GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's soccer team plays the first of its final two home matches of the 2021 season on Saturday when the Pioneers host Catawba College at 4:30 p.m. at Pioneer Field in their only action of the week.
The Pioneers (1-9-2, 0-7-2 South Atlantic Conference) dropped a 2-0 decision at Wingate on Saturday night and will look to snap a 10-match winless streak against an Indians squad that is scrambling to grab a SAC Tournament berth with two conference matches remaining.
Following Saturday's match, the Pioneers will host Queens on Wednesday, Nov. 3 on Senior Night at Pioneer Field.
PROFILING THE PIONEERS
Two goals in the second half were enough for Wingate to defeat Tusculum 2-0 Saturday night. Soren Nygaard scored in the 57th and 89th minutes for the Bulldogs, who had a 10-5 shot advantage over the Pioneers in the match. The contest was a physical affair, with the teams combining for 43 fouls and eight cautions.
The Pioneers were shut out for the fifth time this season in the loss to Wingate, with all of the shutouts coming on the road. The Pioneers are averaging 2.33 goals per game in three home matches, and 0.89 goals per game in nine road contests.
Junior forward Ignacio Alconchel continues to lead the Pioneers in goals (7), points (14), shots (38) and shots on goal (16). Junior forward Damien Baltide ranks second on the team in goals (3), points (6), shots (21) and shots on goal (10), while sophomore forward Pedro Concheso has a goal and a team-high three assists for five points.
Junior Bruno De Freitas has started nine matches in goal for the Pioneers and has a 1-6-1 record with a 2.64 goals against average and a .613 save percentage. Freshman Rayane El Mehdi has made three starts and has a 0-3-1 record with a 1.78 goals against averaged and a save percentage of .727.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Catawba (7-5-2, 3-5-1 SAC) beat Lincoln Memorial 5-4 in double overtime on Saturday in a wild contest. The Indians and Railsplitters combined for six goals in the first 31 minutes, leaving Catawba with a 4-2 lead. LMU came back to tie the match with a pair of goals in the final 17 minutes, including the equalizer with 22 seconds left following a red card to Catawba's Salano Birch. In overtime, junior midfielder Tom Savigar netted the winning goal with three minutes left to wrap up a match that saw Catawba outshoot Lincoln Memorial by a 30-21 margin.
Savigar leads the Indians with six goals and four assists for 16 points, with sophomore forward Simone Trentin adding five goals and four assists and junior forward Nico Morillo adding five goals and two assists. The Indians have been shut out just once in 14 matches, a 3-0 loss at Queens on Oct. 13.
In goal, junior Gianluca Tommasi has started 13 matches and has a 1.61 goals against average with a .683 save percentage and two shutouts. Freshman Zak Stiffler has made five appearances and has a 1.80 goals against average and a save percentage of .667 in 299 minutes of playing time.
Tusculum has won the last three meetings with Catawba to extend their lead in the series to 16-11-1. The Indians' last win over the Pioneers was a 3-0 victory at Pioneer Field on Oct. 23, 2016.
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS
Live stats and video are available for all home Tusculum University men's soccer matches. Links to stats and video for home and away matches are available at tusculumpioneers.com.
