JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn – Nate Evans netted a golden goal in the 97th minute, giving the fourth-ranked Wingate Bulldogs a 2-1 victory over the Carson-Newman men's soccer team at WU Soccer Complex in Wingate, N.C. on Saturday night.
For the Eagles, they suffered their third consecutive loss and are now 2-5 in the South Atlantic Conference and 6-7 overall. Wingate stays perfect at 7-0 in the SAC and 10-0 overall.
The play that ended with Evans' goal started with a Wingate corner. Aksel Juul's cross was headed high by Marius Staalby (Trondheim, Norway) in front of the goal and then directed by the Bulldogs to Callum Ross. The junior then centered the ball for Evans, who drilled it on target for the game-winner.
The scoring in this one started early, as the Bulldogs grabbed the lead in the third minute off a free kick. Juul sent a ball towards the net and Alex Nelson was in perfect position for the header, directing the ball past keeper Joe Boyd (Nottingham, England) to make the score 1-0. This was the earliest goal C-N has allowed this season.
Carson-Newman fought back from this early deficit and tied the game in the second half. In the 64th minute, Ashley Kelynack (High Wycombe, England) gained control of the ball near midfield and charged into Wingate's 18-yard box. He let loose a shot that was saved by Pablo Jara, but Dionysis Stergiotis (Oakville, Ontario) buried the rebound, evening the score. The goal was the first in an Eagle uniform for the sophomore.
The Eagles spent the rest of regulation holding off a fearsome Wingate attack, as the Bulldogs outshot C-N 26-6 for the match and put 11 shots on goal to their opponents' three. Boyd kept his team in the game with some excellent saves, totaling a career-high nine on the day. Unfortunately for Carson-Newman, the Bulldogs' final offensive chance was one they were unable to stop.
On Wednesday, the Eagles will enjoy all the comforts of home as they host the Tusculum Pioneers with the opening whistle set to sound at 7:30 p.m. Check out cneagles.com/live for live video and stats with Mark Inserra calling the match. You can visit cneagles.com after the game for the wrap-up.
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