LAKELAND, Fla.—For the first time ever, the Fire men's soccer team will have a national playoff contest on their home pitch, as Georgia Gwinnett College comes to Lakeland on Saturday. Southeastern earned the right to host after defeating Thomas University in the Sun Conference Championship match last week, advancing to the NAIA Opening Round for the first time since 2015.
GAME INFO:
RV Southeastern University (12-3-2, 7-2 TSC) vs RV Georgia Gwinnett College (11-5-1)
Date: Saturday, November 17, 2018
Time: TBA
Location: Lakeland, Fla.
Game Coverage: Live Updates- @SEUFireMSoccer on Twitter, Live Stats/Video- https://portal.stretchinternet.com/southeastern/
The Fire:
The Fire have maintained a steady scoring pace throughout the year, leading to the most wins since 2015. Southeastern's offense, which has yet to be shutout in any competition this season, is averaging 2.75 goals per game. Twelve different players have found the back of the net for the Fire, including
Noah Richmond, whose first career goal gave SEU a 1-0 victory in the Sun Conference championship game.
Postseason Power:
Senior forward
Jake Van Der Luit seems to always find the net for the Fire in postseason play. The Chicago native has scored six goals in seven such contests in his career with three game-winning scores. When SEU made a run in the national tournament in 2015, Van Der Luit notched four goals in as many games, and tallied Southeastern's lone national tournament goal in program history, a winner in double overtime against Cumberland (Tenn.).
The Grizzlies:
Georgia Gwinnett comes into their matchup with the Fire after capturing the Association of Independent Institutions championship with a 2-1 win over No. 6 Bellevue University. The Grizzlies, who advanced to the national quarterfinals last season, have been ranked in at least one national poll each of the past six years.
Midfielder Toni Tiente provides a spark for the Gwinnett offense, leading the team in goals (seven), assists (10) and points (24). Tiente is currently riding a seven-match point streak and has captured at least one assist in each of the contests. The sophomore ranks 22
nd in the country in assists per game (0.59) and 29
th in total assists.
Previous Meeting:
The only previous meeting between the two schools came during the 2015 season when Southeastern traveled to Lawrenceville. Georgia Gwinnett took the matchup 4-3 despite three first half goals from the Fire. Current players Van Der Luit (SEU) and Andrew White (GGC) each netted a goal in the competition.
Last year's matchup was canceled after 30 minutes of play due to inclement weather. Although no stats from the match count, a tally by Van Der Luit had SEU up 1-0 when the game was called. The Grizzlies were ranked No. 20 at the time of the competition.
