JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – When Carson-Newman men's soccer (7-4-5, 5-2-4) takes the field against Limestone (5-5-5, 5-3-3) on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m., it will mark the third time in six meetings that the two teams will meet in postseason action.
The first ever meeting between the two teams was back on November 16, 2013. The Eagles defeated the Saints 3-1 to advance to the Sweet 16. Two years later, they met again, this time in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Saints upset the Eagles, winning 3-1.
Fast-forward seven years later, and the two teams square off for the first time in South Atlantic Conference postseason play. Carson-Newman earned the No. 3 seed in the conference, despite a loss last time out. Limestone also lost in its final regular season match to slide to the No. 6 seed.
The two teams played to a 1-1 draw earlier this season in Gaffney, South Carolina. Limestone got the scoring started in the 33rd minute, as Jacob Hancock fired in a good cross that was headed by Angelo Fabricio past C-N goalkeeper Darin De Meza to put the Saints up 1-0. Senior Tim Vercelli sent a cross from the right side of the box, where the ball found the feet of graduate student Gustavo Moses Bessa who tapped it in to tie the game at 1.
For the fourth straight season, Stephen Lyons' team will host a SAC quarterfinal match. C-N has been knocked out of the first round in two of those three previous matches. The Eagles have made only two semifinal appearances in the past five seasons.
After losing just once in the first two months of the season, C-N has lost three of its four October matches, including back-to-back losses. It's the first time since the 2017 season that the Eagles will enter postseason play on a losing streak.
13 different Eagles have scored this season. Seniors Nic Carsh, Tim Vercelli and Eric Schmutzer each have a team-high four goals this season. Senior Willem Kruijk is second in the SAC with six assists this season.
Senior goalkeeper Darrin De Meza has 55 saves, with three clean sheets this season. He has made five or more saves in five straight matches.
Limestone enters the quarterfinal match having won just one of its last six matches. The Saints allowed an 89' minute goal on Wednesday, losing to Mars Hill 3-2. The loss set the Saints back to the No. 6 seed. Among teams that made the SAC tournament, Limestone has the least number of wins (5).
The Saints offense ranks 1st in shots (238), shots per game (15.9), assists (34) and corner kicks (90). Leading the strong Saints offense is Angelo Fabricio, who ranks third in the conference with ten goals scored this season.
Defender Stefan Roeb leads the SAC with nine assists, while Fabricio is tied for second with six assists.
Junior goalkeeper Alfie Rule has the most appearnces in goal for the Saints this season. He has allowed 19 goals, while making just 27 stops. The Saints defense has just two shutouts this season.
"They've got a few players back from injury from the first time we played," Carson-Newman head coach Stephen Lyons said. "Ali (Al-Gashamy) is a new coach, so he's had a bit more time to implement his style. He is a good coach, he has them well-organized. They have a number of players that are a threat. Our focus has to be on how to nullify that and then how can we attack going forward."
The winner of this quarterfinal match draws the winner of No.2 Coker and No. 7 Lincoln Memorial.
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.
