VIDEO: Stephen Lyons Interview
VIDEO: Rhydian Williams Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After allowing an early goal, Carson-Newman (4-4-5) responded well and battled Lee (7-3-2) to a 1-1 tie at McCown Field in a non-conference matchup Monday night.
"Lee is a very good team," Carson-Newman head coach Stephen Lyons said. "They were very well-organized and have some really good players. I thought we handled it really well tonight, the way we setup, and if we don't switch off on that first effort, we win 1-nil, but that's futbol. The biggest thing was the attitude and desire we've been seeking from the guys has shown through. They are believing they can win games and score goals even when we are behind. The mentality of the group again was absolutely brilliant tonight."
C-N finishes non-conference play at 2-1-2 and remains unbeaten at home, 2-0-3. The draw marks the second straight for the Eagles. It's the first time all year Carson-Newman has had the same result in consecutive games. C-N has played to a tie in three of its past four games.
The Flames struck first on the game's first shot. Fabian Navarro dribbled his way into the box and crossed a ball to the feet of Ryan Chouyouti who booted a shot off the hands of Federico Simonetti (Crema, Italy) that found its way in the back of the net to put the Flames up 1-0.
Carson-Newman's first opportunity came off a good sequence that saw Harry Whitehead (Oxford, England) control a ball in the box and fire a shot that Jakob Buhrkuhl saved in the 17th minute.
The game's next shot leveled the match. Just one day after recording his first career goal, Rhydian Williams (Conwy, Wales) found Whitehead for his first career assist. Whitehead sent a shot that deflected of Buhrkuhl's mitts and ventured into goal to level the match in the 28th minute.
"It was a good reaction after we conceded that first goal," Williams said. "We kept calm and composed and managed to get that goal. Definitely happy with that."
Lee nearly regained the lead in the 32nd minute, when Marcos Garcia took a shot that Simonetti saved. That was the final shot on target in an opening half that saw both teams combine for nine shots.
Carson-Newman came out firing to begin the second half. Mitchell Honcoop (Nieuw-Vennep, Netherlands) took the first shot of the half that forced a Buhrkuhl save in the opening minutes of the half. Two minutes later, Thomas De Graauw (Hoofddorp, Netherlands) struck a shot at goal that deflected off the right post and out of play.
Williams made his impact felt once more in the 61st minute. The freshman raced forward and sent a powerful shot at goal that forced Buhrkuhl to leap up into the air and knock it over the crossbar. Two minutes later, Maxime Wester (Brussel, Belgium) from outside the box shot a ball toward the bottom left corner and the keeper made yet another diving stop.
Lee's Eamon McLaughlin had the next best opportunity to strike as he sprinted down the field and into the box, firing a right-footed shot that forced Simonetti to dive and save in the 73rd minute. That shot turned out to be the final chance either team had a on frame, as Lee recorded four more shots to C-N's one the rest of the way.
Carson-Newman managed eight corner kicks, seven of which came in the final 45 minutes. The Flames narrowly outshot C-N 12-10 but the Eagles had three more of their shots end up on goal.
The Eagles return to action on October 25th at 5pm when it resumes their match with Anderson, a game that will continue with 12:55 to play in the first half and Anderson leading 1-0.
