Chattanooga, Tenn. – The 9th-ranked Carson-Newman women's soccer team edged out the Clayton State Lakers in the neutral site matchup on Wednesday afternoon at the Baylor School Soccer Complex.
C-N (7-0-1) moves to 6-1 against Peach Belt Conference teams in the last five years, outscoring opponents 29-5 in such matches.
It didn't take long for the Lakers (2-5) to make momentum swing in their favor as freshman Jana Lennartz ripped home a shot from the top of the box after a cross from Iciar Dunn in the 5th minute. The goal marked just the second time the Eagles have trailed all season.
Due to the heat, a water break was given with about 20 minutes remaining in the first half, allowing head coach Simon Duffy to give his team a bit of a pep talk.
"We were badly missing effort and attitude out there early," said Duffy. "Everything we are good at we were missing. Just had a chat with them that we needed to be better."
Junior defender Averi Williams answered the call becoming the 11th player this season to record a goal for Carson-Newman. Williams out-jumped multiple Lakers in the middle of the box on a cross from Lara Hallgrimsdottir, heading home her first goal of the season. Senior forward Lauren Wade also chipped in with an assist on the play, totaling five helpers on the year.
The second half featured an Eagle offense who outshot the Lakers 10-2 in the final 45 minutes as they continued to take advantage of the tired legs in Clayton State.
Holly Talbut-Smith broke through for the Eagles in the 80th minute when she took a Wade pass in stride up the right side of the field and towards the corner of the 18-yard box. Laker goalkeeper Jessica Chapman made an initial break on the play attempting to cut off the shot from the native of Crawley, England.
Talbut-Smith recognized the effort and flicked the ball over the senior net minder for her third tally of the season. Kristina Markfort registered an assist on the play giving the freshman her first points of the campaign.
"We had been at them all second half and we really exposed them in some areas and that play was definitely needed," added Duffy. "The girls were getting a little frustrated but a quality play there in the end."
The Eagles will jump back into conference play when they head to Anderson, S.C. to take on the Trojans on Saturday, Sept. 30. Game time is set for 5:00 p.m.
"They will be a tough opponent and we will have the target on our back once again," explained Duffy. "After today's game we need to refocus now that we are back into the league matchups."
