JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – One final non-conference match on the Carson-Newman's schedule brings Shaw to McCown Field on Wednesday for a 4:30 p.m. contest that will serve as the first-ever meeting between the two sides.
Carson-Newman (6-2) has pieced together a six-match winning streak since falling in the first two contests of the season, outscoring opponents 15-5 in that stretch. This is the second consecutive season that the Orange and Blue have won six straight matches. It is the longest winning streak for the team since the 2017 squad won seven in a row.
The Eagles' two latest wins came in shutout fashion, helping goalkeeper Bram Kaarsgaren (Den Bosch, The Netherlands) pick up his first South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Week honor this season, the sixth of his career. He and the entire defensive unit held opponents to just six shots on goal in the 1-0 wins over Tusculum and Queens.
Over halfway through the year, Carson-Newman is averaging 13 shots per match with a 2.00 scoring clip, good enough for fourth and fifth in the conference, respectively. It is tied for most corner kicks with 53, tied for 23rd in the nation. Of the team's 16 goals this season, four have come off the bench. With his golden goal in the win over Queens, Marius Opdahl (Jevnaker, Norway) has now accounted for two of those off-the-bench goals, the other coming in a 6-2 win over Erskine on September 8. His goals have been the two latest goals for C-N this season with the Erskine net-mover coming in the 85th minute and the Queens game-winner in the 96th minute.
On the individual side, Thaylan Silva (São Paulo, Brazil) still leads the team in scoring with 12 points on five goals and two assists. His two game-winners this year are tied for most in the SAC and are 22nd in the nation.
C-N wraps up its non-conference slate with the match, sitting at 1-2 outside of the SAC this season. The last non-conference victory came at McCown Field on September 8 with a 6-2 win over Erskine. Since Stephen Lyons took the helm in 2017, C-N has gone 15-13-1 in non-conference matches.
Lyons's group has won four straight matches on the banks of Mossy Creek this season, out-scoring opponents on the home pitch 12-7. In his tenure, the Eagles are 21-9-3 at home. Since 1990, Carson-Newman has compiled a 174-80-19 record in matches played on the banks of Mossy Creek.
Shaw (3-4) makes its first trip to Jefferson City following a 2-1 Senior Day win against Converse on Saturday. This season, it has been outscored by opponents 16-10.
Carson-Newman is the second SAC side the Bears have faced this season, falling to Wingate, 4-0, on September 11. Since 2017, Shaw has gone 2-11-1 against the SAC with a 19-34 scoring deficit. Its last win against the league was a 2-0 victory over Newberry on Feb. 20, 2021.
Wissem Obeid has been the Bears' leading point-scorer this season with six points on two goals and two assists. The junior forward leads the team with nine shot attempts and six on frame.
Juan Ramirez has started in net for all of Shaw's contests this season, allowing 16 goals with 24 saves. His lone shutout this season was a 4-0 win at Salem on September 7.
Shaw has been whistled for the nation's eighth-most fouls per game this season at 8.14. Its two red cards are also tied for 17th nationally.
The Bears went 3-4-1 during the spring. From that squad, 24 Bears return, nine of those being starters. They lost five players from last year's group, including a pair of starters.
Shaw is still a relatively new program with its inception being in 2017 after one club season in 2016. In the past five seasons, the program has gone 22-34-6 overall. Head coach Randy McClure is in his third season at the helm of the Bears program. In his tenure, the group has gone 9-19-3.
The Eagle Sports Network will provide a live stream of the match at cneagles.com/live with in-match updates from @CN_Eagles on Twitter.
