VIDEO: Stephen Lyons Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The penultimate road contest for Carson-Newman sends the group to the Palmetto State for a Saturday afternoon match at Newberry, set to start at 3:30 p.m. from the Smith Road Complex.
Carson-Newman (8-3, 6-1) picked up its 12th straight South Atlantic Conference road contest without a loss in its bounce-back win over Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday. Since a loss to Wingate on Oct. 20, 2018, the Eagles have gone 9-0-3 in league road tilts.
"In spells, we put together some good combinations," Carson-Newman coach Stephen Lyons said. "Took out chances when we had them. I think we know collectively we need to improve in certain areas, taking care of the basics, but, yeah, great to get a big win on the road in the midweek."
The Eagles are on a three-match road winning streak, winning by a combined 8-1 margin with back-to-back shutouts.
This will be the 28th meeting between C-N and Newberry (2-10, 2-5) with Lyons' group not seeing a loss in series history, leading 25-0-2 since it began in 1995. The Eagles have outscored the Wolves 112-25 with 10 clean sheets. The last shutout came in Jefferson City with a 5-0 result on Sept. 16, 2017.
The Eagles are 11-0-2 when playing at Newberry all-time. Their last trip to South Carolina ended in a 2-2 draw on Oct. 24, 2018, the first draw in the series in 17 years.
C-N and Newberry have not faced off since Sept. 21, 2019 when the Eagles needed a pair of goals in the final minutes to take down the Wolves. The Eagles held a 1-0 lead heading into the break thanks to a Josh Harris-James goal in the 44th minute but Newberry answered with a goal from Troy Paul in the 56th minute. A red card on Collin Hensel in the 69th minute forced Carson-Newman to play a man down. Tobias Solem Karlsen lined up for a set piece in the 89th minute that broke the tie, giving C-N a 2-1 lead and landed him in a tie atop the program's career game-winner list with 12. With 19 seconds remaining, Nic Carsh added onto the Orange and Blue lead with a breakaway open-net dagger after flicking the ball over the head of Newberry's goalkeeper, Leroy Zeller, near centerfield. C-N led wire-to-wire in shots, 19-7, and shots on goal, 9-5.
Newberry has lost four of its last five matches, the most recent being a 2-1 loss to Anderson on Wednesday. It is facing a three-match losing streak in home matches, as well, getting outscored 11-2 in that span. The last home win the team saw was a 3-2 win over Lincoln Memorial on September 25.
"To get big wins on the road is important," Lyons said. "Obviously, you always want to try to do well at home as well. We know that Newberry had a close one recently with Anderson, so it won't be an easy game. Hopefully we can keep that trend going."
The Wolves sit at 10th in the league standings with six points, five points ahead of the bottom spot. Both of their SAC wins this season were decided by one goal, defeating Tusculum and LMU at 5-4 and 3-2, respectively. Of their 34 goals allowed this season, 22 have come in conference matches, currently standing as a league-high.
Sixth-year head coach Bryce Cooper's group has been shut out by opponents five times on the season, two of those coming against SAC teams.
Harry McDonnell is the leading scorer for Newberry this season with five points on two goals and an assist. Both of his goals have come in the last two matches. Noah Vezzu is just one point behind him with two goals for four points. Both have hit the pitch in all 12 matches for the group this season.
Pablo Cubas has been the primary goalkeeper for Newberry this season, starting in 10 matches with a 2-5 record. He has saved 53 of the 149 shots he has faced in his junior campaign, allowing 25 goals. He is second in the league for saves and saves per game at 5.50.
The Wolves are second in the SAC and 21st nationally for 5.42 saves per game. Their .657 save percentage sits seventh in the league. They are next-to-last in the conference with 13 goals and 35 points, allowing the most goals at 34. The 65 saves needed this season are second-most in the SAC.
Saturday's match is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. The folks at Newberry will provide a live stream along with live stats while updates hit Twitter from @CN_Eagles.
