JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- No. 25 Carson-Newman (4-1-3, 2-0-2) looks to continue its unbeaten streak in the month of September when Coker (2-1-4, 1-0-1) invades Mossy Creek on Saturday.
Dating back to last season, C-N has a ten-game unbeaten streak in the month of September. The streak is at five this season, following a 3-2 win over Emory & Henry on Wednesday.
C-N met Coker twice last season, with the second meeting coming in the South Atlantic Conference quarterfinals where the Cobras won in penalty kicks and ended the Eagles season. The Eagles won the regular season matchup 3-1.
The Eagles offensively have been balanced in 2022. Seniors Willem Kruijk, Nic Carsh, Jannik Schulte and Eric Schmutzer are all tied for the team lead with two goals scored. Six other C-N players have also scored this season.
Schmutzer is the only C-N player to play in all 720:00 this season.
C-N's 2-0-2 conference record has them in 3rd place in the SAC standings, trailing Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba by just one point.
The Cobras are 2-1-4 this season, including a win and a draw in conference action. The lone loss came on Aug. 31 against North Greenville. In the season opener, they tied, at the time, nationally ranked Nova Southeastern, 1-1.
Last time out, Coker defeated Tusculum 1-0. Celestin Blondel scored in the 23rd minute to help lift Coker to its first win in SAC play.
Blondel leads the team with two goals scored. Che Richards leads Coker in shots (13) and shots on goal (17).
The goalkeeper matchup is an exciting one. Carson-Newman's Darin De Meza and Coker's Jasper Rump both are tied for first in the SAC for goals allowed. The two also rank in the top five in goals against average and save percentage.
"They're going to be really well-organized," Carson-Newman head coach Stephen Lyons said. "Mike (Antoniewicz) is a great coach. We know from previous battles with them how organized they are and that they are very dangerous off a counterattack. They've started with a team schedule. We know it's going to be a big test on Saturday."
C-N leads the all-time series 5-4-1, but is just 2-3-1 when hosting the Cobras at McCown field.
Saturday's match at McCown field is slated for a 2:30 p.m. start.
Be certain to follow Carson-Newman athletics on twitter at @cn_eagles for live updates.
The game can be streamed on FloSports with a subscription.
