JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After a successful week at home with two clean sheets, Carson-Newman women's soccer hit the road for an old fashioned Tennessee tussle on Wednesday. The Eagles will hit the road to face an ole SAC rival in the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters. The Eagles (6-3-2, 4-2 SAC) and Railsplitters (6-3-1, 4-2 SAC) will square off for the 31st time as they get underway from the LMU Soccer Complex early Wednesday afternoon.
Carson-Newman collected a pair of clean sheets last week. First, the Eagles saw their first-ever meeting with the Shaw Bears on Wednesday, winning 2-0 thanks to a pair of goals from freshman Sydnee Duncan (Athens, Tenn.). Then, on Saturday, the Eagles jumped back into SAC play as they were able to handle the Anderson (S.C.) Trojans, winning 2-0 as well thanks to goals by Duncan and freshman Nellie Bryneus (Halmstad, Sweden).
Over the two matches, freshman Sydnee Duncan (Athens, Tenn.) was able to collect three goals off six shots and five shots on goal.
When talking about the team's performance against Anderson, head coach Simon Duffy was very pleased. "All positives. Best first half we've played this season and it was a major goal for us heading into the match," Carson-Newman coach Simon Duffy said. "I think we dominated as we wanted to and yes, maybe second half, we may not have scored but the chances we created makes me overall impressed with a lot of the players."
As the Eagles hit the road, they will look to build upon their 22-7-1 record under head coach Simon Duffy since he took over in 2017. When going on the road against SAC opponents under Duffy, C-N is 18-3-1 all-time.
As the 2021 season for C-N sees the rest of the way filled with SAC matches, the Eagles continue to see the efforts of freshman Nellie Bryneus (Halmstad, Sweden) leading the team in four categories. Bryneus has attempted the most shots (31) for the Eagles as 18 have been shots on goal, which leads the team in that category. Finally, Bryneus has compiled the team-leading 10 points in her time on the pitch thus far.
However, Bryneus is now tied with Duncan for the team lead in goals as the two freshman have compiled four goals apiece. Of her four goals, Duncan has netted a team-leading two game-winners. Finally, graduate student Emilee Futrell (Wilson, N.C.) is continuing to cement her place in program history as she currently leads the team with four assists in 2021.
"When we go to LMU, we have to give them the respect they deserve and we have to play like we did against Anderson," Carson-Newman head coach Simon Duffy said. "I thought we played on the front foot and attacked with desire and want. Emilee could have gotten a couple and Abbie could have done the same. No knock because there was a lot less frustration today and I'm delighted with the win and the three points."
Turning the page to the Lady Railsplitters, Carson-Newman leads the series history 18-10-2 including 8-4 on the road against Lincoln Memorial. When playing in Harrogate, the Eagles have won four out of the last five matchups, with their only loss coming during the spring season. In all road matches for the Eagles against LMU, they are outscoring their opponent 33-14. Since Simon Duffy took over in 2017, the Eagles and Railsplitters have split their seven matches, 3-3-1, as C-N has outscored LMU 16-13 over that span.
The last time the Eagles hit the road to Harrogate was in March of 2021 as part of the shortened spring season. After falling in a heartbreaking 2-1 double overtime loss at home to start the season, C-N was on a mission to rebound and not make it two straight losses. However, thanks to the feet of Rachel Taylor, the Railsplitters defended home turf and won 2-1 in March.
Taylor got the home team on the board early as she netted a goal in the 36th minute off an assist from teammate Lexi Bearden. Taylor would follow up her goal with another one in the 59th minute to make it 2-0 LMU and almost shut the door on any chance for C-N.
However, Lira Mathes (Knoxville, Tenn.) would give the Eagles a fighting chance as she netted her third goal of the spring in the 60th minute, thanks to an assist by Molly Bukiewicz (Beavercreek, Ohio). The Eagles could not push across another goal, as their best chance came in the 85th minute when junior Addie Henry (Chattanooga, Tenn.) was awarded a penalty kick. Henry stepped up to the spot, looking to make it 2-2, but LMU's Emanuely Costa was right there to keep the ball out of the net and secure the 2-1 victory for her team from Harrogate.
"I think this team is playing better and better each match, so it's promising for what we can do," Bryneus said. "We have to continue on pushing forward every match. We did good against Anderson, but we can do better. We just have to keep fighting and have the want to win."
Lincoln Memorial welcomes in their east Tennessee rival after dropping three straight matches, including a pair of SAC matchups. After starting their season 6-0-1, the Railsplitters have dropped three straight to Lenoir-Rhyne (4-0), Columbus State (3-0), and most recently, Wingate (3-2 in OT). Two out of the three matches took place from the LMU Soccer Complex, as only the result against Lenoir-Rhyne came on the road.
The matchup against Wingate was a see-saw battle as both teams battled to secure the three points and climb in the SAC standings. Wingate got the scoring started in the 18th minute after Sascha Larsen netted her second on the season. Once the second half started, Rachel Taylor once again stepped up for her team, scoring in the 50th minute and making it 1-1.
Alicia Rubio Garcia would waste no time in getting the Bulldogs the lead back as she scored in the 56th minute to give Wingate a 2-1 advantage. Only five minutes later, LMU took advantage of an own goal in the 60th minute as the game would end 2-2 after ninety minutes.
However, it would be Brianna Ditillo playing hero for Wingate as only 45 seconds into the first overtime period, she got an assist by McKenna DeLong and pushed the ball into the net for the game-winner and giving LMU a heartbreaking third straight loss.
So far in 2021 SAC play, the Railsplitters have outscored opponents 13-9, as two out of the four SAC wins for LMU have come via shutout. In conference play, Lincoln Memorial has fired off the third-most shot attempts (115), scoring the fourth-most goals (13) and holding the fourth-most shots on goal with 55. The Railsplitters have attempted 19.2 shots/game in SAC action, the third-highest mark behind Lenoir-Rhyne (22.8) and Catawba (20.3).
Lincoln Memorial is led by first-year head coach and former volunteer assistant for the program, Tasha Flynn. Flynn was announced as the sixth head coach of the Lady Railsplitters soccer program, as the team has gone 21-6-2 in her time on staff.
Flynn came to Harrogate after serving as the head coach at Central Baptist (Ark.) compiling 10 wins over three season (2014-16). After leaving Central Baptist, she led the Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) program from 2017-18, collecting 11 wins over the two seasons.
Flynn has worked in the professional soccer ranks with the New York Red Bulls and Sporting KC. She was an athlete at Missouri State before moving on to pursue a master's degree and being a graduate assistant at Central Arkansas.
On the offensive side of the ball, Rachel Taylor has continued to be the shining star for LMU as she has collected nine goals this season so far, with five of her goals being game winners. In SAC play alone, Taylor has six goals which is second most in the conference to go along with 26 shot attempts in SAC matches which is second most in conference matches. She has also seen three out of her five game-winners this season come against SAC opponents, which leads the SAC, as Taylor has also collected 15 points during SAC play, sufficient for second highest in conference.
In goal, LMU has seen action from both Bente Latenstein and Isabelle Zukaitis. Latenstein has been called upon to start five out of the six SAC matches for LMU this season, as she has compiled 18 saves and nine goals against conference opponents. Latenstein also holds a GAA of 1.62 which is eighth in SAC among goalkeepers. Overall, Latenstein is 3-2 against SAC opponents with her last win coming against Mars Hill on September 29.
Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. from Harrogate on Wednesday as the Eagles and Railsplitters take part in the 31st overall meeting between the two programs.
Live in-game video will be provided by the athletics staff at Lincoln Memorial at this link along with live in-game stats provided at this link and live-in game update provided via Twitter from @CN_Eagles.
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