Warhawks prepare for Southern Wesleyan in SSAC Semis | Schools

Tonight at the Emory Folmar Complex, the second-seeded Auburn Montgomery men’s soccer team faces off against No. 3 seed Southern Wesleyan in the Southern States Athletic Conference semifinals.

The match is scheduled to begin at approximately 7:30 p.m., though the starting time could be slightly delayed based on the ending times of the preceding men’s and women’s semifinals.

The teams met once in the regular season, a Sept. 22 matchup at Southern Wesleyan in which AUM prevailed, 2-1. Junior Taian Souza scored the game-winning goal with 13 minutes remaining, as the Warhawks rallied from a first half deficit.

The schools had an identical 8-2-1 conference record during the regular season. AUM (14-3-2) is coming off a 5-0 victory over Spring Hill in the first round of the tournament, while the Warriors (14-2-1) edged out William Carey 3-2 in overtime.

The Warhawks, ranked eighth nationally, are led offensively by freshman Agust Arnarson and sophomore Elvar Sigurdsson. The duo has combined for 20 of AUM’s 45 goals.

Goalkeeper Vignir Johannesson leads the defense with eight shutouts and a 12-3-2 record. AUM’s defenders, led by consistent starters Taian Souza and Matias Aristegui, have held opponents to 198 shots in 2012, compared to 341 for the Warhawks.

Douglas Andrade (14 goals) and Raphael Fernandes (12) lead the Southern Wesleyan attack. The Warriors, who are ranked 11th in the national NAIA poll, have outscored their opponents 54-25 this season.

The winner of the matchup takes on the winner of the other semifinal between top-seed Mobile and Southern Poly. That match takes place at 3 p.m. on Thursday, while the final will be at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

General admission for the semifinals is $5, while students can purchase tickets for $2.