Plougmand's hat-trick sends Lions to SAC Semifinals
Lions advance to SAC Semifinals for first time since 2021.
MARS HILL, N.C. - The No. 4 seed Mars Hill men's soccer team (10-2-4, 6-2-3 SAC) defeated the No. 5 seed Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters (9-4-3, 5-3-2 SAC) by a score of 4-1 in the South Atlantic Conference Quarterfinals, hosted inside Meares Stadium.
In the 43rd minute, after being outshot 7-2, Adrian Faus opened the scoring with his seventh of the year. His initial shot was blocked by a Railsplitter defender, but following up and through the crowd of bodies, Faus launched the ball into the open net to give the Lions the 1-0 lead that held until the half.
Mars Hill's offense, led by the duo of Braxton Robinson and Peter Plougmand, exploded for three goals in a span of 5:58.
Plougmand recorded the natural hat-trick with Robinson assisting on two of the tallies and being the catalyst of the offensive push for Plougmand's third on the night. Robinson and Plougmand have connected for three goals in the last four games with Robinson picking up his third and fourth assists of the season.
His six-point night is Plougmand's fourth time this season scoring six or more points in a game, ninth scoring four or more. He currently sits atop Division II with 23 goals and 52 points and is the leader in shots per game, shots on goal per game, and points per game.
Lincoln Memorial's Gian-Carlo Kama broke the Lions' shutout bid with 1:08 on the clock, heading in a Ronan O'Mahony drive from midfield.
Both Faus and Plougmand led all players with four shot attempts while Leonardo Sanches added three attempts.
The Railsplitters outshot Mars Hill 18-14, but were only able to deliver three shots on target. The Lions forced Daniel Mikolsi to make four saves on the night. Logan Cassel made two for his sixth win of the season.
Mars Hill hosted for the first time since 2014, where the Lions came away with a 1-0 victory over Lincoln Memorial.
The Lions will play in the SAC Semifinals, hosted at the Matthews Sportsplex in Matthews, North Carolina on Friday, November 15.
