JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Stephen Lyons has been chosen as the fifth men's soccer coach in Carson-Newman history it was announced Thursday by director of athletics Allen Morgan.
"Stephen Lyons has competed at an elite level in the NAIA for years," Morgan said. "He has routinely had [Tennessee Wesleyan] in the top 25. He brings international and domestic experience to our banks here at Mossy Creek. In talking to colleagues and coaches, the term a lot of individuals used was 'grand slam.' That term was used to describe his abilities as a mentor, role model and coach. He, like all Carson-Newman alums and fans, expects that we will continue to compete at a national level."
Lyons arrives in Jefferson City from Tennessee Wesleyan University, where he spent the last nine seasons guiding the men's program.
"I have to thank my alma mater for giving me the opportunity to grow as a coach. It was a tough decision to leave a place that I consider home," Lyons said. "That said, the facilities, the athletic department and what student-athlete development is about at Carson-Newman is very exciting. I felt there was tremendous support for it here. After talking with Allen Morgan, I came away very excited and straight away ready to do big things here."
As coach of the Bulldogs, Lyons amassed a record of 74-59-15, including a mark of 58-28-9 over the last five campaigns. During that same time, he compiled a ledger of 35-9-5 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Lyons twice led the squad to the regular season title in the AAC and they also captured the conference tournament championship in 2012, which earned them a trip to the NAIA National Tournament. In 2016, Tennessee Wesleyan posted an 11-4-4 mark with a 6-2-1 conference record. Their season included a 2-1 home victory over Carson-Newman on Sept. 5th. The program reached its highest spot in the national rankings in Oct., when they rose to 22nd in the NAIA coaches poll.
Over the course of nine years in Athens, the native of Middlesbrough, England has coached 18 players who were selected as first-team all-conference, as well as two student-athletes who earned AAC Freshman of the Year honors.
"It was emotional," Lyons said of the decision to leave TWU. "My family is there. But it takes a special place to pull you away from something like that. The timing was right to start a new chapter. Carson-Newman's a fantastic opportunity to take that next step."
Lyons's first coaching experience came in 2005 when he joined the staff at Middlesbrough F.C.'s Youth Academy. From there, he moved on to the University of Saint Mary in Kansas, spending two years as a graduate assistant while he earned his MBA.
The newest member of the Carson-Newman family is also a former student-athlete, as he spent four years on the soccer team at Tennessee Wesleyan and captained the 2001 edition of the squad to the national tournament. Lyons earned all-conference, all-region and All-American recognition during his time playing for the Bulldogs. He then played professionally for two seasons in the New Zealand National League.
Stephen is married to Kristen Lyons.
The C-N men's soccer team has made trips to the NCAA Tournament in two of the last four seasons, including a run to the National Championship game and a National Runner-Up finish in 2013. The group returns 20 players for 2017, including first-team All-South Atlantic Conference midfielder Tom Read (London, England) and Honorable Mention All-SAC goalkeeper Joe Boyd (Nottingham, England).
"I'm very confident in the returning group of players we have here, especially after playing them the last two seasons." Lyons said. "I'm confident in the recruits that Richard [Moodie] had worked with. I am looking forward to getting stated with the team.
-CN-
