JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn – After winning their previous two contests by a combined score of 19-0, the Carson-Newman women's soccer team gets their 2016 SAC schedule underway by visiting Newberry on Saturday for a 1pm match.
"I always believe our conference is one of the best Division II conferences in the country," Soccer Coach Richard Moodie said. "I don't think there's ever an easy game. It's always difficult when you have to go on the road. You can't really slip up, even when you're away from home. You have to have a clean record. Every game is a battle. Our focal point will be going to Newberry and trying to get a win."
The Eagles suffered their only loss so far this season on September 6th, when they fell to the University of Alabama-Huntsville, 3-1. They've completely dominated their two games since then. This past Saturday, they blew past Francis Marion 10-0 with Julianne Herrity (Donegal, Ireland) registering a hat trick and Lauren Wade (Coleraine, Northern Ireland) totaling seven points on two goals and three assists.
Two days later, Wade led her team to another blowout victory, as they beat up on USC-Aiken 9-0. Wade scored five times in the win and added two assists for a total of 12 points, the most goals and highest point total in a game for a C-N player since 2002. No player in the NCAA has topped either mark this season, with only two players in Division III matching Wade's five goals in a game. The Eagles last two wins have also included goals from Holly Talbut-Smith (Crawley, England) and Gabrielle Gianeselli (Knoxville, Tenn.).
Wade's fantastic performance over the last two games has put her at the top of the national leaderboard in goals, points and assists. As of Thursday morning, Wade's 10 goals have her tied for the national lead with Anna Bondy of Northern State and Alimata Rabo of Southwestern Oklahoma. Her six assists have her with the outright lead in that statistic, as do her 26 points, a total which no player in the NCAA, Division I, II, or III has equaled. To the surprise of no one, Wade was recently named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Player of the Week.
Lauren Wade isn't the only weapon at the disposal of Head Coach Richard Moodie. Herrity is currently sixth in the country in goals, with seven, and in points with 16. Talbut-Smith has 12 points to her credit, which is tied for ninth in Division II. She also has four assists, as does Varin Ness (Sogndal, Norway), which is tied for fifth in the country.
Defensively, C-N has allowed just four shots over the last two games, both clean sheets for goalkeeper Jacqueline Burns (Cookstown, Northern Ireland).
Newberry will be trying to pick up its second win of the season, as well as attempting to snap a three-game losing streak. The Wolves have been shutout in all four of their losses this year and logged just ten combined shots on goal during their last three matches. That includes a 1-0 loss to Lynn on Sunday where they failed to record a single shot.
The one win the Wolves have in 2016 was a 6-0 battering of Francis Marion. That victory included a hat trick for Erika Linch and a brace for Alyssa Ortega.
In goal, Newberry has used three different players this season, as freshman Madison Putnam and sophomores Kodi Jean Johnson and Korina Martinez have all spent time in net.
The Eagles are 16-6 all-time versus the Wolves including a 3-2 victory at McCown Field in 2015. Herrity scored twice that evening, including the game winner in the 74th minute. That snapped a four-game win streak for Newberry in the rivalry, dating back to 2011.
A comprehensive recap of the game will be posted on cneagles.com after full-time.
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