AUM Men's Soccer prepares to host Spring Hill in SSAC Tournament | Schools

The Auburn University at Montgomery men’s soccer team, currently ranked eighth in the NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll and the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament, will begin what it hopes to be a lengthy postseason run Saturday, November 3, by hosting Spring Hill College in the tournament’s first round.

The Warhawks finished the regular season with a 13-3-2, including an 8-2-1 SSAC mark, one of the toughest conference’s in the nation. AUM and the Badgers (10-7-1, 5-5-1 SSAC) will square off at 1:30 p.m. at the AUM Soccer Complex.

“We are excited to be in postseason play,” head coach Wulf Koch said. “We will need to take this tournament one game at a time with Spring Hill being a very formable opponent. They are difficult to break down and are very well coached. This will be a great challenge.”

In the only meeting of the season between the two squads, the Warhawks rallied in the final four minutes of the match and tie the score en route to a 3-3 double-overtime tie. Freshman Alexander Neubarth tallied the game-tying goal in the match, his third of the season. Senior Matias Aristegui and freshman Agust Arnarson also scored in the contest.

On the season, Arnarson and sophomore Elvar Sigurdsson have each scored a team-leading nine goals, as the Warhawks have outscored their opponents by nearly a 2-to-1 margin on the year, 40-21. The AUM roster featured nine players who have scored two or more times.

The Warhawks have outshot their opponents by a 325-201 margin, with Sigurdsson leading the way with 68 shots. AUM has 11 different players with 10 or more shots, including three with 40 or more.

In goal, junior Vignir Johannesson has been a stalwart, recording 63 saves and allowing just 20 goals. Johannesson has teamed with senior Bosko Kovacevic to record eight shutouts on the season, a mark which ranks tied for sixth nationally.

Spring Hill is paced by Tyler Hartlage’s 11 goals. The total is tied for eighth in the conference. However, on the season, the Badgers are just plus-seven in goal differential and have been outshot 320-251.

The winner of the opening-round match will move on in the tournament, with the semifinals and finals being played in Montgomery at the Emory Folmar YMCA Soccer Complex. The semifinals are slated for Thursday, November 8, while the championship match will be played Saturday, November 10.

Source:  AUM Sports Information Director