HICKORY, N.C. – No. 13 Carson-Newman men's soccer (6-1-5, 4-0-4) played to a 1-1 draw with Lenoir-Rhyne (7-3-2, 4-3-1) Saturday night at Moretz Complex.
"Disappointed to concede with only a few minutes to go, but probably a fair result overall," Carson-Newman head coach Stephen Lyons said. "LR is a very good team and both teams had good spells of possession. We talked about quality in the final third at halftime and I thought our goal was well-worked with a great header from Harry (Whitehead). We defended well in spells with some big saves from Darrin but couldn't hold on for the win."
It is the fifth time the Eagles have tied an opponent this season. Four of those five draws have come in South Atlantic Conference play. Despite the draw, Carson-Newman maintains its top spot in the SAC table with 16 points. The Eagles extend their unbeaten streak to nine games.
Few chances came in the first half for C-N. The Eagles tallied just two shots, neither of which were on goal.
Lenoir-Rhyne had eight first-half shots, two of which forced Darrin De Meza saves. His first save came in the 23rd minute on a shot from Jaime Poza. The second came in the 37th minute from Adrian Martina. Despite the difference in shots, C-N's defense held strong to head to halftime scoreless with the Bears.
As Lyons said prior to the match, the Eagles would need to take advantage of what would be limited opportunities. His team did just that. C-N's first chance in the second half was in the 52nd minute, as senior Tim Vercelli raced up the right side and crossed a ball into the box where fellow senior Harry Whitehead headed the ball past goalkeeper Juan Basabe to make it 1-0 Eagles. The goal was Whitehead's second this season, both of which have been headers.
De Meza was solid in response to the C-N goal and LR's aggressiveness. The senior racked up saves in the 53rd, 62nd, 72nd and 84th minutes. The shot from Poza in the 62nd minute came from inside the box that forced De Meza to use his right foot to kick it away.
LR was able to get one past De Meza shortly after his 84th minute save. A long pass from Oliver Gardner that was touched forward by Juan Hoyos, allowing Harri Rowe to run onto to it. Rowe sent a ball just past De Meza to help tie the game.
C-N was outshot 20-7 in the match. De Meza ended the night with a career high eight saves. His previous career-high was five.
Whitehead was the only Eagle player with multiple shots, six others recorded a shot.
The two teams combined for five cards and 21 fouls in the match.
Carson-Newman returns to McCown field on Wednesday night for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with Lincoln Memorial.
