JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman begins a four-game homestand over the next 12 days, starting tomorrow evening at 5:00 p.m. against Gulf South Conference foe West Alabama in a non-conference match at McCown Field.
The Eagles will play four straight games at home to end the month of September, three of which will come in the next five days.
The game will match C-N's quickest turnaround between games this season, with just one day off after yesterday's contest. The Eagles will experience one day off between games later this week, facing Auburn Montgomery Thursday, and then hosting Coker in a SAC game on Saturday.
After starting conference play on last night, the Eagles will now dip back into non-conference action tomorrow and Thursday against two quality opponents. C-N is 0-2-1 in non-league games so far this season, with the only tie coming in its only home game of the season. It will be Carson-Newman's third game against a Gulf South Conference opponent this season.
The Eagles are still searching for their first win of the season, and they will have the opportunity to do so at a place they've been successful, at home. Under Stephen Lyons, C-N is 31-15-10 when playing at McCown Field.
Monday's matchup versus West Alabama will be the third time ever and third straight season that the two squads meet for a non-conference game. The previous two matchups were both won by C-N, and served as season openers in late August. C-N has outscored the Tigers 4-1 in the two meetings. This past season, Carson-Newman scored two goals in the first five minutes after halftime to win 2-0. The defense played an integral role, seeing goalkeeper Federico Simonetti (Crema, Italy) make a career-high nine saves.
C-N midfielder Mitchell Honcoop scored his fourth goal of the season on a penalty kick in Saturday night's tie against Catawba. His nine points and four goals are each second most in the SAC.
West Alabama was selected to finish third in the Gulf South Conference's Preseason Coaches Poll. The Tigers placed forward David Nunez and defender Ellis Williamson on the preseason All-GSC team. Malte Kaiser, Ronny Wakelin, and Joe Wright were newcomers that were recognized by the league as well.
The Tigers are coming off a quality season, losing just twice in 2023. Their record was 8-2-6 and 6-1-4 in league games. One of their two losses was to Carson-Newman. In fact, two of the Tigers' last four non-conference losses the past two seasons have been against the Eagles. UWA missed out on a NCAA Tournament berth after falling in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament in penalty kicks to Lee.
Receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, West Alabama has started its 2024 season well. It has secured a pair of shutout victories against Eckerd in the season opener and then last night against Palm Beach Atlantic. Sandwiched between those contests is a 1-1 tie on the road against Florida Southern.
Sophomore forward David Nunez has led the charge offensively for UWA to begin the season. He has three goals, scoring one in each game this season. His only three shots on goal have gone into the back of the net. Senior midfielder Michael Bell has a team-high two assists, both coming in the past two contests.
Despite outscoring its opponents 4-1 through three games, West Alabama has failed to outshoot its opponent in all three of the contests. Last time out, it was outshot by six but recorded three more shots on goal.
The match is set for a 5:00 p.m. start and will be streamed via FloSports ($). Fans can also follow along to @CN_Eagles on X (Twitter) and Instagram for in-game updates.
