JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – No. 13 Carson-Newman (6-1-4, 4-0-3) aims to build off a stellar September when it travels to Lenoir-Rhyne (7-3-1, 4-3) for a 7:30 p.m. kick off tomorrow night.
"We know it's always going to be a tough place to go," Carson-Newman head coach Stephen Lyons said. "They create a good environment over there with their fans and obviously Lenoir-Rhyne is an extremely good team. The guys will be up for the challenge, it should be a good test."
The Eagles soared back into the United Soccer Coaches Poll rankings earlier this week. C-N went from receiving votes to No. 13. It marks the 46th time that C-N has been ranked inside the top 15. It ties C-N's highest ranking under head coach Stephen Lyons.
C-N earned the jump in the rankings thanks to stellar performances last week. It began the week with a 3-2 win over #14 Mars Hill and then finished the week with a shutout victory over Newberry.
Lyons' crew finished the month of September unbeaten at 4-0-4. With a win or a tie over Lenoir-Rhyne, C-N would extend its unbeaten streak to nine games. The last time C-N had a nine-match unbeaten streak was the 2017 season.
Seniors Nic Carsh and Tim Vercelli pace a potent offensive attack, each having scored four goals this season. Nine other Eagles scored this season, with four of those having scored multiple goals. Senior Willem Kruijk has a team-high five assists, which puts him in a tie for 2nd in the SAC.
Senior defender Eric Schmutzer has played all 990:00 minutes of the eleven matches this season. He is the only C-N player to start in every match this season.
Senior goalkeeper Darrin De Meza is coming off his third clean sheet of the season. He has 27 saves and a goal against average mark below 1.00.
Lenoir-Rhyne enters the match 7-3-1 overall and 4-3 in SAC play. The Bears are coming off a 2-0 victory over Emory & Henry earlier this week. They have defeated Anderson, Tusculum, and Lincoln Memorial for their other SAC wins. The Bears are in a tie for 4th place in the SAC table with 12 points.
Adrian Martina is second in the SAC with six goals scored this season. Nine other Bears have contributed to the goal scoring column this season. Lenoir-Rhyne has scored multiple goals in six of its eleven matches this season.
Goalkeeper Juan Basabe has started every game in goal and has 34 saves. He has five clean sheets.
"We're going to have to be defensively sound, Lyons said. "We'll need to move the ball quickly and then against a good team you're probably not going to get a ton of opportunities. So, when we get chances, we need to make sure we are clinical."
Be certain to follow Carson-Newman athletics on twitter at @cn_eagles for live updates.
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