JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – A goal by Shorter's Joseph Stanley with 46 seconds remaining ended a scoreless stalemate as Carson-Newman fell 1-0 at Ben Brady Field on Saturday night.
Carson-Newman (0-2) drops its first road-opener in four seasons, also halting a seven-match string of unbeaten road outings. Shorter (1-0) brings the all-time series even at 1-1. This marks the first 0-2 start for the Eagles since 2014.
"Disappointed is an understatement on tonight's result," Carson-Newman coach Stephen Lyons said. "We didn't execute to the level expected being a part of this program. Front to back, we had too many breakdowns and lacked quality, desire and urgency. As a group, we need to make changes very quickly as we prepare for one more game before conference starts."
C-N pressed early with three shot attempts in the first 13 minutes, two of those forcing Shorter's Javier Flores to make saves. Shorter's first scoring opportunity came in the 24th minute as Mattia Maiello made a breakaway dash toward the net. His shot was quickly stopped by a sliding Bram Kaarsgaren (Den Bosch, The Netherlands) just inside the 18-yard box.
As the clock ran out for the opening 45, Ben King (Hertfordshire, England) sent a volley across the pitch to an open Quinten Carels (Bruges, Belgium) that was saved on the ground near the left post, keeping the match even.
By the halftime break, both sides had been credited with three attempts each with C-N holding the shots on goal advantage, 2-1.
Theo Hardenby Öhrwall (Helsingborg, Sweden) added on a pair of chances early in the second half, both of which were saved by Flores. Both he and Benjamin Stein (Berlin, Germany) had additional looks throughout the frame that were saved or went just wide of the net.
With potential overtime looming, Stanley scored the breakthrough unassisted goal on a low left shot that put Shorter ahead at the 89:14 mark. It was his only shot attempt of the contest. His goal marked the third straight match in which a C-N opponent has scored in the final minute of play spanning this season and the 2020-21 campaign.
"Shorter defended us well and frustrated us," Lyons said, "but we have to be more clinical in front of goal and more solid defensively."
Carson-Newman outshot Shorter 10-8 in the loss with five on frame compared to three from the Hawks. The Eagles lined up for five corners in the contest while Shorter was not awarded one. Saturday was the first time since Feb. 25, 2021 that a C-N opponent went without a corner kick, the last side being Lincoln Memorial.
Stein led the Eagles with a career-high four shot attempts and one on goal. Hardenby Öhrwall tacked on three attempts, all on frame to match his career-best.
Kaarsgaren logged two saves in the loss, moving him to 0-2 on the season.
Mattia Maiello and Davide Maiello led the Hawks with two shots, each putting one on frame. Flores saved all five of the shots he faced.
Carson-Newman returns to the home pitch on Wednesday for a 5 p.m. contest with Erskine. Fans who cannot make it to McCown Field can catch a live broadcast at cneagles.com/live with live in-match updates coming on Twitter from @CN_Eagles.
