Video: Simon Duffy Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – It was a tale of two halves Thursday night as Carson-Newman (0-0-1) and the North Georgia Nighthawks (0-0-1) played to a 3-3 tie after 110 minutes of action. With the result, North Georgia maintains their unbeaten streak against the Eagles in the five matches of the series history. C-N has not seen a win versus North Georgia since the first matchup in 2001.
"Good game of college football out there today. Disappointed in how we finish that first half," head coach Simon Duffy said. "Kudos to North Georgia but it was ultimately three individual mistakes on our end. We talked about it at the half. I was really proud of the girls and how they responded in the second half altogether."
Both teams came out strong from McCown Field as both programs kicked off their respective fall season. It was Carson-Newman freshman Nellie Bryneus (Halmstad, Sweden) who got the scoring off strong as she netted her first collegiate goal in the 11th minute. However, North Georgia saw preseason-Peach Belt Conference selection, Abbie Crane, found the back of the net soon after, as she netted her first of the fall in the 23rd minute.
The Nighthawks did not give up in intensity as they piled on two more goals before the halftime whistle to lead 3-1 after the first 45. Taylor Malasek fired a shot in the 30th minute which got right over the head of sophomore C-N goal-minder Lilly Ebner (Hohentengen, Germany) before trickling into the back of the net and giving UNG their first lead of the match. The final first half goal for UNG came from Crane once again, as she found the back of the net again after breaking through the C-N defense.
At the halftime break, UNG's first half efforts saw the team fire off four total shot attempts, as three of those attempts were on frame. Meanwhile, C-N's first half efforts compiled six shots on goal.
"I think we could have easily pushed on and won that game, but in the end, it was nice to just be back out here on McCown Field playing and just to be here in the season is something I'm glad to be able to have," Duffy said.
Once the second half started, Carson-Newman came out roaring back as junior Makayla Garner (Fort Mill, S.C.) kept her success from the spring afloat as she inched C-N back into the game with a goal in the 48th minute. Her shot came after fellow junior teammate Addie Henry (Chattanooga, Tenn.) found the ball herself and made a phenomenal assist to set up Garner.
The competition between programs kept going back-and-forth between C-N and North Georgia until graduate student Emilee Futrell (Wilson, N.C.) notched another goal to not only tie the game at three apiece, but move herself into a tie for seventh-all time in CNWS history for goals with former assistant Jules Herrity. Futrell is now three goals away from tying former C-N All-American Lauren Wade in career goals with 37. The Wilson, N.C. native also moves herself into sole possession of seventh all-time in points with 77, which is two behind Jules Herrity and Liz Jallo who both finished their C-N careers with 79.
"Emilee is just a winner and she's been around us for a while now," Duffy said. "Her and the other four seniors who came back, we're just excited to have them back to give us valuable leadership."
Both sides kept fighting through the remaining of regular time and through the two overtime periods, but neither could find the upper hand as the result was 3-3 after 110 minutes of action. This is the first home-opener tie for Carson-Newman since 2013 when the Eagles tied the Alabama-Huntsville 1-1 that season.
Sophomore goalkeeper Lilly Ebner (Hohentengen, Germany) was in net for the Eagles as she finished her night with four saves on a total of 13 Nighthawks attempts. This is the second straight season where she has started in net for Duffy.
Thursday's result marks the second straight season when C-N could not come out fully on top. Last year, it was C-N's rival from up in Harrogate, the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters, who played spoiler to the Eagles home opener last February as Rachel Taylor netted the game-winner with 24.3 seconds left in double OT. The last home opening win for C-N under Duffy's direction came as the Eagles were able to defeat the Young Harris Mountain Lions 3-1 in September 2019. In that game, Garner netted a brace to help push the Eagles to the victory and secure their first win of the 2019 season.
"Nellie's explosiveness and desire for the ball is what helped her push us across in front to begin the game. I expect a lot out of her and the rest of the girls this year. I think the girls are disappointed to not be able to come out with the win today, but we know what we can do and look ahead" Duffy said.
In their season openers under Duffy, the Eagles have now been outscored 8-6 but in home openers, their margin is 16-6.
The Eagles now turn their attention to the Mountain Lions of Young Harris for a 5 p.m. kickoff on Sunday. In the series history, Carson-Newman holds a 4-1 advantage with the last matchup coming in 2016 when Young Harris claimed the win by a 4-3 margin.
Be sure to keep up with all things Carson-Newman women's soccer on Twitter at @CNWSoccer and via cneagles.com and all social media accounts throughout the season.
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