VIDEO: Dave Baisden Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Looking to bounce back from its first South Atlantic Conference loss of the season, Carson-Newman hits the road for a two-match road stint, starting with a Wednesday trip to Harrogate for an afternoon contest with Lincoln Memorial at the LMU Soccer Complex.
In matches following a loss this season, Carson-Newman (7-3, 5-1) is 1-1 with both of those results coming within the first three matches of the season after opening the campaign with back-to-back losses.
"I thought boys' work rate [on Saturday] was fantastic again," Carson-Newman assistant coach Dave Baisden. "It's something they're definitely going to have to take into Wednesday. We know that LMU are going to be at it and no matter what results are, it's a massive rivalry game. The hard work and effort that they put in Saturday is going to have to carry on Wednesday."
Despite seeing a seven-match winning streak on the year and a string off 10 consecutive league wins both be snapped, the Eagles take a staunch 11-match unbeaten streak in conference road matches to Harrogate on Wednesday, dating back to the 2018 season. Since then, they have gone 8-0-3 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.
In SAC matchups, the Eagles have gone 149-90-23 overall with a 70-40-14 record in regular-season road matches since 1990.
This is the first road trip for the team since a 1-0 overtime win at Queens on October 2, moving it to 2-1 in matches played away from Mossy Creek this year. When playing on the road this season, C-N has held opponents to single-digit shot attempts, the most coming from Queens with nine. They have outshot opponents 35-25 on their home pitch, 16-10 on goal.
Carson-Newman holds a narrow 17-16-3 lead in the series with Lincoln Memorial (1-8-2, 0-5-1) that dates back to 1989, winning five of the last six meetings. With back-to-back shutout wins, it has been 242:14 of gameplay since the Eagles last allowed a Railsplitter goal when F.D. De Santiago scored in the 28th minute of a 1-0 LMU win on Feb. 25, 2021.
Road matches have favored the Eagles in the series, 8-2-2. They are on a three-match winning streak in contests hosted by LMU. The last time C-N fell in Harrogate was on Oct. 9, 2013 in a 3-2 decision.
The last meeting between C-N and LMU was an Orange and Blue 4-0 victory in the SAC Championship Quarterfinals in the spring. Thaylan Silva (São Paulo, Brazil) played a part in three of the goals scored by Carson-Newman, scoring one and assisting with the following two for a four-point outing. His goal opened up the scoring attack with the rest being scored in a second half that saw C-N send out 12 of its 17 shots on the night. Silva, Theo Hardenby Öhrwall (Helsingborg, Sweden), Harry Whitehead (Oxford, England) and Benjamin Stein (Berlin, Germany) all found the back of the net in the win. Stein's goal was an empty-net dagger in the 89th minute to seal the deal. C-N out-shot the 'Splitters 17-6, 8-2 for those on frame.
Lincoln Memorial is in the midst of a nine-match winless streak, losing six in a row with the last two coming in shutout fashion. Its only win on the year was a 3-2 home victory over West Alabama on September 5. The group has faced a hefty schedule this season, going head-to-head with four nationally ranked sides. In those matches, LMU went 0-3-1 and was outscored 6-2.
Robert Spain's group is first in the league and fifth nationally with 7.27 saves per game this season. Herrmann alone leads the SAC and is second in the nation with 7.11 saves per game.
LMU has been outscored 23-11 this season and has been out shot by a large 250-100 margin. It also trails the shots on goal tally 102-41.
The 'Splitters are tied for the last spot on the South Atlantic Conference table with one point on a 0-5-1 record, holding the longest losing streak in the league. Their last league win was a 2-1 double-overtime home victory over Tusculum on March 22, 2021.
"They've got three or four dangerous players as they always have," Baisden said. "They're well-organized on and off the ball. They're well-coached so we know it's going to be a tough game. They're going to play to their strengths and try to cause us as many problems as possible, so we've got to be switched on."
LMU's last trip out on the pitch resulted in a 2-0 loss to Wingate. Rodrigo Aguiar had a chance to put the Railsplitters on the board with a penalty kick before the break but sent it high.
Arkin Ulusoy is the leading scorer for LMU this season, scoring a team-high seven points on three goals and one assist.
Shanden Vergara has been the most opportunistic 'Splitter this year, sending a group-high 24 shots with 11 on frame. He is the only LMU player to connect on a penalty kick this season. He is tied with Peter Majer for the most assists with two.
Robin Hermann and Jackson Jalovec have split time in net this season, holding 1-6-2 and 0-2 records, respectively. Hermann started in the first nine matches, allowing 19 goals on 64 saves with a .771 saving clip and two shutouts. Jalovec has been between the pipes for LMU in both of the last two matches, giving up four goals while saving 13 of the 40 shots he has faced.
Wednesday's match features a 3:30 p.m. kickoff from the LMU Soccer Complex. The LMU staff will provide a live stream and live stats for the match with updates hitting Twitter feeds via @CN_Eagles.
