HUNTSVILLE | The University of Alabama in Huntsville men's soccer team will make its seventh consecutive appearance in the Gulf South Conference tournament on Tuesday when it opens up play in the 2019 GSC Men's Soccer Championship in a quarterfinal match at Auburn Montgomery. Kick-off has been moved up to 3 p.m. due to expected dangerous cold temperatures.
 
UAH enters as the No. 7 seed after posting a 4-4-3 record in GSC play as part of an overall 6-8-3 mark, while the Warhawks are the No. 2 seed after going 6-2-3 in the conference and 9-5-3 overall.
 
This will be the first meeting in the GSC tournament for the two teams as AUM is eligible for the first time this season, and it will be only the 13th all-time meeting between the two teams.
 
UAH is 7-4-1 against Tuesday's hosts after the two teams played to a 1-1 draw earlier in the season.
 
The Chargers dominated that contest statistically, outshooting AUM by a 27-10 margin and earning nine corners while conceding just three, but after a 58th-minute goal by Andrew Elkins for the Warhawks, UAH needed a strike from Khalil Bell in the 86th to force overtime.
 
The score was one of four on the year for Bell who ranks second on the team in scoring with nine points as he also added an assist.
 
UAH is led offensively by Rafa Moreno who was named the GSC Co-Player of the Week on Monday after scoring his eighth and ninth goals of the season against West Alabama in the regular season finale Friday night. Moreno is currently tied for second in the GSC in goals.
 
AUM – who is under the direction of head coach Matthew Thorne who enjoyed immense GSC tournament success while at UWA – is paced in scoring by Thomas Carlile who has seven goals and four assists for 18 points.
 
Alexander Kraus in goal for AUM has a goals against average of just 0.82 while recording a save percentage of .794.
 
The Chargers are 7-9-5 all-time in the GSC tournament, reaching the championship game four times and most recently in 2018. Six of UAH's last eight games in the tournament have required overtime, and three of those games have required penalties to be decided.
 
An appearance in the semifinals would be UAH's third consecutive should the Chargers win on Tuesday.