MONTEVALLO, AL – In a game filled with scoring opportunities, it was Montevallo (2-0-1) that made the most of its those chances, defeating Carson-Newman (0-2-1) 4-2 on Wednesday night at Varsity Field.
"Very disappointing from us tonight," Carson-Newman men's soccer head coach Stephen Lyons said. "We gifted Montevallo the first goal, but it was the reaction that is the problem. We talk about how we want to play and there are risks to it, but there is still plenty of time to get back into the game and our energy levels and attitudes looked like we had already lost the game 1-0. We need to handle the adverse situations and react better. This needs to start on Saturday with conference play."
Carson-Newman outshot Montevallo 18-16, with both teams firing seven shots each on goal. The offensive game also saw the two squads combine for 11 corner kicks.
In one of the first opportunities of the game, Montevallo's Cristobal Porter fired a shot into the lower right corner of goal to start the scoring in the 4th minute. It was Mark Shoebridge's cross that set up the initial goal off a C-N miscue.
The Eagles created a pair of chances in the next ten minutes. Ben Dukes (Southampton, England) took the game's first shot missing wide. Three minutes later, Issac Pascal (Southend-on-Sea, England) had C-N's first shot on frame, but had his low shot saved by UM's goalkeeper Tomas Valles.
UM extended the Falcons' lead in the 18th minute. Jens Krieger found Joshua Owens who knocked the ball into the lower left corner of the net.
Carson-Newman's next best chance came ten minutes after UM's second goal. Antoine Torrent (Clermont ferrand, France) had a shot on goal saved in the 28th minute.
In the 34th minute, C-N won a free kick just a few yards away from the penalty box. Mitchell Honcoop (Nieuw-Vennep, Netherlands) took aim but missed high over top of goal.
In the final minutes of the opening half, C-N took a free kick from a very similar spot. This time, Rhydian Williams (Llannerfydd, Conwy, Wales) took the set piece chance, crossing it toward the back post where Thomas LaChapelle (Brussels, Belgium) got his head on it but missed high over top goal.
C-N was outshot in the opening half 12-5 but just 4-2 on goal.
Williams took Carson-Newman's first pair of shots after halftime, missed right and high in the 53rd minute.
The Eagles effort forward and possession of the ball led to a Carson-Newman goal. Honcoop sent a cross toward the left side of the box, where Pascal took one touch and booted a left-footed shot into the upper right corner of goal to bring C-N within a goal.
Unfortunately for C-N, staying within a goal only lasted six minutes. Porter delivered a ball to Branko Bulijan Ivelich who took aim at the lower center of goal to make it 3-1 UM with 16 minutes to play in the game.
Carson-Newman would not lack chances to score after going down two goals again. Ben Dukes and Tim Haans had shots saved in the 73rd and 77th minutes. Shortly after, Torrent created space and hit the left post.
UM's fourth and final goal was a C-N own goal, on a cross into the six-yard box.
After a turnover on a pass from the UM goalkeeper to a defender, Honcoop took full advantage and slotted a long shot from well outside the box into the bottom left corner to cut the margin in half in the 87th minute.
Honcoop finished with a goal and an assist, giving him three goals for the season. Five different Eagles recorded multiple shots with Torrent and Dukes leading the way.
In his first start with C-N, Paul Moser (Vienna, Austria) made four saves and allowed four goals.
Carson-Newman closes its three-game road trip with a visit to Catawba to start South Atlantic Conference action. First touch from Salisbury, North Carolina is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. A live stream of the game is available with a subscription to FloSports.
Fans can also follow along by following @CN_Eagles on X (Twitter) and Instagram for in-game updates.
