VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Stephen Lyons Interview
VIDEO: Tobias Solem Karlsen Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Tobias Solem Karlsen's hat trick capped off an electric 4-2 win against Clayton State in Saturday's home opener at McCown Field.
Karlsen's hat trick marked the first since Nick Skoda scored one against Belmont Abbey exactly two years prior.
"It's always good to be back home," the sophomore said of the first game of the season at C-N. "This is where we train every single day in what we do, so I think we made a statement today: no one can just come in and do whatever they want."
The Eagles scored three big goals in the first ten minutes of the game to start out to an early lead. Karlsen got the Eagles on the board first with a goal in the fourth minute of play followed by another goal in the eighth minute by Ashley Kelynack with an assist from Joe Boyd. In the 10th minute, Karlsen tipped in a shot from Kelynack to put the Eagles up 3-0.
Karlsen's hat trick completion came just 20 seconds into the second half with an assist from Dylan McCabe to put the Eagles up 4-1.
"(We) just kept on pushing and that's an extremely good team performance," Karlsen said. "A lot of the goals I get is just because I'm in the box and people give me the ball."
The Lakers (2-2) broke through the hard-pressing Eagle defense in the 20th minute of play with a goal from Dean Foster, cutting the lead to 3-1. Their final goal of the night came late with Sekou Thornell netting one with an assist from Dean Foster.
Boyd picked up his first win in front of the net in 2017, saving three of the five shots he faced in the game.
The Eagles improve to 2-1 on the season, bouncing back from a midweek loss to Lees-McRae.
"(The team) definitely put into practice what we've been working on and I felt that we got a well-deserved victory today," head coach Stephen Lyons said of his first home win with C-N.
The Eagles go back on the road for the first South Atlantic Conference match-up of the season against the Lions of Mars Hill. That game will start at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Full coverage of the match will be provided by a live stream from Mars Hill with live stats and updates from @CNathletics.
