WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – A tall task awaits American University men's soccer on Sunday afternoon as the Eagles are set to take on No. 1 seed Clemson in the NCAA Second Round. AU advanced to face the Tigers after prevailing on penalty kicks, 5-4, against Jacksonville on Thursday night.
 
QUICK INFO

• Date/Time: Sunday, May 2, 4:00 p.m.
• Site: Winston-Salem, N.C. (Spry Stadium)
• Series History: Clemson leads, 4-0-0
• TV: ESPN3
• Talent: Kyle Bonn (pxp), Ty Collins (color)

INSIDE THE SERIES

• AU and Clemson have faced off four times in history, including twice in the NCAA Tournament (1978 and 1979). The Eagles are looking for their first ever victory over the Tigers.
• By advancing past Jacksonville on Thursday, AU moved into the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament for the eighth straight appearance.
• American is familiar with Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., as they won their first two games of the 2001 NCAA Tournament at this facility. With the draw on Thursday, AU is now 2-0-1 at Spry Stadium.
• Head coach Zach Samol has yet to face an ACC opponent or a team from South Carolina in his two seasons at the helm.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN

• AU hasn't lost since their second game of the season, a 2-1 loss at Bucknell. The Eagles are riding a six-game unbeaten streak, their longest streak since ending the 2016 season on a six-game run. The Eagles also had a 10-game unbeaten streak down the stretch of the 2015 season.
• To advance to the NCAA Second Round, AU survived a scare from Jacksonville on Thursday night. After the Eagles took a 3-1 lead in the 61st minute on a Jack Green free kick goal, Jacksonville stormed back to score back-to-back goals in the 82nd and 85th minute to force overtime. The Dolphins fired off five shots over the overtime periods, but American staved off the attack and advanced by holding a 5-4 advantage on penalty kicks. It's the first time AU has advanced on penalty kicks since the 2011 Patriot League semifinals against Navy. 
• After winning their first Patriot League title since 2004, American found themselves receiving votes in the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Poll. It's the first time AU has been mentioned in those rankings since Nov. 8, 2016 when they were also receiving votes. In the Atlantic Region, American is slotted at No. 3. The Eagles are also currently ranked No. 1 in the NCAA's RPI metric. 
• Two Eagles were recognized as All-Conference when the league announced the awards. David Coly and Nicolas Blassou, both first-year transfers, were named Second Team All-Patriot League. Coly has five goals this season, including tallies in five straight games. No Eagles has accomplished that feat since at least 2001. Blassou has led the defense from his center back position and has scored two goals in the last three games.
• Defensively, American rides a two-goalkeeper rotation. Senior Jake Agnew starts the first half, while freshman Lorenzo Gordon finishes the game. "We have a really tight goalkeeping unit and we just try to push each other every day to get better," said Agnew. "We support each other and whoever's in, we just give them our full support." 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT CLEMSON

• Clemson enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed for the first time since 1998.
• The Tigers have beaten three top-ranked teams this season and enter the match with a 13-3-2 mark.
• In 2019, Clemson entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed and was eliminated in PKs by Stanford in the quarterfinals.
• The Tigers are making their 33rd tournament appearance and seventh in the last eight seasons. Clemson won national titles in 1984 and 1987.
• Clemson played a full fall slate, culminating in a victory over Pittsburgh to claim the 2020 ACC Championship. The Tigers then played a handful of games this spring to get ready for the NCAA Tournament, going 5-1-1 from March until now.

HOW WE GOT HERE

• American men's soccer won their first Patriot League title since 2004, and third overall, with a 2-1 double-overtime win over previously undefeated and No. 24 Lafayette on April 17.
• The Eagles also topped Loyola on April 14 in the semifinals after squandering a 2-0 lead and needing a go-ahead goal in the 82nd minute from David Coly to clinch a spot in the final.
• The two road wins for AU during the PL Tournament were the first two true road wins for the Eagles in the tournament since joining the league in 2001.
• But AU's season almost ended the last week of the regular season, as Navy scored a go-ahead goal at Reeves Field in the 74th minute. A wave of subs brought fresh legs to the American offense, resulting in an 85th-minute equalizer to force a draw and a spot in the PL Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the South division.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

• Under the leadership of second-year head coach Zach Samol, American was able to break through some previous bad luck in the Patriot League Tournament.
• Since winning the 2004 conference title, AU had failed to advance in the PL championship game seven straight times, including four straight from 2009-12.
• Looking at the NCAA Tournament, AU has advanced in eight straight appearances after Thursday's PK shootout against Jacksonville.
• In 1997, American earned a No. 7 seed and advanced all the way to the quarterfinals before dropping a double-overtime game to Virginia, 2-1.
• The legendary 1985 squad made it all the way to the national finals before falling to UCLA in eight overtimes, 1-0. That is the longest game in NCAA history and played a part in changing the overtime rules to the current shootout format.
• Fun fact: The Eagles played the first two rounds of the 2001 NCAAs at Spry Stadium (the same facility their first two games of this tournament would be), topping Ohio State, 2-1, in the first round before upsetting host Wake Forest, 3-0, in the second round.

RANKINGS RECORD

• Over the last 10 years, American men's soccer has played its fair share of ranked opponents.
• The Eagles are 6-8-3 against Top-25 opponents since 2011, including a 2-1 overtime win over No. 1 UCLA on Sept. 5, 2014.
• The other time AU faced a No. 1 ranked team since 2011 was on Oct. 6, 2016 when the Eagles dropped a tight 2-1 result to Maryland.
• American topped the only ranked team they have played this season, defeating No. 24 Lafayette, 2-1 in double-overtime, to bring home the Patriot League title. 

BEEN HERE BEFORE

• Although American hasn't qualified for the NCAA Tournament since 2004, two current Eagles have played in the championships for other programs.
• David Coly saw action in two games during the 2016 NCAAs while at Washington.
• Nicolas Blassou saw action in two games during the 2019 NCAAs while at Kentucky.
• This big-game experience has brought a level of maturity and sense of calm for a team that otherwise doesn't have much experience in those types of postseason games.
• Two other transfers, Kyle Hellmann and Jake Agnew, joined the team in 2019 and have added a similar level of maturity and experience despite not qualifying for nationals at their previous school.

MEHLERT CONNECTION

• Volunteer assistant coach Patrick Mehlert returned to AU to join Coach Samol's staff when he arrived before the 2019 campaign.
• The 2014 graduate saw action in 72 games as an Eagle from 2010-13, serving as co-captain as a senior.
• The last name might be familiar: Patrick's father, Pete Mehlert, is AU's all-time winningest head coach, serving in the role from 1972-91.
• A Cassell Hall of Famer, Mehlert led the Eagles to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the 1985 title game.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR

• With its remarkable location in Washington, D.C., American has long attracted students from all around the globe. The men's soccer program is no different.
• AU boasts a roster featuring eight international players from six different countries.
• England leads the way with three players calling it home (Dimitrijevic, McConnell, McGovern).
• Other countries represented on the AU roster include Bulgaria (Poelzlbauer), Cameroon (Zouantcha), Turkey (Bouregy), Senegal (Coly), and Sweden (Sjoberg). Additionally, Al-Ameen Salako was born in Nigeria, but calls Wilmette, Ill., home. 

STAYING LOCAL

• As global of a footprint that AU Men's Soccer has produced, local roots to soccer clubs in the DMV region also run deep.
• Six players from the Bethesda-Rockville area have made the short trek up the road to be an Eagle. Nicolas Blassou and Ben Severe both transferred to AU to be closer to home after beginning their careers at Kentucky and Villanova, respectively.
• Jerry Zouantcha claims Cameroon as home, but played club soccer for Bethesda Soccer Club. 
• Will Manogue, Kevin Ventura, and Tomas Martini join those two as Maryland natives on the roster. 
• Lorenzo Gordon is also not very far from his hometown of Fairfax, Va. Gordon is the only Virginia native on the squad this season. 

THE AMERICAN 500

• With the win over Loyola last month, American men's soccer reached 500 wins in program history.
• The program was established in 1949 and is competing in its 72nd season.
• The Patriot League boasts a rich men's soccer tradition, as eight other programs have also reached 500 wins.
• Of programs established after the 1930s, AU is one of three to reach the milestone (Boston U. - 1949, 560 wins, Loyola - 1940, 734 wins).

THE GOALIE ROTATION

• It is not traditional for teams to play two goalies this late in a season. But if it isn't broken, don't fix it.
• Jake Agnew, a senior who transferred to AU from Appalachian State to join his keeper coach Dan Louisignau, has been outstanding as the starter.
• Over the last month, he has picked up a number of diving saves and kept Navy, Loyola, and Jacksonville scoreless while in the game.
• Lorenzo Gordon held Lafayette scoreless in the second half and overtime and has been solid all year.
• Just a freshman, Gordon comes from tremendous pedigree, having played on the DC United U-19 Academy Team since 2016 and serving as the captain.
• He was also rostered with Loudoun United FC for the 2020 USL Championship season.

TICKET INFORMATION FOR THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

• A limited number of tickets are now available for AU's Second Round game vs. Clemson on Sunday, May 2 to be played at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.
• Tickets are $20 in the stands and $15 for the hill.
• Physical distancing guidelines must be followed, and masks must be worn when not eating/drinking.
• Click HERE to purchase tickets now for the second round.
• Fans should plan to park in the parking lot at the corner of Polo Road and Long Road, and enter via the back stadium entrance closest to Polo Road.

VIRTUALLY "PHIL" REEVES FIELD PRESENTED BY GEICO

• Support AU Men's Soccer by helping to virtually "Phil Reeves Field" this postseason!
• Help us reach our goal of 100 new tickets by kick-off on Sunday vs. Clemson.
• The "AU Founder" ticket price of $18.93 commemorates the year AU was founded.
• Receive a commemorative ticket and wallpaper by purchasing your virtual tickets HERE!

KEEP UP WITH US

• For the latest on American University Men's Soccer, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_MSoccer), Facebook (/AU.MSoccer) and Instagram (@au.msoccer).