ROCK HILL, S.C. (Nov. 1, 2026) – The semifinal field is set for the 2026 South Atlantic Conference Men's Soccer Championship following Saturday's quarterfinal action. Top-seeded Emory & Henry, second-seeded Catawba, third-seeded Anderson and sixth-seeded Coker advanced to the semifinals, which will be played Friday, November 6, at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews, North Carolina.
Two quarterfinal contests were decided by penalty kicks, while Catawba and Anderson each earned victories in regulation to secure their places in the final four.
No. 1 Emory & Henry 1, No. 8 Lenoir-Rhyne 1 (E&H Advances 4-3 on PKs)
Top-seeded Emory & Henry survived a late equalizer and advanced past eighth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne, 4-3 in penalty kicks, following a 1-1 draw at the Food City Sports Complex in Emory, Virginia.
After a scoreless first half, the Wasps broke through in the 69th minute when Marcelo Lopes found the back of the net to give Emory & Henry a 1-0 advantage.
Lenoir-Rhyne responded in the closing minutes as Aaron Garrote scored the equalizer with just over three minutes remaining in regulation, finishing a pass from Bautista Giannoni to force overtime.
Neither team scored during the two overtime periods, sending the contest to a penalty kick shootout. Emory & Henry converted four attempts to Lenoir-Rhyne's three to secure a spot in the conference semifinals for the second consecutive season.
The Wasps controlled much of the offensive action, outshooting the Bears 22-5, including a 14-3 advantage in shots on goal. Emory & Henry also held a 12-4 edge in corner kicks. Lenoir-Rhyne goalkeeper Liam Prendergast made 12 saves in regulation and overtime and added two stops during the shootout.
Emory & Henry moved to 9-1-6 on the season, while Lenoir-Rhyne concluded its campaign at 2-9-4.
No. 2 Catawba 3, No. 7 Mars Hill 1
Second-seeded Catawba used two second-half goals to pull away from seventh-seeded Mars Hill and earn a 3-1 quarterfinal victory at Frock Field in Salisbury, North Carolina.
The Catawba Indians wasted little time opening the scoring as Gabriel Miranda found the back of the net just 34 seconds into the contest off an assist from Breno Andreucci.
Mars Hill answered quickly when Logan Knight scored in the fourth minute, assisted by Abiel Lopez-Dominguez, to even the match at 1-1.
The score remained tied until the 66th minute, when Giovanni Benericetti scored the eventual game-winner off assists from Alex Payton and Hiromasa Iwai. Payton added an insurance goal in the 89th minute, assisted by Benericetti and Carlos Zapata, to seal the victory.
Catawba held an 11-4 advantage in shots and a 4-2 edge in shots on goal. The Catawba Indians improved to 13-1-2 on the season, while Mars Hill finished at 8-7-3.
No. 3 Anderson 3, No. 6 Lincoln Memorial 0
Third-seeded Anderson scored three second-half goals to secure a 3-0 shutout victory over sixth-seeded Lincoln Memorial at Spero Financial Field in Anderson, South Carolina.
After a scoreless opening half, Jonas Zethofer broke through in the 53rd minute off an assist from Juan Pablo Lepervanche to give the Trojans a 1-0 advantage.
Henrique Fronza doubled the lead in the 74th minute, finishing a pass from Luis Munoz, before Zethofer added his second goal of the contest in the 86th minute to complete the scoring.
Anderson outshot Lincoln Memorial 18-15, including a 10-5 advantage in shots on goal. Trojans goalkeeper Asher Risell recorded five saves to preserve the shutout, while Lincoln Memorial goalkeeper Daniel Benedek Miklosi finished with seven saves.
The Trojans improved to 10-2-4 with the victory, while Lincoln Memorial concluded its season at 6-6-4.
No. 5 Coker 1, No. 4 Carson-Newman 1 (Coker Advances 4-3 on PKs)
Sixth-seeded Coker earned a spot in the conference semifinals with a 4-3 penalty kick shootout victory over fourth-seeded Carson-Newman following a 1-1 draw at McCown Field in Jefferson City, Tennessee.
After a scoreless first half, Coker took the lead in the 68th minute when Juan Mosquera scored his first goal of the season to put the Cobras ahead 1-0.
Carson-Newman rallied in the closing minutes as Mitchell Honcoop converted a penalty kick in the 89th minute to level the match at 1-1 and force overtime.
Neither team found the back of the net during the two overtime periods, sending the contest to a shootout. Coker converted four of its five penalty attempts, with Christian Johnson delivering the decisive kick to secure the victory.
Carson-Newman held a 25-20 advantage in shots, including a 9-6 edge in shots on goal, and earned nine corner kicks to Coker's four. Coker goalkeeper Ismael Caria recorded eight saves, while Carson-Newman's Ivar Steggo Forsse finished with five.
Coker advanced to the semifinals with a 7-5-2 record, while Carson-Newman finished at 7-5-4.
Semifinal Matchups Set for Friday
The four remaining teams will travel to Matthews, North Carolina, for the SAC Men's Soccer Championship semifinals on Friday, November 6, at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex.
Friday, November 6 – Semifinals
11:00 a.m. – No. 1 Emory & Henry vs. No. 6 Coker
2:00 p.m. – No. 2 Catawba vs. No. 3 Anderson
Sunday, November 8 – Championship Final
1:00 p.m. – Semifinal Winners
The semifinal winners will advance to Sunday's championship match, with the SAC tournament title and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship on the line.
For championship information, visit www.thesac.com.