VIDEO: Stephen Lyons Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (3-7-3, 2-5-1 SAC) erupted for its most goals in a game in 17 years, annihilating Newberry (3-7-1, 2-5-1 SAC) 8-0 on Wednesday night at McCown Field.
"Proud of everything about this performance," Carson-Newman men's soccer head coach Stephen Lyons said. "The energy that the guys brought, the movement that we've talked about, obviously keeping a clean sheet is massive. A lot of the work we have been putting in has been about being efficient in that final third and that quality was there tonight. It was a pleasure to watch at times. To see the guys have a smile on their face again was great. We've been lacking that quality at times, but tonight it certainly was there."
Obviously, Carson-Newman's eight goal night was a new season-high. It's the most goals the program has scored under Stephen Lyons in game, surpassing the seven his 2019 team scored versus North Greenville. The eight goals are the most in a game since scoring 9 goals versus Cumberland (TN) in 2007. The scoring effort was the sixth-most in a single-game in program history.
Carson-Newman sustained its dominance all-time against Newberry, having now won 29 of the 31 all-time meetings including the past five in a row. Tonight's game was the third time Carson-Newman has scored eight goals or more on Newberry. It scored nine goals on October 25th, 2002 and ten goals on October 10th, 1999 against the Wolves. In every home game for the Eagles against Newberry, they have scored multiple goals.
The scoring barrage began in the 12th minute. Daniel Vennesland (Tanager, Norway) delivered a sweet pass into the box where Antoine Torrent (Clermont ferrand, France) booted a left-footed shot underneath the goalkeeper's legs and into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0.
GOALLLLLLLLLLL
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) October 23, 2024
Antoine Torrent starts the scoring with his 3⃣rd goal of the season!!!!!
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The stellar passing display continued in the opening half. 17 minutes after the opening goal, Mitchell Honcoop sailed a pass from all the way in his defensive half toward the top of the box, where Tim Haans (Tilburg, Netherlands) took one touch and chipped it over top of the goalkeeper for his second career goal.
ONE DUTCHMEN TO ANOTHERRRRRRR
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) October 23, 2024
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The first half scoring concluded in the 44th minute. Maxime Wester (Brussel, Belgium) whipped a left-footed ball into the box that hooked back toward the inside where it grazed the head of Thomas LaChapelle to sneak into the bottom left corner to cap a three-goal effort in the opening half.
WHAT A FIRST HALFFFF
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) October 23, 2024
Maxime Wester ➡️Thomas LaChapelle
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The beginning of the second half was the Ben Dukes (Southampton, England) show. Nifty dribbling from Torrent set up a chance for Dukes who used his right foot to find the upper left corner of goal to extend the lead to four goals.
GOALLLLLLL AGAIN
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) October 23, 2024
Excellent dribbling from Antoine Torrent leads to Ben Dukes' first goal of the night��
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54 seconds later, a Newberry turnover led to a second Dukes goal. Torrent came up with the turnover and dished it off to Dukes who rocketed a left-footed shot past Cotton.
WE ARE POURING IT ONNNNNNNNNN
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) October 23, 2024
Torrent connects with Dukes for the second time in the past 54 seconds!!!!!!
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Honcoop joined in on the scoring party in the 55th minute. Off a Haans corner kick, Jakob Lechner won the initial ball and Jonas Friedl found himself in the right place at the right time to grow the margin to 6-0 early in the second half on his right-foot flick to score his first career goal.
Dukes completed his hat trick in the 68th minute. The junior forward carved his way through Newberry's midfield and sent a strong shot with his left foot into the bottom left corner for his first career hat trick.
HATTTTT TRICKKKKKKKK@bendukes7 tallies the program's first hat trick since 2021
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) October 24, 2024
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"To grab a couple of goals was definitely nice," Dukes said. "It's been a slow season for me in terms of goals and assists. To grab three today was really good."
Dukes' hat trick is the first hat trick since Thaylan Silva's versus Erskine on September 8th, 2021. He scored his three goals in exactly 20 minutes and 15 seconds, the third fastest hat trick in the past 15 seasons. It's just the fourth time that a hat trick has occurred all in one half. Tobias Solem Karlsen did it versus North Greenville in 2019, Taylor Jolley vs Newberry in 2011 and Thaylan Silva versus Erksine in 2021.
"Dukes really showcased his abilities tonight," Lyons said. "He was driving at players, the movement was great. His energy with and without the ball. Tonight he had that quality with the finishing."
The night was capped off by Lucas Trull (Johnson City, Tenn.). In his second career appearance, the freshman scored his first career goal. A long pass from Tobias Hager was headed by Corey Pennington. The header set up Trull, who flicked the ball over the defender's head to himself and volleyed the shot into the upper left corner to put an exclamation mark on a marvelous effort.
YOU WANNA SEE ONE MORE?
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) October 24, 2024
First career goal for Lucas Trull!!!!!!!
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"Tobias (Hager) looked at me and kind of did some sign language so the other team wouldn't see," Trull said. "I'm gonna send it and you run. I started making some runs here and there. But the one time he actually sent it and I booked it. And Corey, our other freshman forward up there, jumped up and just flicked it. I don't remember much after that I feel like I passed out on the side. But I remember the ball coming in and flicked over the defender and volleyed it. All my teammates coming to celebrate with me after my first career goal. It was absolutely amazing."
Carson-Newman scored its eight goals in ridiculous efficiency, taking 22 shots, 14 of which hit the target. It's the most shots and shots on goal in a game this season.
Dukes led the way offensively with his three goals, while six different others scored in the eight-goal win. Lachapelle and Torrent scored their third career goals, Haans had his second and Friedl and Trull each had their firsts.
The Eagles assisted on seven of the eight goals and totaled nine in the match. The nine assists are the second-most in a single-game in school history. Torrent led that charge with two assists himself, with seven others helping in plethora of scoring.
In total, Carson-Newman's eight goals and nine assists totaled 25 points, the third-most in a single-game in school history. Only 40 and 28-point efforts versus Anderson in 2000 and North Greenville in 2004 beat out the effort.
Defensively, Federico Simonetti (Crema, Italy) and the C-N defense was strong for its fourth clean sheet of the season and second in conference play. The graduate student goalkeeper made three saves on four Newberry shot attempts.
Carson-Newman will aim to ride the momentum of this one into Saturday's home regular season finale versus Wingate at 2:30 p.m. A live stream of the game is available with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/flomsoc.
Fans can also follow along by following @CN_Eagles on X (Twitter) and Instagram for in-game updates.
