JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Carson-Newman (6-1-4, 4-0-3) completed an unbeaten September with a 3-0 win over Newberry (3-5-1, 2-3-1) Friday evening at McCown field.
"Overall, it was a good day," Carson-Newman head coach Stephen Lyons said. "To acknowledge the seniors, and get a win, they've done a great job and we are certainly going to miss them. There's quite a few (13). I thought the guys played really well and created a lot of opportunities. We probably could've been a bit more clinical in the first half and get a couple more goals. But we kept the clean sheet and then went on later in the game to add two more."
The Eagles finish the month of September unbeaten at 3-0-4 this month. The unbeaten streak in the month of September extends to 13 games dating back to last season.
The victory marks the second time the Eagles have won back-to-back matches this season. C-N will enter October in first place in the South Atlantic Conference with 15 points.
C-N's offense tested Newberry's defense early and often. Seniors Tim Vercelli and Jannik Schulte fired shots on target in the 5th and 8th minutes, but goalkeeper Pablo Cubas made early saves.
Corner kicks came often as well for the Eagles as they had five in the first 40 minutes. C-N finished the match with a season high 16 corner kicks.
In the 41st minute, Willem Kruijk sent a ball into the box, where senior Niels Buurman fired a shot that deflected off a Newberry defender and went in the back of the net to put C-N up 1-0 at halftime. It was Buurman's second goal of the year and Kruijk's fifth assist this season.
More corner kicks and shots were taken by the Eagles before they were able to strike again in the second half. In the 73rd minute, senior Eric Schmutzer volleyed a pass in the direction of senior Nic Carsh who put a shot past Cubas to extend the Eagles lead to 2-0.
Just 40 seconds later, C-N scored its third and final goal. A free kick near midfield was sent forward. Graduate student Ewan Lynch made a touch forward to feed Vercelli who raced past the Newberry defense and buried a shot in the lower left corner that helped put the finishing touches on a senior day victory.
The Eagles defense was stellar all evening, limiting Newberry to nine shots. Senior Darrin De Meza recorded his third clean sheet and made three saves in the contest.
Four different C-N players recorded multiple shots in the match. The win marks back to abck matches in which the Eagles have scored three goals. Carsh and Vercelli scored goals in both matches this week.
C-N has still never lost to Newberry, extending its record over the Wolves to 26-0-2.
The Eagles get the week off before a pivotal SAC matchup at Lenoir-Rhyne next Saturday.
