Chants Battle High Point Wednesday For First Place
10/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 26, 2010
Coastal Carolina (9-5-1, 5-1-0) vs. High Point (11-3-1, 6-0-0)
Wednesday | 10.27.10 | 7 p.m.
Conway, S.C. | Coastal Carolina Soccer Field
CONWAY, S.C. - On the heels of a five-game conference winning streak, the Coastal Carolina men's soccer team looks to play its way into first place Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. when the Chanticleers welcome High Point to the Coastal Carolina Soccer Field for "Senior Night."
Prior to the start of the match, Coastal Carolina will honor the five members of the 2010 senior class who will be competing for the final time at the Coastal Carolina Soccer Field.
In addition to the festivities that go along with "Senior Night," Coastal Sports Properties will give away a coupon for a free appetizer at Abuelo's to the first 100 fans in attendance. Coastal fans will also have the opportunity to pick up free tee shirts and thunder sticks at the main entrance into the field.
Wednesday's game will also feature a new seating twist, as all members of the Chantourage are encouraged to stand behind the goal closest to the entrance in the roped off area in an effort to provide the Chants with more of a home field advantage.
Coastal Carolina (9-5-1, 5-1-0) enters the match coming off a 2-1 double overtime win over Winthrop Saturday at the Coastal Carolina Soccer Field. Senior Joe Anderson scored the golden goal with less than two minutes remaining in the second overtime to lift Coastal to its fifth straight Big South Win.
The Chanticleers have not lost inside the Big South since falling 1-0 at Liberty on Oct. 2.
Freshman Pedro Ribeiro leads the Chanticleer offensive attack with 11 points on five goals and one assist. Ribeiro is tied for seventh in the Big South in goals and tops the conference in game-winning goals with four. Sophomore Luis Faz and senior Ross Kelly are both second on the team with three goals.
Newcomers Kristoffer Sandtroen and Justin Portillo have recorded a team-leading five assists and are tied for fourth in the Big South in that category. Faz is second on the team with four assists.
Junior keeper Scott Angevine tallied his ninth win of the season Saturday and turned in his 11th game of the season in which he limited his opponent to one or fewer goals. The Kansas City, Kan., native leads the Big South with a 0.89 goals against average and is second in the league with five shutouts.
High Point (11-3-1, 6-0-0) arrives in Conway having won eight of its last nine games following its 5-1 win at Presbyterian Saturday afternoon. The Panthers only setback during that stretch was a 2-1 overtime loss at No. 18 Duke. Inside the Big South, High Point has won five of its six league games by at least two goals.
"We are excited to have the opportunity to play High Point on our senior night," Coastal Carolina head coach Shaun Docking said. "They have a very good team this year and are extremely well-coached. This game sets up a great matchup with strong implications for the regular season Big South Conference title."
Junior forward Karo Okiomah leads the Panthers and ranks second in the Big South with 24 points on 11 goals and two assists. Okiomah, however, will miss Wednesday's game for violating the Big South's Ethical Conduct Policy. Fejiro Okiomah is second on the team and third in the Big South with eight goals, while senior forward Scott Rojo leads the league with 12 assists.
Panther keeper Michael Chesler is second in the conference with a 0.92 goals against average and first in the league with six shutouts.
Coastal Carolina owns a 12-2-1 record against High Point in the all-time series that dates back to the 1989 season. The Chanticleers are unbeaten against the Panthers over the last three meetings. High Point's last win in the series came in 2006 when the Panthers defeated Coastal 2-1 in the Big South Tournament title game. High Point, however, has not beaten the Chanticleers in the regular season since 1998, which is also the last time the Panthers won at the Coastal Carolina Soccer Field.
