JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman men's soccer team is set to kick off the 2015 season as the 21st-ranked University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers storm into Jefferson City for a Saturday night match-up at 6:30 p.m. on McCown Field.
The Eagles ended 2014 with a 7-9-2 record and a lost to Tusculum in the first round of the South Atlantic Conference Championships. Gone from the 2014 squad is 47.6 percent of the goals scored and 129 appearances last season, but returning is leading scorer Marius Staalby (Trondheim, Norway) and starting goalkeeper Kavi Luchowa (London, England) as well a host of other starters.
"We have a lot of senior bodies on this team. We have got a lot of leaders. We are going to be looking to them to provide the guidance and knowledge of how to take on difficult teams at home and win those games," coach Richard Moodie said. "We are very, very confident in the team we've got and a lot like years past, we have kind of found who we are. We have established we are truly a team this year and we are going to work hard and play for each other."
Staalby was joined by Rurik Pereira (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Sindre Welo (Trondheim, Norway) and James Ward (Trine Cornwell, England) on the preseason second-team All-SAC team. Pereira tallied four goals and two assists in 2014, while Welo also added four goals and Ward found the back of the net twice.
C-N is opening its season at home for just the 11th time in school history. In the previous 10 starts, the Eagles are 4-6 with the largest win coming from a 4-0 result against Chowan in 2008.
Carson-Newman is meeting with the Chargers for the seventh time in school history and UAH holds a 2-4 advantage in the overall record. Huntsville has won the last four matches in the series, including a 5-1 win in the Rocket City in 2014.
The Chargers ended the 2014 campaign with a 13-4-2 record and a loss in the Gulf South Conference semifinals to West Alabama. UAH barely missed out on the NCAA Tournament despite being ranked fourth in the South regional rankings. They were tabbed to finish in a tie for first-place in the GSC with Christian Brothers University.
Huntsville returns defender Leo De Smedt and John Imwalle to a defense that allowed under a goal a game in 2014, which ranked 36th in the NCAA. Both men were named preseason first-team All-GSC. Also back on defense for UAH is goalkeeper Michael Winstone; he made 18 starts in 2014 and allowed just over one goal a game.
Returning on offense for the Chargers is midfielder Rafn Haraldsoon, who was named second-team All-GSC in 2014. He tallied one goal and two assists. The Chargers' offense as a whole last year averaged just under two goals a game but fired off 313 shots.
UAH is coached by Matt Watts who is in his third season at the helm in the Rocket City and he has complied a 23-11-3 record through two years. Watts played for Norwich City F.C., a former team in the English Premier League, during his professional playing days.
"They are a strong team. They are a good team. Last year, we didn't show up, they did and that's what good teams can do to you. By all means, they were a fantastic outfit last year. We will expect the same thing this year," Moodie said. "It's a tough game for (Carson-Newman), but it's at home. It's an opportunity for them to start off the season and get recognized."
Carson-Newman and Alabama-Huntsville kick off at 6:30 p.m. with a video stream and live stats available on cneagles.com/live. Michael Wottreng and Eric Cain will be on the call for the match.
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