Winthrop University’s men’s soccer team will host Gardner-Webb on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m. at Eagle Field in Rock Hill for its final regular-season home game and Senior Night.
The Eagles (5-8-2, 2-3 Big South) enter the matchup after snapping a four-game losing streak with a 1-1 draw against Virginia Tech on Wednesday. The result marked Winthrop’s first against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent since a 1-1 draw at No. 24 Clemson in September 2003.
Gardner-Webb (8-4-1, 4-1 Big South) enters the contest fourth in the conference standings and ranks fourth in the league in scoring. Winthrop ranks fifth in scoring and is tied for fourth in the standings with Longwood and USC Upstate.
The Eagles lead the all-time series 17-11-3, although Gardner-Webb has won seven of the teams’ last nine meetings. The Runnin’ Bulldogs defeated Winthrop 4-0 last season.
Winthrop’s offensive attack is led by Jorge Perez and Juma Baden, who have eight goals apiece. Both rank third in the Big South in goals per game. Baden also leads the Eagles in points per game.
The Eagles previously demonstrated their scoring potential with a 4-0 victory over Presbyterian, highlighted by Perez’s hat trick.
Saturday’s game offers Winthrop an opportunity to improve its conference standing. The top four teams in the Big South tournament standings earn the right to host a quarterfinal match.
A Senior Night ceremony will take place before kickoff.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Associate Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
