JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (1-2-3, 0-0-1 SAC) continues its homestand with its South Atlantic Conference home opener tomorrow afternoon versus Coker (3-1, 0-1 SAC) at 2:30 p.m.
The Eagles are at the end of a challenging slate of games, that have featured quality teams in short span. Saturday's game will be Carson-Newman's fourth game in the past week, but the stretch has served C-N well. The Eagles are 1-0-2 in the first three games, with a win over a West Alabama team receiving votes nationally and most recently, a scoreless tie with #5 Auburn Montgomery on Thursday afternoon.
"Coker played on Wednesday, so they have a day on us," Carson-Newman men's soccer head coach Stephen Lyons said. "We've been on this stretch where we know how to recover and take care of ourselves. Coker has a different style of play, but if we can look to try and play our brand, hopefully we'll get opportunities as well. Another top opponent, so it will be another good game."
Coker has the series lead by a slim 6-5-2 margin, taking hold of the lead after a 5-0 win in Hartsville last season. Counting tomorrow's match, five of the last six meetings will have been played at McCown Field. The first four have been entertaining, each team with a win paired with two ties. One of those two ties came during 2021 SAC Tournament, that saw Coker upset the top-seeded Eagles in penalty kicks.
With Thursday's tie, Carson-Newman extended its home unbeaten streak to four games dating back to last season. Under Stephen Lyons, C-N is 32-15-11 when playing at McCown Field.
C-N's defense has been superb as of late. Over the last 270 minutes on the pitch, it has allowed just one goal and has not conceded over the last 185 minutes. Goalkeeper Paul Moser has been terrific, making 14 saves during this impressive stretch. The quality defensive effort has also led to Carson-Newman outshooting its two most recent opponents. C-N limited #5 Auburn Montgomery to just ten shots. Its successfully defended against six corner kicks each of the past two games as well.
Midfielder Mitchell Honcoop is the leader of the offense through six matches. His four goals scored are third-most in the SAC and 15th most nationally. His ten points are also third in the league and rank 14th nationally. Three other Eagles have scored a goal this season, with two of them being career firsts from Tim Haans and Antoine Torrent.
Coker was selected to finish fifth in the South Atlantic Conference's Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Cobras placed forward Frederic Benedix and defender Matty Tricker on the preseason's all-conference team.
The Cobras opened the season with an impressive 4-1 win versus Nova Southeastern. It concluded the opening week of play with a 5-0 road win at Lees-McRae. The good start to the season led to going from non-ranked all the way up to number ten in the second edition of the United Soccer Coaches poll. But, after suffering a 1-0 loss to Limestone, the Cobras fell all the way out of the rankings to the second highest team receiving votes.
Earlier this week, Coker recorded its second road win of the season defeating Chowan 3-2, scoring twice in the first 33 minutes to grab an early lead. The defense held strong in the final 23 minutes to earn a non-conference win.
Coker presents one of the stronger offensive attacks in the SAC. Its 14 assists are best in the SAC and fourth-best in DII, while its 12 goals are second-most in the league and 10th most nationally. The offense is averaging a league-best three goals and three and a half assists per game.
The balanced offensive attack has three different players that have scored this season. While, six others have also scored this season. Oskar Kaufmann has a team-high three assists, but three others have also recorded multiple assists too.
First touch from McCown Field. is scheduled for 2:30 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.
