Carsh's golden goal in double OT crushes No. 15 Cobras

 

Box Score

HARTSVILLE, S.C. – A golden goal in the 103rd minute from Nic Carsh (Newberg, Ore.) gave Carson-Newman the upset bid it needed to take down No. 15 Coker 1-0 in double overtime at the Coker Athletic Field on Saturday afternoon.

"Today was very much a team performance from guys playing every minute to players on and off the bench giving such a positive energy that was able to impact the result," Carson-Newman coach Stephen Lyons said. "I feel the group are playing well and still have another gear or two to go, so if we can find that at the right time, it's always good."

The win marks Carson-Newman's (8-2-1, 4-1-1 South Atlantic Conference) first win over a nationally ranked opponent since Sept. 21, 2017 when it defeated a No. 5 Lenoir-Rhyne squad. It is also the first time since Nov. 24, 2013 that C-N has taken down a ranked opponent on its home field when it defeated No. 4 Rollins.

With this victory, the Eagles extend their winning streak to three-straight matches while snapping Coker's five-match winning streak. The Orange and Blue have also propelled itself into the top spot in the SAC standings.

Before today, C-N had not seen a double-overtime win since Oct. 19, 2016 when it defeated Tusculum on a Thibault Mathorez goal in the 108th minute.

The Eagles held Coker (7-3, 3-2 SAC) to just five shots on goal throughout the match, the fewest the Cobras have seen since their 1-0 win over No. 16 Lander on Sept. 25. Through the first 45 minutes, the Cobras had only one shot fall on frame.

Carsh's goal came on his only shot in the entire match. A header from Collin Hensel (Spring Hill, Tenn.) was flicked into Carsh's path, allowing the sophomore to get a look at the goal. His shot deflected off the keeper and made its way to the back of the net. He has now accounted for three goals on the season, both of those coming in matches where he entered from the bench.

Before Carsh's game-winner, the match had been a scoreless stalemate that saw a total of 32 shots taken with 25 of those coming in regulation. Through the last 25 minutes of the first half, Carson-Newman was held without a shot, pushing the shooting total in the first period to 6-3 in favor of Coker.

Each team looked for chances to score eight times in the second half, giving Coker a 14-11 shooting advantage heading into overtime. The Eagles lined up for a pair of corners in the final five minutes of regulation with a trio of shots coming in that span that nothing could be made of as all three were saved by Coker's Guilermo Falo Ejea.

In overtime, it was Carson-Newman pouring on the pressure. Throughout the duration of both overtime periods, Carson-Newman stymied Coker's shot attempts, 8-0. In the first period of extra time, C-N fired five shots with two being saved. The 2:32 of the second overtime period played came with a trio of Orange and Blue attempts and a pair of corners.

C-N's netminder Bram Kaarsgaren (Den Bosch, The Netherlands) was called upon for five saves on the afternoon, four of those coming in the second half alone. The junior picked up his seventh win of the season in the victory, moving him into a four-way tie for ninth on the program's career wins list.

Coker's Christian Provenzano led every player on the pitch with eight shot attempts on the day, three of those on goal. Behind him was C-N's Thaylan Silva (Saão Paulo, Brazil) with four attempts.

Along with Silva, nine other Eagles attempted shots in the win. Harry Whitehead (Oxford, England) and Tobias Solem Karlsen (Kongsvinger, Norway) were right behind Silva with three shots apiece.

The Eagles stay on the road for a third-straight match, this time heading to Mars Hill for a midweek meeting with the Lions. Wednesday night's 7:30 p.m. kickoff can be seen via a live stream from the staff at Mars Hill with live stats provided. Fans can also follow live tweets from @CNathletics on Twitter during the match.