VIDEO: Richard Moodie Interview
VIDEO: Julianne Herrity Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn – On senior day at McCown Field, the Carson-Newman women's soccer team got three goals from Lauren Wade (Coleraine, Northern Ireland) and two from Julianne Herrity (Donegal, Ireland) on their way to an 8-0 victory over the Coker Cobras on Saturday afternoon that allowed the Eagles to clinch a share of the South Atlantic Conference title.
This is the second consecutive year the Eagles have won the SAC regular season title. The Eagles finish the regular season at 13-3-1 and 8-2-1 in the SAC.
"[It's] great," coach Richard Moodie said. "You'd be lying if you said you didn't want to win the conference, but its about the big picture for us. We've had a few losses and we had a tie, but we've learned a lot. You see a team that came here today and they parked the bus a little bit, but we were able to break them down and do what it took to win the game. I think we've got a great team and I know for a fact they are looking at the big picture."
Wade got Carson-Newman off to a fast start when she netted her 16th goal in the fourth minute. The junior took a shot from the left side of the 18-yard box that beat keeper Shelby Middleton to her left for a 1-0 lead. Herrity picked up her fifth assist of the year on the play.
Herrity added a second goal for C-N in the 20th minute, when Middleton attempted to handle a ball inside the six-yard box but was unable to control it. Herrity was on the spot with a header that crossed the line for her 15th goal of the season.
In the second half, C-N opened the floodgates and began to pour it on. Wade scored her second goal in the 53rd minute with a shot from the top of the 18-yard that rocketed past Middleton and in for a goal. Less than two minutes, she complete the hat trick with Herrity picking up the assist. This marked the third time this season the native of Northern Ireland has scored at least three times. Her 18 goals also have her tied for sixth most in a season in program history.
Herrity added her second of the day in the 69th minute. After drawing a foul inside the 18, she easily converted a penalty kick, putting her on the scoresheet for the second time this season. She now sits in fifth place in the program record book for career goals.
The scoring continued in the 71st minute when Lara Hallgrimsdottir (Kopavogur, Iceland) got on the scoresheet for the first time as an Eagle. Hallgrimsdottir took a corner from the right of the goal and curved it in for an Olympico, putting C-N ahead 6-0. Averi Williams (Powell, Tenn.) then added the day's final score off an Ashley Hickman (Knoxville, Tenn.) corner that she booted in for her third goal of the year.
In goal, Jacqueline Burns (Cookstown, Northern Ireland) added to her C-N record for shutouts in a season, as she picked up her 11th of the year. The Carson-Newman defense permitted just two shots from the Cobras.
The SAC tournament begins on Tuesday with games at the sites of the higher seeds. Carson-Newman has been awarded the second seed and will host seventh seeded Catawba at McCown Field at 5 p.m.
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