VIDEO: 2022 Carson-Newman vs Newberry Highlights
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – For the second consecutive weekend, Carson-Newman (3-3-2, 2-2-1) heads to the Palmetto state for a South Atlantic Conference collision with the Newberry Wolves (3-5-1, 1-3-1) on Saturday.
Saturday's match will be C-N's final September match and the final game of a three-game road trip to end the month. On the road this season, the Eagles are 1-1-2 and 1-1-1 in road league matches.
"Newberry is always going to be dogged," Carson-Newman head coach Simon Duffy said. "Travelling down there is very very tough. It's a grass field, its not the best, but it is what it is. We need to go down there and put in a performance. We've done that the last few games, its just not getting the end result in the final third. Newberry is a very good team at home and we need to make sure that we finish off this month on a bit of a high because its consisted of not our best stuff. I'm hoping we can start the second half of this season with a win and push on from there."
After dropping three of its first four matches this month, Carson-Newman has responded with a three-match unbeaten streak that started with a 4-1 win over Emory & Henry on Sept 20.
The key to the success has been on the defensive end. Carson-Newman has allowed just one goal in its last 306:81 of game time. During this stretch, C-N goalkeepers have made eleven saves and recorded two clean sheets. Last time out, the defense limited the Mars Hill attack to just four shot attempts, the least number of shots C-N has allowed in a match in 2023.
The Eagles rank third in the conference with 13 goals and 12 assists this season. Alba Delgado (Oviedo, Spain) is the top goal scorer with three in five matches this year. Felicia Frick (Eschen, Liechtenstein) has the most points with eight, thanks to two goals and a team-best four assists this season.
Duffy and the Eagles have had plenty of success against the Wolves, winning eight straight matches. After allowing an early second half goal, C-N rallied in the final 25 minutes to escape with a 2-1 senior day victory. Three consecutive matches between these two teams have ended in one goal C-N wins. Newberry's last victory in the series came on October 11, 2014. C-N leads the all-time series 23-6.
Newberry enters Saturday's match on its second two-game losing streak of the season. The Wolves have lost to Lincoln Memorial and Wingate by 1-0 and 2-0 tallies in the past two contests. Newberry is tied for seventh in the SAC with a 1-3-1 record.
Newberry statistically has the worst defense in the SAC. Its allowed the most goals overall (21) and most during conference play (12) as well. The Wolves have rotated between three goalkeepers who each have started three matches this season. Sarah Waller and Aubrey Cripe each have a team-high 27 saves.
Offensively, as a team, it does not get much better. They rank in the middle of the pack in goals scored this season. However, its doing it while only averaging nine shots per match, the third lowest mark in the league. The bright spot is Jaidyn Jacobs who leads the offensive attack for the Wolves. She is tied for third in the league with five goals and is second in shots (3).
Carson-Newman currently sits in a three-way tie for third place, while Newberry is in a tie with Mars Hill for seventh.
Kick off is set for 4:30 p.m. from Smith Road Complex. The game can be streamed on FloSports with a subscription. Fans can also follow along to @CN_Eagles on Twitter and Instagram for in-game updates.
