GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College men's soccer team will host Mars Hill University in the quarterfinal round of the 2016 South Atlantic Conference Championship tournament Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Pioneer Field.

The 25th-ranked Pioneers (13-3-0) earned the number-two seed in the eight-team tournament after finishing 8-3-0 in conference play and claiming sole possession of second place behind Wingate. The Lions (6-9-1) snagged the seventh seed after going 4-6-1 in conference action during the season, and are coming off a 2-0 loss to Anderson in the regular season finale on Saturday.

Tusculum defeated Mars Hill 2-1 in the regular-season meeting at Pioneer Field on Oct. 14 as Guillermo Lazcano and Andre De Giorgi scored 9 1/2 minutes apart late in the second half to snap a 0-0 tie. The Pioneers outshot the Lions 14-9 in the match, with both Tusculum keeper Jorge Alvarez and Lion keeper Kristopher Wennin making three saves.

Admission prices are $5 for adults and $3 for youth under 12, seniors 60 and over and active and retired military, and free for children 5 and under. College students with identification are admitted for $2, with Tusculum students who show valid identification having their admission charge covered by the Tusculum athletic department.

After opening the season with a school-record 12 consecutive victories, the Pioneers head to the SAC tournament having dropped three of their last four. The Pioneer offense is paced by Andre De Giorgi, who has scored 13 goals in 16 matches, including four game-winners, and ranks second in the league in goals and in points with 27. Andreas Kvam has added six goals and two assists off the bench while Tyler Linkous has three goals and five assists, sharing the team lead in helpers with Rocco Menna. Alvarez is third in the conference with a 0.99 goals against average and second in save percentage at .795. Alvarez, who has a 13-2 record, has posted six shutouts and is coming off a match in which he equaled his season high with eight saves in a 2-1 loss to number-one ranked Wingate on Saturday night.

Mars Hill's top scorers are Stian Sanner and Franck Lannaud, who have five goals apiece. Lannaud scored the only goal in the final minute for the Lions in the regular-season meeting. Ian Wu has added four goals and two assists for the Lions, who have tallied 20 goals in 16 matches. Wennin has seen most of the action in goal for the Lions, compiling a 5-5-1 record and a 2.04 goals against average, while Ben Lucas has a 1.82 goals against average and a 1-4 record. The Lions have not recorded a shutout this season after registering three as a team last year.

The Pioneers have two victories and a tie in their last three meetings with the Lions, and are 13-9-3 all-time in the series with Mars Hill. Tusculum is 6-4-1 in home games against Mars Hill since joining the SAC in 1999.

Tusculum and Mars Hill will be meeting for the fifth time in the SAC Tournamnet, with the Pioneers holding a 2-1-1 advantage in the previous four matchups. The Pioneers beat the Lions 2-1 in a quarterfinal matchup in 2007 in their only previous meeting at Pioneer Field, and lost 2-0 at Mars Hill in their other quarterfinal encounter in 2012. Mars Hill's last SAC Tournament match was a 1-1 draw with Tusculum in the 2014 semifinals, which saw the Pioneers win 5-4 in penalty kicks en route to their fifth and most recent conference tournament championship.

Tusculum has compiled a 17-9-3 record in SAC tournament matches since first becoming eligible for the conference championship in 1999. The Pioneers are 6-6-2 in quarterfinal matches, including a pair of wins via penalty kicks, but are 6-1-1 in semifinal contests and 5-2 in championship games. The Pioneers are 6-4 all-time in home SAC tournament matches, and will be playing their first home postseason match in exactly five years, since a 3-0 quarterfinal loss to Lenoir-Rhyne on Nov. 1, 2011.

The winner of Tuesday's match will advance to the semifinals against the winner of Tuesday's quarterfinal match between sixth-seeded Coker and third-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne. The semifinal match will be played at 7:30 Friday at Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, S.C., which will be the site of the championship match on Sunday at 4 p.m.

2016 South Atlantic Conference Men's Soccer Championship
Quarterfinals: Tuesday, November 1
at campus sites
Game 1: #8 Brevard at #1 Wingate, 7 pm
Game 2: #5 Lincoln Memorial at #4 Catawba, 7 pm
Game 3: #7 Mars Hill at #2 Tusculum, 7:30 pm
Game 4: #6 Coker at #3 Lenoir-Rhyne, 5 pm

Semifinals: Friday, November 4
at Manchester Meadows (Rock Hill, S.C.)
Game 5: Winner game 1 vs. Winner game 2, 5 pm
Game 6: Winner game 3 vs. Winner game 4, 7:30 pm

Final: Sunday, November 6
at Manchester Meadows (Rock Hill, S.C.)
Game 7: Winner game 5 vs. Winner game 6, 4 pm