JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn – Thor Joakim Stenberg headed in a loose ball off a corner kick in the 88th minute for the tie-breaking tally as the Mars Hill Lions escaped with a 3-2 triumph over the Carson-Newman Eagles at McCown Field on Wednesday night.
The loss knocks the Eagles down to 4-2 in 2016 with a South Atlantic Conference record of 1-1. The Lions are now 2-1 in the SAC and 3-3 overall.
"It was one of those storylines where you're hoping we go on and win it," Soccer Coach Richard Moodie said. "The guys worked extremely hard to get back in. Mars Hill made it difficult. I didn't see any clear cut chances for us to win this game tonight. The chances we got, we struggled to create. The boys got back into it, you have to be proud of their efforts, but to concede a goal like we did in the end and to lose a game like that, it's a bit disappointing."
The goal came only minutes after Carson-Newman equalized on a score by Thibault Mathorez (Graces, France), completing a comeback from a 2-0 deficit. Amine Merdjett sent a corner into the 18-yard box and after the ball was knocked around a few times, Oscar Mitchell directed it towards the net and Stenberg finished for his first goal of the year.
Mars Hill's game-winner was a shocking turn of events after it appeared Carson-Newman had captured the momentum. Mathorez brought the Eagles level in the 81st minute with a brilliant individual effort that culminated in his second goal of 2016. On a pass by the Lions toward their own net, the sophomore charged in, beat sweeper Kyle Dix to the ball and tapped it past the keeper to make the score 2-2.
The late Mathorez goal completed a comeback C-N began in the 43rd minute when Poly Avgousti (Paphos, Cyprus) got his team on the board with a marvelous score. Avgousti was 25 yards out and to the right of the goal when he let loose with a screaming shot that beat the keeper and curled beautifully into the far, left corner of the net for his second goal this season.
Mars Hill forged a 2-0 lead on the strength of two goals in quick succession in the first half. Mitchell was the first player on the scoresheet in the 34th minute as a free kick by Ian Wu found him in the box and Mitchell put it in the back of the net for his first goal of the season. In the 36th minute, Wu again combined with a teammate to produce a goal. This time, his pass perfectly led teammate Franck Lannaud into the scoring area and Lannaud's finish produced his third goal and a 2-0 Lions lead. They wouldn't score again until Stenberg's late strike.
After a few days off, the Queens (N.C.) Charlotte Royals await a visit from Carson-Newman on Saturday, September 24th. That match has a scheduled start time of 3:30pm.
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