University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
UNC Asheville Travels to Winthrop for Saturday Conference Match
10.04.2019 | Men's Soccer
ROCK HILL, S.C. – UNC Asheville's men's soccer team will face its second Saturday road Big South Conference match when it travels to Winthrop to take on the Eagles in a 5 p.m. contest at Eagle Field.
The Bulldogs (2-7-1, 1-1 Big South) played reigning league champion High Point in a back-and-forth affair at home that saw the Bulldogs hold a 2-0 and 3-2 advantage in the match. However, the Panthers were able to net two late goals to leave Asheville with a victory.
Last year's matchup against Winthrop saw the Eagles leave Greenwood Field with a 3-0 victory; however, the Bulldogs snagged a 1-0 road win last time they played in Rock Hill in 2017.
Saturday's match will be streamed live on ESPN+ HERE and fans can also follow the action via live stats HERE.
House of Payne
Freshman goalkeeper Jarrett Payne earned recognition as the Big South Freshman of the Week, September 9, for his performances against VMI, and namely, against Georgia State. Against the Panthers, Payne recorded 17 saves, including a diving stop on a penalty kick in the 32nd minute.
The rookie followed up that performance with 14 saves against Furman the following week. Payne recorded the first shutout of his young career, last Saturday, at USC Upstate, saving eight total shots in the match. He has 73 total saves on the season, which is the most in the country and 15 more than second place in the rankings.
Offensive Attack
Junior Tyson Hichman has been the go-to man in the early part of the season, leading the way with four goals scored in 10 matches. His four goals already equal the Bulldogs' individual team-high of four scored by Izaiah Vignali last season. He scored the Bulldogs' lone goal against UNC Greensboro. He has one game-winner as well, scoring the difference-maker against VMI at home, September 4.
Against High Point, Wednesday, three Bulldogs scored their first goals of the season, including Vignali. Freshman Andrew Rossetti scored the first of his career and senior captain Kyle Adams scored the second of his career and first since 2017. In addition to his goal, Adams is tied for the team lead with two assists.
Sophomore Nate Evans scored his first goal of the season against USC Upstate, last Saturday, and it proved to be the difference maker – his second-career goal and first-career game-winner.
Senior Dino Dziergas has moved to the back line this season, but has still maintained a presence in the offensive attack, scoring a goal on Senior Day against Georgia State. He also is tied for the team lead with two assists, recording a helper on Hichman's goal against Furman and his first of the year at Navy.
Junior Colin Daughtry has scored as well for the Bulldogs and assisted on Evans' game winner against Upstate, while senior Luiz Felipe Dantas also has one assist on the season.
Scouting the Panthers
The Eagles are 2-7 on the season and 0-1 in conference play after falling to High Point, 2-0, last Saturday. Most recently, the Eagles lost to Mercer, 2-1, on the road, Tuesday. They are 1-2 on their home pitch this season, defeating Charleston, 3-2, in their most recent home match, September 25.
Cameron Thayer leads the Eagles with two goals scored, and seven other Eagles have scored one goal on the season. One of those players is Jordan Walshaw, who leads the team with 31 shots and four assists, while Leif Estevez has recorded three assists.
Three different goalkeepers have started for the Eagles, with Sam Jones leading the way with four starts. Combined, they have recorded 49 saves and allowed 20 goals.
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The Bulldogs (2-7-1, 1-1 Big South) played reigning league champion High Point in a back-and-forth affair at home that saw the Bulldogs hold a 2-0 and 3-2 advantage in the match. However, the Panthers were able to net two late goals to leave Asheville with a victory.
Last year's matchup against Winthrop saw the Eagles leave Greenwood Field with a 3-0 victory; however, the Bulldogs snagged a 1-0 road win last time they played in Rock Hill in 2017.
Saturday's match will be streamed live on ESPN+ HERE and fans can also follow the action via live stats HERE.
House of Payne
Freshman goalkeeper Jarrett Payne earned recognition as the Big South Freshman of the Week, September 9, for his performances against VMI, and namely, against Georgia State. Against the Panthers, Payne recorded 17 saves, including a diving stop on a penalty kick in the 32nd minute.
The rookie followed up that performance with 14 saves against Furman the following week. Payne recorded the first shutout of his young career, last Saturday, at USC Upstate, saving eight total shots in the match. He has 73 total saves on the season, which is the most in the country and 15 more than second place in the rankings.
Offensive Attack
Junior Tyson Hichman has been the go-to man in the early part of the season, leading the way with four goals scored in 10 matches. His four goals already equal the Bulldogs' individual team-high of four scored by Izaiah Vignali last season. He scored the Bulldogs' lone goal against UNC Greensboro. He has one game-winner as well, scoring the difference-maker against VMI at home, September 4.
Against High Point, Wednesday, three Bulldogs scored their first goals of the season, including Vignali. Freshman Andrew Rossetti scored the first of his career and senior captain Kyle Adams scored the second of his career and first since 2017. In addition to his goal, Adams is tied for the team lead with two assists.
Sophomore Nate Evans scored his first goal of the season against USC Upstate, last Saturday, and it proved to be the difference maker – his second-career goal and first-career game-winner.
Senior Dino Dziergas has moved to the back line this season, but has still maintained a presence in the offensive attack, scoring a goal on Senior Day against Georgia State. He also is tied for the team lead with two assists, recording a helper on Hichman's goal against Furman and his first of the year at Navy.
Junior Colin Daughtry has scored as well for the Bulldogs and assisted on Evans' game winner against Upstate, while senior Luiz Felipe Dantas also has one assist on the season.
Scouting the Panthers
The Eagles are 2-7 on the season and 0-1 in conference play after falling to High Point, 2-0, last Saturday. Most recently, the Eagles lost to Mercer, 2-1, on the road, Tuesday. They are 1-2 on their home pitch this season, defeating Charleston, 3-2, in their most recent home match, September 25.
Cameron Thayer leads the Eagles with two goals scored, and seven other Eagles have scored one goal on the season. One of those players is Jordan Walshaw, who leads the team with 31 shots and four assists, while Leif Estevez has recorded three assists.
Three different goalkeepers have started for the Eagles, with Sam Jones leading the way with four starts. Combined, they have recorded 49 saves and allowed 20 goals.
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