VIDEO: Richard Moodie Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn – In an attempt to rebound from a pair of close losses, the Carson-Newman men's soccer team packs their bags for a Saturday road trip to Wingate as the Eagles will face the fourth-ranked Bulldogs in a 7:30pm, South Atlantic Conference match at WU Soccer Complex.
"For the guys right now," Soccer Coach Richard Moodie said, "reality is starting to set in that we're just chasing to get into the South Atlantic Conference tournament. For us, you win and you learn. You don't win and lose. There was a lesson in the defeat on Wednesday. We're still really young. The biggest thing we're trying to develop is leadership."
The last two games for C-N have ended in similar fashion, as both times they've allowed go-ahead goals in the last 10 minutes that've been the difference in each match. Against Catawba, they were forced to play the last 58 minutes of the contest shorthanded after a red card in the 32nd minute put them down a man. The Catawda Indians got on the board in the 84th minute and held on to win, 1-0. Four days later, they hosted Young Harris and fought back from an early deficit to tie the score at 1-1 in the 79th minute. Five minutes later, however, the Mountain Lions retook the lead and held on for the victory. Those two defeats mean the Eagles have lost five of their previous seven games after a 4-1 start to their season.
Wingate has experienced none of the pitfalls that their visitors have dealt with. They were picked to win the conference in the preseason and are living up to those expectations. Their record stands at a perfect 10-0 and they've risen all the way to No. 4 in the NSCAA rankings. The main reason for their success has been their defense, as they've shutout five opponents and haven't allowed more than one goal in any game this season. The Bulldogs have the sixth best goals-against average, as well as the nation's sixth best scoring offense. They've also permitted the SAC's fewest shots on goal.
The main cogs in Wingate's attack are three juniors, Callum Ross, Elma N'For and Jon Ander. Both Ander, the reigning conference player of the year, and Ross were preseason SAC first-team selections while N'For is in his first season with the team and all three have performed brilliantly. N'For and Ross are tied for fifth in the conference with seven goals, while Ander sits tied for third in the league with six assists. Those three are not the only players getting on the scoresheet for coach Gary Hamill this season, as 11 different student-athletes have at least one score to their credit this season.
The Eagles have also had plenty of diversity in their offensive production this season, as 13 different members of the squad have found the back of the net. Marius Staalby (Trondheim, Norway) has been the most frequent contributor, with six goals to his credit. Tom Read (London, England) isn't far behind with five, but also leads Carson-Newman with 10 assists and 20 points. His assist total not only leads the SAC but is second in the nation and he's also third in the conference in points.
Joe Boyd (Nottingham, England) has had some ups-and-downs in his initial season at Carson-Newman, but has mostly been a steady presence in goal. His goals-against average of 1.32 and 46 saves are the league's fifth most and the freshman has collected three clean sheets. He also possesses a .742 save percentage, sixth in the conference.
Wingate Goalkeeper Pablo Jara was named freshman of the year last season and has not suffered from a sophomore slump in 2016. Jara tops the South Atlantic Conference in goals allowed and goals-against average and has the second best save percentage. His five clean sheets also top the conference leaderboard.
In the all-time series between these programs, the Bulldogs hold a slight edge with 14 wins to C-N's 12 and the squads have also tied five times. Last year, the teams played at McCown Field during Homecoming and the Eagles scored three times in the first half on their way to an easy 4-1 win. That victory snapped a three-game win streak for Wingate in the series, but the Bulldogs haven't lost to C-N at home since 2006.
Once the final whistle is blown, check out cneagles.com for complete recap of the match.
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