VIDEO: Richard Moodie Interview
VIDEO: Thibault Mathorez Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn – Thibault Mathorez (Graces, France) headed in a goal in 107th minute to clinch a 2-1 victory for the Carson-Newman men's soccer team over the No. 7 Tusculum Pioneers at McCown Field on Wednesday night.
The Eagles jump back to .500 with the win, as they are 7-7 and 3-5 in the South Atlantic Conference. The loss is Tusculum's first and they now stand at 12-1, with a 7-1 conference record.
"[It was] very big," Soccer Coach Richard Moodie said. "It was tough week for us. Back-to-back overtime performances with very few bodies being rotated into the lineup, that's tough. I think it speaks volumes for these guys. We're not having the best of seasons by our standards here, but these guys are relentless, they're not going to give up. They realize the importance of the games we've got. Three points tonight helps us get into the SAC Tournament."
The chance that ended with Mathorez's third goal of the season started with Tom Read (London, England) sending in a cross off a free kick. Mathorez found the ball with his head and directed it past keeper Jorge Alvarez for the game-winner. Read earned his second assist for setting up the goal that sealed the upset.
The Pioneers jumped out to the match's first lead in the 21st minute, when Georgios Charkoutsakis blasted a long ball into the C-N 18-yard box for Andre De Giorgi. The junior, who is Tusculum's leading scorer, flicked a shot past Joe Boyd (Nottingham, England) for his 12th goal of the year, making the score 1-0.
Undeterred, the Eagles battled back and found the equalizer in the 33rd minute. On a set piece, Read rocketed a ball towards the Tusculum net and Marius Staalby (Trondheim, Norway) headed it past Alvarez to even things at one. Staalby's tally added to his team leading total, as he now has seven scores on the season.
The second half consisted of a number of chances for both offenses, but fantastic play by both goalkeepers, ensured the scoreline remained level. Joe Boyd totaled eight saves through regulation while Alvarez totaled three. Both goalkeepers matched each other through two halves and one overtime period before Mathorez brought the long night to an end.
The Eagles hit the road one more time in the 2016 regular season, with a trip to Brevard up next on Saturday. That match has a scheduled start time of 7:30pm.
-CN-
