ROCK HILL, S.C. – Top-seeded Carson-Newman and second-seeded Wingate will square off in the South Atlantic Conference Championship for the third year in a row on Sunday afternoon.
The Bulldogs (11-3) and the Eagles (16-0-1) have collected a whopping nine titles between them in the past 13 years.
The teams faced off as the one and two seeds in the 2015 SAC title game, when Nikki McWilliams' goal in the 38th minute propelled the Eagles to a 1-0 victory, collecting their 5th league championship.
The Bulldogs were the five seed in the 2016 final, as early goals from Julianne Herrity and Holly Talbut-Smith sealed an Eagles' 2-1 victory as the two seed.
Prior to C-N's back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016, Wingate also hoisted the trophy two years in a row in 2013 and 2014.
Following a 2-1 victory over sixth-seeded Anderson on Friday, Wingate reached the SAC championship for the eighth-consecutive year. All three of the SAC title wins in program history have come following the 2010 season. They are 3-4 in such games since.
"If you had asked me at the start of the season to predict who would be in the final, I probably would've picked them," Coach Simon Duffy stated. "They're a very good team, and it's not a surprise at this point that they are here. Just glad that we are here, so looking to recover and get ready to go on Sunday."
The Eagles have never lost a league championship matchup, holding a 4-0-2 record all-time in such games. The two draws in 2006 and 2008 were won by C-N following penalty kicks.
In a chase for a their third-straight conference crown, C-N would join the Catawba College Catawba Indians as the only other team in the SAC to have won three-straight conference titles, when the Indians did it from 1997-99.
No team in the history of the league has won three-straight regular season titles and three-straight league championships in the same span. C-N will have a chance to complete the regular season and the league tournament unbeaten, something that also has never been done in the history of the conference. Presbyterian was the only other team to finish the regular season unbeaten in 1999, but they suffered a loss in the SAC Semifinal.
The Eagles will go into Sunday on a high note after a 2-1 OT thriller over the fourth seed Tusculum on Friday evening. Magda Mosengo's rocket from outside of the 18-yard box in the 93rd minute sent the Pioneers home after the game remained tied after 90 minutes.
Following the game, the conference recognized the seven Eagle players who were named to the all-league teams, but Coach Duffy has been impressed with his other key athletes who have made an impact down the stretch.
"Very impressed with Jaidyn Zapf and Madison Huffstetler. It's times like this you want players to step up and they have," Duffy added. "Catarina has been great at the midfield position with Lara.
Futrell has been able to come in and play well with the starters, and we just have a good dynamic all-around."
Wingate and Carson-Newman met at McCown Field earlier this season on Oct. 14 when Lara Hallgrimsdottir's indirect free kick was the deciding factor in the 1-0 win, handing the Bulldogs their first regular season conference loss.
The series history between the two teams is fairly even with the Bulldogs holding a 15-14-5 edge. The teams are split in neutral site contests, which sit at 2-2-1. However, the Eagles are 4-1 all-time when facing Wingate in SAC tournament play.
The winner of the league championship earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles currently hold the No. 3 position in the most recent Southeast Regional Poll, while the Bulldogs sit outside the top-six at No. 8.
The top-six teams in each region comprise the NCAA Division II playoff field, with the top-two seeds in each region collecting a bye and a home game in the playoffs.
Kick off at Manchester Meadows is slated for a 4:00 p.m. start.
