JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Following a loss in the season-opener, Carson-Newman looks to bounce back in its first road trip of the season, heading to Shorter for a 7:30 p.m. Saturday showdown from Ben Brady Field in Rome, Ga.
Carson-Newman (0-1) tried to battle back from an early two-goal deficit on Thursday evening with Thaylan Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil) scoring in the late stages of the match against Lee but a final goal from the Flames with 11 seconds remaining squandered the attempt. Stephen Lyons crew will try to avoid its first 0-2 start since 2014, a start it has seen six times since 1989. A win would push C-N to the 13th 1-1 start since 1993, the last one coming at the start of Lyons' tenure in 2017.
Saturday marks the first of six road matches on the ledger for C-N this season. Since Oct. 26, 2019, the Eagles have racked up a seven-match unbeaten streak on the road, going 5-0-2 in that span. They are 139-108-24 in road tests dating back to 1990 and have a four-match winning streak in road-openers, outscoring their opposition 17-1 in the stretch.
This is the first trip to Georgia for C-N since 2018 when it took down Clayton State, 3-0, in the season-opener. Since 1989, C-N has gone 7-12-1 against teams from the Peach State, going 1-6 when playing on the road. In Lyons' time with the team, the Eagles have gone 2-1 against Georgia squads.
The series between Carson-Newman and Shorter is still a relatively new one with only one prior meeting between the two sides. C-N won the first-ever matchup on Sept. 7, 2012 in a 2-1 neutral site contest in the Stanno Tournament in Greeneville, Tenn. Shorter scored first on a Robert Ocheing goal in the 28th minute but the Eagles netted two answered after that. Taylor Jolley brought the match even in the 32nd minute before Joao Pedro Dowsley headed the game-winner in the 84th minute.
Shorter is the second Gulf South Conference team the Eagles in three days. All-time, they are 10-11-1 against the conference. C-N is the first non-conference side the Hawks have faced since 2019. That year, they went 4-2 against the non-conference slate, opening the season with three straight victories. When facing the South Atlantic Conference, Shorter has gone 1-3-1 since 2014, being outscored 6-7 in that time.
Fifth-year head coach Paul Furey leads a Shorter group that went 1-2-2 during its 2020-21 conference-only campaign, closing the season on a three-match winless skid. After going 1-2-1 in league play, the Hawks tied with Delta State in the GSC Spring Championship series but fell in penalties, 5-4. This year, the Hawks were picked to finish ninth in the GSC preseason poll with 37 points.
The Hawks head into the season after losing their leading scorer for the last campaign in Hernan Saldana who scored six points on two goals and two assists.
They do see their other three goal-scorers return from last season, however. Davide Maiello, Mattia Maiello and Jackson Wheatley all accounted for a goal each. Mattia Maiello led the shooting charge for Shorter during the abbreviated year with 13 shots and eight on frame. He was fifth in the league for shots per game with 2.60 and fourth with 1.60 shots on goal per game.
Javier Flores is the only returning goalkeeper from the roster who saw playing time last season. His lone start came in the 1-1 draw with Alabama Huntsville in the season-opener. He saved one of the seven shots he faced in the match. Matthew Shorrocks was the leading netminder for the team with a 1-2-1 record. He allowed five goals with five saves, logging the only shutout of the year.
The Hawks were one of four teams in the GSC to have two red cards shown to them throughout the 2020-21 season, a league-high number that was tied for 13th in the nation.
Saturday's match has a 7:30 p.m. kickoff set from Ben Brady Field in Rome, Ga. Fans can follow along with the live scoring provided by the folks at Shorter by following this link.
