VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Stephen Lyons Interview
VIDEO: Nencho Margaritha Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman used three unanswered goals, two coming off the bench, to lock down a 3-1 victory over King on Wednesday night at McCown Field to close out a three-match homestand.
Carson-Newman (5-1) faced its earliest deficit of the season, trailing 1-0 just over a minute and a half into the contest. It held King (1-4) to its lowest shot total of the season in the match at five, four of those coming in the first half.
"The guys have shown good resilience," Carson-Newman coach Stephen Lyons said. "Players off the bench have been able to make an impact, which is a big thing. You know, I think we just have to learn to cut out the little mistakes early on and then we're probably able to keep a clean sheet. That's definitely something we're going to have to work on going forward."
C-N remains perfect at home this season through its first four home matches. The win extends its home-winning streak from last season to five-straight, the longest home winning streak for the group since winning its first five home matches in the 2017 season. The Eagles are now 19-4-3 against King all-time, leading in games played on the home pitch 10-3-3.
Ben Delisle opened the match with a launch from nearly 25 yards out after getting tangled up with some Eagles, giving King an early 1-0 lead.
In the 22nd minute, Bill Hadam (Knoxville, Tenn.) delivered the quick-witted equalizer just inside the left portion of the six-yard box. A cross into the penalty area was headed in the direction of Thaylan Silva (São Paulo, Brazil) that the junior darted on goal before being deflected back by a Tornado defender. Hadam picked up the rebound and quickly sent a look in that bounced off of another defender in the goal before finding the back of the net, tying the match 1-1.
With under 10 minutes left in the opening period, Evan Harr (Bristol, Tenn.) dished a long cross into 18-yard box that found the head of Nencho Margaritha (The Hague, The Netherlands). The redshirt-junior connected with the left side of the net for his first career goal, extending the Eagles' lead, 2-1. Margaritha is now the fourth different Eagle to score a game-winner this season.
Eagles ahead!@nencho08 puts the Eagles on top with a header off a cross from @EvanHarr.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) September 26, 2019
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35:34 | 1st Half
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"It felt amazing to finally get a goal," Margaritha said. "I've been here for a full year already. Last year, didn't have a chance to score a goal, but this time it went in. It feels good."
The C-N lead stayed at one goal until the 88th minute. Ben King (Hertfordshire, England) made a dash toward the 18-yard box and sent a cross inside before he could get out of bounds. His pass bounced in front of Will Sainsbury-Logan (Norwich, England), giving the redshirt-sophomore a chance to direct a shot past a diving Dalton Gammon for the final goal of the night.
Carson-Newman produced its second-highest shot tally of the season with 27 on the night, guiding nine of those on frame. Six Eagles sent out multiple shot attempts in the match, both Silva and Harrison Collins (Cardiff, Wales) led the Orange and Blue with five shots each. Collins also sent out the most shots on goal of any player on the pitch at three.
"I think [the 27 shots] show that we are an attacking team," Margaritha said. "We can get the chances when we need them. We just need to learn how to finish them, put them away, but it's good to get the shots. We just need to put them in the back of the net."
The Eagles kept Gammon busy in front of the net, forcing him into six saves. Bram Kaarsgaren (Den Bosch, The Netherlands) needed just one save on the evening which came in the waning moments of the first half.
While Carson-Newman lined up for 10 corners throughout the match, King never saw a corner kick. The last time a C-N opponent did not take a corner kick was on Oct. 27, 2018 against Catawba.
Carson-Newman hits the road for the first time in nearly two weeks for a trip to Anderson, S.C. to take on the Trojans. That match is slated to begin Saturday at 7:30 p.m. from Trojan Stadium. Anderson will provide a live stream and live stats for those who cannot make it. Real-time updates of the match can also be found from @CNathletics on Twitter.
