - Veit Couturier's career point total. He trails all-time leader Jasmin Kadric by 34 points.
45 - Extra minutes the Eagles have played in their four matches of 2014
7- Years since the Eagles have beaten the Bobcats at home (Sept. 15, 2007)
1.0 - 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 233 victories at ERAU rank 14th on the NAIA's active winningest coaching list, while his .649 winning percentage ranks 10th amongst those coaches.