DELAND, Fla. – Stetson men's soccer closes out the regular season Tuesday night with in-state rival and Florida Gulf Coast with massive postseason implications to arise from the result at the Athletic Training Center.

"Any time you're playing for a playoff seeding, you're playing to win," head coach Emmett Rutkowski said "This season so far we've been a tough team to play. One thing I like is having this break [Nine days between games] because it's got us healthy and refocused with this young team. From what I am seeing in training it's been a positive energy and positive development, with the guys going into the ASUN tournament. You don't always see that, and that excites me about this group. I think this team can play with anybody in the country and I believe we're ready to make a run."

Florida Gulf Coast threw the ASUN top six into a tilt after defeating Lipscomb. The tournament-host seeds were locked entering the weekend but the third through sixth seed were, and still remain, wide open with all four teams potentially shifting positions. Stetson can drop no lower than fifth and could move up to third.

To close out the season Stetson has had underclassmen stepping up all over the pitch with veteran leadership trying to guide the team into winning positions. Freshman Andres Mata has been in outstanding form earning three starts with four goals in his last four games. Freshman Miguel Romero and Jacob Lenhard join Mata with earning starts in the last few matches with Seth Russ earning minutes in rotation. Key leadership with Alessandro Gabbani, Owen Jack and Gio Rodriguez has been crucial in the development with a team that believes they may be on hitting their stride at the right time of the season.

Standing in the way of the Hatters is an FGCU side that is also hitting its stride. The Eagles are undefeated in their last five conference matches including a 1-0 win over Lipscomb Saturday night. Florida Gulf Coast took the third spot in the ASUN standings following the win, which makes the match crucial for both sides. Either side will clinch third with a win. A draw will also clinch the seedings as they stand for Tuesday's participants, unless Bellarmine can win beat Lipscomb by three or more.

The two best keepers in the league by the number of saves made will face off with Owen Jack and Wyatt Kistner playing between the pipes for each team. Jack has more saves [51] with Kistner in second, while Kistner is the only keeper with a higher save percentage than Jack in the ASUN.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS (PDF). Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.