JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After falling in its South Atlantic Conference opener, Carson-Newman (2-2-1, 0-1) tries for its first league win when Emory & Henry (0-4, 0-2) comes to town tomorrow evening for a 5:00 p.m. match from McCown field.
Under the direction of head coach Stephen Lyons, Carson-Newman has never started SAC play with consecutive losses. The last time C-N started 0-2 in league play was the 2002 season.
Surprisingly, this will be Carson-Newman's second and final home game in the month of September. The Eagles had their other conference home match postponed and moved to October 25th because of inclement weather.
Carson-Newman was strong against the league in 2022 at home, managing a 2-1-2 overall record including a ranked victory.
The matchup between the Eagles and the Wasps will be the second time the two teams take the field together. In the first meeting, last season, Carson-Newman fell behind 1-0 in the 53rd minute but responded by scoring three goals from the 62nd minute to the 78th minute to defeat the Wasps 3-2. The Eagles dominated many offensive categories in the win, outshooting E&H 21-5 and 8-1 on goal. C-N recorded a season-high 13 corner kicks in the winning effort as well.
Senior Harry Whitehead (Oxford, England) continues to add to his impressive career numbers. The fifth-year senior has three goals this season, giving him 16 in his career. Four other Eagles have pitched in with a goal this year as well. Fellow fifth-year senior Nic Carsh (Newberg, Ore.) has also been instrumental for C-N early in 2023. He leads the team with two assists, both of which were Whitehead goals.
Outside of allowing three goals last time out against Wingate, C-N has been strong defensively, recording multiple clean sheets through the first five contests of the season. Carson-Newman's 1.00 goals against average mark is third in the SAC. The Eagles average just over four saves per match, which is fourth in the league. Four of C-N's five goals allowed came in the first half.
Emory & Henry enters its second season as a member of the South Atlantic Conference. The Wasps have started this second SAC campaign with a pair of losses. They suffered a 5-1 home loss to Wingate and lost a hard-fought 1-0 match to Newberry on the road over the weekend. E&H lost a pair of non-conference games to Shaw and King to start 2023 and got outscored 6-1.
The Wasps were picked to finish last in the league and had zero players named to the preseason all-conference teams.
Grayson Cunningham and Jado Masambeta each have scored a goal for the Wasps through the first four games of the season. The offensive has the second lowest output for goals this season.
Goalkeeper Ty Catron has three starts this year, making 18 saves, with a .720 percentage, while allowing seven goals. Defensively, the Wasps have allowed the most goals in the conference.
Tomorrow's match is slated for a 5:00 p.m. start from McCown field. The game can be streamed on FloSports with a subscription.
Fans can also follow along to @CN_Eagles on Twitter and Instagram for in-game updates.
