SALISBURY, N.C. – The Catawba men's soccer team will host Mars Hill in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Quarterfinals on Saturday, October 31, at Frock Field, with kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m.
The Catawba Indians enter the SAC Tournament as the No. 2 seed after a 12-1-2 regular season record and 8-1-1 mark in conference play, finishing with 25 SAC points.
Catawba will take on seventh-seeded Mars Hill (8-6-3, 4-5-1 SAC), which finished with 13 conference points, highlighted by earning seven points over its last three matches. The blue and white defeated the Lions 2-0 on September 12 behind goals from Alex Payton and Gabriel Miranda in their lone meeting.
The winner will advance to the Sportsplex at Matthews, home of the SAC semifinal and final rounds on November 6 and 8.
Second-year head coach Alex Morais enters his first postseason at the helm of Catawba. His team is coming off a historic regular season, setting a program record with 14 unbeaten matches to start the 2026 campaign. The Catawba Indians have outscored SAC opponents 22-6 on the year.
The blue and white offense ranks first in the SAC with 2.60 goals per game. Sophomore midfielder Alex Payton leads the conference with nine goals on the season, including six game-winners. João Magalhães has 21 points on eight goals and five assists, which is tied at the top of the leaderboard. The Catawba Indians offense also leads the SAC in shots and shots on goal.
Catawba's back line has been another strong suit. Freshman Guilherme Quintas has provided 1,302 quality minutes and earned SAC Defensive Player of the Week honors on three occasions in 2026. Leo Souza, Carlos Zapata, Igor Gonçalves and Luis Rodrigues have also been noteworthy defensively, helping hold opponents to the second-fewest goals and shots on goal in the SAC. Goalkeeper Héctor Vara has delivered a conference-best eight clean sheets, allowing just 0.67 goals per game.
History
Catawba holds a 33-18-1 all-time record against Mars Hill and leads the series 7-2 in SAC Tournament matches since joining the conference in 1989.
The Catawba Indians will host a postseason match at Frock Field for the first time since 2016, seeking their first playoff victory since defeating Limestone 1-0 in the 2021 SAC Tournament.
Catawba men's soccer has won three South Atlantic Conference Tournament championships, claiming titles in 1990, 2001 and 2003.
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