JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman men's soccer team (3-1, 1-1 SAC) travels will be looking to end a two-match losing streak as the Eagles travel to Ammons Family Athletic Complex and Meares Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. match against the Mars Hill Lions (2-3, 1-1 SAC).
The Lions have taken the last two matches from the Eagles with a 1-0 win at McCown Field in the 2013 South Atlantic Conference Tournament quarterfinals and a 4-1 win last season on the banks of Mossy Creek.
"That was a tough game for us last year. They are tough, organized and disciplined. They've had a great results against one of the top teams in the country in Young Harris. They are definitely well-organized. It is difficult to go to a place like Mars Hill and win. For them, we will expect them to be disciplined, fast and athletic. For us, we will have to match that and remember to play our game," coach Richard Moodie said.
This season, Mars Hill has a win against No. 3 Young Harris with a 1-0 stunner in overtime on the road; the other Lions' win came on Saturday against Catawba with a 99th-minute game-winner in Salisbury, N.C. Mars Hill has yet to win on its home turf and the Lions are playing just their second home match of 2015 against the Eagles. MHU averages one goal and 11.2 shots per game.
No Lion has tallied more than one goal this season. Chrisitan MacArthur, Amine Merdjett, Oscar Mitchell, Stian Sanner and Robert Taylor have each found the back of the net. Connor Tolbot is the number-one goalkeeper for MHU. The junior has allowed just five goals and has recorded 22 saves, while possessing a .808 save percentage and has one clean sheet to his name.
Gary Hamel is in his fourth season as the Mars Hill skipper and was named the SAC Coach of the Year in 2012.
Carson-Newman enters the contest after a 3-1 win over Newberry on Saturday night after junior Marius Staalby (Trondheim, Norway) tallied two goals in the contest. Staalby's performance against the Wolves was his first-career multi-goal game. His two goals ranks him in a tie for eighth in the SAC.
The Eagles lead the SAC with 14 goals and a shot percentage of 20.6 percent. C-N has tallied the second-most assists with nine. Senior Nick Skoda (Knoxville, Tenn.) is tied for the league lead with four goals.
Carson-Newman is 18-9-3 all-time against the Lions and 7-3-1 in the Tar Heel State. Mars Hill won the last meeting 6-3 back in 1989. Over the last five meetings, the Eagles are 1-2-2 against the Lions.
A full rundown of Wednesday's match will be available on cneagles.com following the conclusion of the contest.
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