JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Second-place is assured in the South Atlantic Conference and whether first is still achievable will be known before kickoff, but the 21st-ranked Carson-Newman men's soccer team (13-2-1, 8-2 SAC) will continue to go about its business Saturday afternoon at the Coker Soccer Complex in Hartsville, S.C. as the Eagles face the Coker Cobras (3-9-1, 3-7 SAC) at 4:30 p.m in each team's regular season finale.
The Wingate Bulldogs have the opportunity to clinch the SAC regular season title outright on Friday night at Tusculum; the Eagles will need to depend on the rival Pioneers to pull the upset and knock off the Bulldogs for C-N to have an opportunity to split the championship.
"It doesn't change the mentality of what we are going to go out and do on Saturday; our boys are all in no matter what's at stake. We're playing for the memories; we're enjoying everything," coach Richard Moodie said of the Tusculum and Wingate outcome. "You don't want to come out with a season with the boys being 13-2-1 with no silverware at the end of it. They're hungry; they want something. We're playing good football. We showed again on Tuesday night against Tusculum that we can go on the road and score goals."
The Eagles enter the contest riding a seven-match win streak, the longest for the program since 2010. During that span, C-N has averaged nearly three goals a contest, while only conceding just seven goals against.
Carson-Newman has the 16th-best scoring offense in the nation with a 2.69 goals for average on the year. The Eagles' 43 scores ranks 12th-best in Division II. Coker counters with the 26th-worst defense in the nation with the Cobras allowing 2.57 goals against per contest.
Preseason second-team All-SAC goalkeeper Kyndle Cobb has started 11 of the Cobras' 13 games thus far. Cobb has recorded 60 saves and concedes 2.20 goals against per game. The junior has a save percentage of .714 with one shutout. The junior keeper ranks 24th in the nation with 5.45 saves per game.
Last season against the Eagles, Cobb registered nine saves and faced 21 shots
"I think we're peaking at the right time. I'm excited to see what the future holds for this team. Looking back on 2013 and this team now, the record at the end of the season is far superior to the team in 2013. I think even the level of play right now from this group and the passion, commitment and desire meets that if not betters it," Moodie said.
. Coker is currently riding a three-match losing streak and has scored just one goal during the stretch. The Cobras' last win came on Oct. 17th on the road at Tusculum with a 2-1 win.
Coker is led in scoring by Ian Fellenz and Alvaro Urena who each have three goals on the season. Aladdin Elfares and Connor Norton-Baker have scored twice for the Cobras. Norton-Baker entered the season as a preseason second-team All-SAC member.
Carson-Newman and Coker are meeting for just the fourth-time in the past 25 years with C-N winning just once. The Cobras upset the Eagles last season on Mossy Creek with a 2-1 win, but the Eagles are 1-0 at the Coker Soccer Complex.
Carson-Newman and Coker kick off at 4:30 p.m. from the Coker Soccer Complex in Hartsville with live stats and video provided by the Coker media relations department.
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