VIDEO: Carson-Newman vs Emory & Henry Cinematic Highlights 9-20-23
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (3-2-1, 1-1) looks to build off its first South Atlantic Conference win earlier this week, as it heads to the Palmetto state to clash with Coker (2-1-3, 0-1-1) tomorrow evening at 7:00 p.m.
Carson-Newman makes the trip to Hartsville for just the fifth time and the first since 2019. The Eagles won that game 1-0, on a Nic Carsh (Newberg, Ore.) header in the 103rd minute to knock off the #15 Cobras at the time. C-N leads the all-time series 5-4-2 and is 3-1 on the road.
The previous two meetings ended in ties, 2-2 and 1-1. Both teams last season scored first half goals, but neither found a game-changing goal in the final 45 minutes. Carson-Newman played the final seven minutes with a player advantage but only secured two shots during that time.
C-N is coming off a solid effort in its midweek 3-0 win over Emory & Henry. First career goals from Ben Dukes (Southampton, England) and Maxime Wester (Brussel, Belgium) helped the Eagles get by the Wasps. Wester became the first freshman to score since Marius Opdahl against Shaw on Oct. 6, 2021. It is just the 15th occasion in which a freshman has scored a goal in the past seven years.
The senior tandem of Harry Whitehead (Oxford, England) and Nic Carsh (Newberg, Ore) has led C-N so far this season. The duo has combined for five goals and four assists in six matches this season.
Carson-Newman has the second-most shutouts in the SAC this season with three in six games.
Coker enters the match off its first loss of the season. The Cobras fell at Tusculum last Saturday 2-0 and have not played since that game. Prior to the loss, Coker had started the year on a five-match unbeaten streak, two wins and three ties. Its played to two scoreless ties, with its most recent victory being a 1-0 shutout of Converse on Sept 13.
All-SAC forward Celestin Blondel is the leader of the Coker offense, pouring in three goals in six matches this year, but has been held scoreless in his last four games. Five other Cobras have scored this year, with Jacques Fokam Sandeu being the other Cobra with multiple goals and a team-high two assists as well. It's a Cobras offense that has secured 36 corner kicks this season, third most in the league.
Goalkeeper Jasper Rump has been one of the top keepers in the SAC. He is tied for second in saves and is fourth with a .788 save percentage. Like C-N, Coker is also tied for second most shutouts with three this season.
Kick off is set for 7:00 p.m. from the Coker Athletic Field. The game can be streamed on FloSports with a subscription. Fans can also follow along to @CN_Eagles on Twitter and Instagram for in-game updates.
