by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-The Barton College men's soccer team moved back into the NSCAA Southeast Region top-10 poll at No. 10 on Tuesday but the Bulldogs will need a strong performance against fifth regionally-ranked Pfeiffer University in order to stay ranked when the two teams meet in a Conference Carolinas clash at the Barton Outdoor Athletics Complex on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Barton sports information will be providing Live Stats for Thursday's contest.
Barton soccer fans can follow the Bulldogs throughout the season on BartonBulldogs.com and via social media including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Barton College Men's Soccer
The Bulldogs have posted consecutive shutouts against league foes Belmont Abbey College and Emmanuel College to improve to 7-4 on the season. Barton is 3-2 in the league and sits in a tie for third place in the conference standings with King University. The Bulldogs can move within a 1/2 game of second place Pfeiffer with a win on Thursday.
BC returns to the NSCAA regional poll after a one-week hiatus. The 10th-ranked Bulldogs have been in the top-10 five of the first six weeks of the season and has been ranked as high as No. 3 (Sept. 9).
Senior Erik Pajunk – an All-Region honoree last year – leads the Bulldogs with six goals and four assists for 16 points. Pajunk is second in the league in shots attempted (44) but is only tied for eighth in the league in scoring with his half dozen goals.
Pajunk is followed closely by sophomore Alex David (5G, 2A, 12P), senior Dante De Luca (4G, 2A, 10P), junior Kevin Strassburger (2G, 4A, 8P) and senior Jonathan Rembecki (2G, 2A, 6P).
Freshman goalkeeper Jens Madsen Hordvik has been in net in each of the Bulldogs last two shutouts to improve his statistics to a .718 save percentage and a 1.52 goals against average.
Barton knocked off Pfeiffer, 5-2, last season in Misenheimer, N.C., on the strength of a Pajunk hat trick. The Bulldogs have won three consecutive matches in the series.
Pfeiffer University Men's Soccer
The Falcons have won eight straight games to move up to No. 5 in the Southeast Region. Pfeiffer is 9-3 overall and 5-1 in the league with its only conference loss coming against nationally-ranked Limestone College. Pfeiffer has been a solid road team going 4-1 away from Misenheimer this season.
Sophomore Nathan Regis and freshman Jaime Siaj lead the league in scoring with 10 and eight goals, respectively. Regis also tops the conference with seven assists and 27 points. Freshman Martim Galvao (6G, 3A) also ranks in the top-10 in scoring and is the reigning Conference Carolinas Player of the Week.
Pfeiffer leads the league with 3.0 goals per game and sophomore Roberto Soares has contributed four goals to a young but high-scoring offense.
Sophomore Nicolas Dulac has played every minute in net for the Falcons this season and has a .742 save percentage and 1.33 goals against average.
