VIDEO: Stephen Lyons Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Finishing out the month of September with five straight wins, Carson-Newman hits the road for a Saturday South Atlantic Conference showdown in the Tar Heel State as it faces Queens at 7:30 p.m.
Carson-Newman (5-2, 4-0) is coming off of its first clean sheet of the season in a 1-0 win over Tusculum on Wednesday, ending a 177-day span without a shutout victory since defeating Lincoln Memorial 4-0 in the SAC Tournament quarterfinals on April 5, 2021. The seven-match wait was the furthest into a single season that C-N notched a clean sheet since 2013 when the first of the year came eight matches in.
"It's conference play so there's never an easy game," head coach Stephen Lyons said. "Hopefully that clean sheet does give the guys some confidence. Still know we've got to improve in certain areas. Queens will be another tough test, but the boys should be ready for it."
The Eagles come into the match sitting atop the league table along with No. 17 Limestone with 12 points. They currently hold the longest winning streak in the conference after No. 4 Coker fell to Lenoir-Rhyne on Wednesday. Lyons' group has a chance to move to a 5-0 start in league play, the best open for the program since winning the first six of the 2010 campaign.
With Yannick Kranz providing the lone goal of the night, @CNmenssoccer picked up its first clean sheet in the derby win over Tusculum.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) September 30, 2021
��: https://t.co/eQC4PqcBGK pic.twitter.com/ETeCrxrIiq
With nine consecutive SAC wins since the 2020-21 campaign, Carson-Newman is on its longest league winning streak since it won 11 straight between the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The road test at Queens (3-3-1, 2-1-1) brings a chance for the group to extend its conference road unbeaten streak to 11 matches since a 2-0 loss at Wingate on Oct. 20, 2018. Since that loss, C-N has gone 7-0-3 when facing the SAC on the road. The longest string of such results in program history stands at 26 from the 2003 to 2010 campaigns.
Saturday is the 14th overall meeting between the Eagles and Royals with C-N holding a slight 7-5-1 edge, currently on a three-match winning streak in the series. It has been just under two years since these two sides went to battle at McCown Field with C-N winning 2-1 on Oct. 5, 2019. The Eagles contained the Royals' 26 shots by forcing them to go wide or high with just 11 lading on frame. Of the 14 shots C-N attempted, eight were on goal. Sofian Maghouz bookended Jaden McCane's 62nd-minute goal to give C-N the win. Picking up his sixth win of the season, Bram Kaarsgaren (Den Bosch, The Netherlands) needed to make 10 saves in the match.
Matches played in the Queen City are an even 3-3 between the two sides. C-N has won each of the last two meetings on Queens' home pitch, out-scoring the Royals 5-2 in those matches.
Contests between the groups have been close affairs over the years. In the 13 matches, seven have been determined by a single goal with C-N winning four of those.
A C-N win would mark the longest winning streak in series history for either team with C-N holding a pair of three-match winning streaks since the series began in 1992.
Queens was handed its first South Atlantic Conference loss of the season on Wednesday night, falling 1-0 at Anderson. It sits at third on the league table with seven points with a 2-1-1 record. It has allowed 13 goals this season, five of those coming against SAC sides.
The Royals have successfully bounced back after both of their previous losses this season. In those matches, they out-scored their opponents 6-3.
Queens has the fifth-highest scoring offense in the SAC with a 2.00 scoring clip and a .167 shooting percentage that is good enough for third. It has been booked with the fourth-most yellow cards at 19.
"They've had some inconsistencies, but we know they're a big threat," Lyons said. "They've got a couple of guys going forward that can certainly be very dangerous, so it's just going to be managing them and looking to defend like we did (against Tusculum)."
Felipe Mendonca returns as the team's lone All-SAC First Team pick from a year ago. The senior forward leads the Royals with nine goals, two of those being game-winners, and 20 points, attempting 26 shots with 13 on goal. He has made all three penalty kicks he has lined up for this season, as well. He is the league leader in goals and points while sitting tied for third nationally in goals and tied for second in goals per game at 1.50. Beyond that, he is tied for fourth in both total points and points per game at 2.86. He has scored a goal in all but two matches this season outside of the shutout loss, that being a 2-1 loss at Chowan on September 22. Instead, he picked up an assist on Andre Castro's goal.
Joining Mendonca as returning All-SAC selections are second-teamer David Alvarez and honorable mention Keegan Burton. Alvarez has started in four of his five appearances this season with a goal and an assist for three points. Burton has yet to see playing time in this campaign.
Nicolai Andersen has been the primary netminder for the Royals this season, starting in every match. He has allowed 13 goals with 23 saves. His lone shutout in the campaign was a 2-0 win at Mars Hill on September 25.
Saturday's match features a 7:30 p.m. first kick from the Queens Sports Complex. Live stats and a live stream will be provided by the folks at Queens with in-game updates via @CN_Eagles on Twitter.
