October 31, 2025

Eagles battle fifth-ranked Anderson for Senior Day

For the second straight season, Carson-Newman (2-8-3, 2-5-1 SAC) will play as host to a top-five team as it battles fifth-ranked Anderson (8-1-4, 5-1-2 SAC) for Senior Day on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.

#5 Anderson (S.C.)

9-1-4, 6-1-2

Carson-Newman

2-9-3, 2-6-1

Final

#5 Anderson (S.C.) (9-1-4, 6-1-2)

Carson-Newman (2-9-3, 2-6-1)

C-N Match Notes (PDF)

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – For the second straight season, Carson-Newman (2-8-3, 2-5-1 SAC) will play as host to a top-five team as it battles fifth-ranked Anderson (8-1-4, 5-1-2 SAC) for Senior Day on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.

The Eagles will honor seven seniors at halftime of the women's soccer game. Ben Dukes, Tobias Hager, Felix Gruemmer, Thomas Lachapelle, Jakob Lechner, Isaac Pascal and Jay Whyatt will be honored.

Carson-Newman enters its final two regular season games in a three-way tie for eighth place in the South Atlantic Conference standings with seven total points. Lyons' crew is tied with Newberry, who it holds a win over, and a Tusculum team that it will play in the regular season finale next Wednesday. Entering the weekend, C-N can finish as high as fifth place, and as low as 11th.

C-N collected its second win of the year a week ago at Wingate and had to overcome a deficit in the 5th minute. Entering that match, the Eagles were 0-7-1 this season when conceding the game's first goal and was winless in their last 14 games prior to Saturday. Maxime Wester scored his first goal of the year in the 58th minute to put the Eagles ahead for good.

Lyons' crew will match up with a ranked foe for the second time this season and for the 16th time in his tenure. C-N is 4-9-2 against the top 25 over the past eight seasons. Saturday's matchup with fifth-ranked Anderson will be the second straight season the Eagles play host to a top five team and the third time under Lyons. C-N's last win over a top five team was a 1-0 home win over #5 Lenoir-Rhyne on September 20, 2017.

Half of Mitchell Honcoop's goals in 2025 are penalty kick goals. The Dutchmen is a perfect three for three in penalty kicks this season. Two of the three are in SAC play, including his most recent one with 25 seconds left in the opening half at Wingate. Honcoop is now tied with eight other Eagles for the most PK goals in a single-season in program history. He is up to five career penalty kick goals, tied for the second-most in program history.

Carson-Newman has four players that have started all 13 games this season Dan Coles, Ben Dukes, Isaac Pascal and Maxime Wester, but none more reliable than Coles. The junior is the only Eagle that has not left the field in 13 games, playing the full 1,170 minutes possible this season.

The Eagles hold the advantage in the all-time series 12-7-2. C-N has lost its past two home games in this series by one-goal. The program's only win over AU in the past seven seasons was a 1-0 road win on September 10, 2022. Over the past ten meetings, the series is tied 4-4-2.

Anderson has been a top five team every week since the second edition of the United Soccer Coaches Poll back in September. 4-1 wins over #25 Converse and Emmanuel helped boost AU's national presence. The Trojans entered this week as one of just seven DII teams without a loss this season, but saw the unbeaten season come to an end on Tuesday night at home. Lincoln Memorial's Enrique Martin spoiled AU's senior day with a 65th minute goal to defeat the fifth-ranked Trojans. Prior to the loss, AU had won four of its last five games and was unbeaten in its first 12 games of the year.

Head coach Michael Zion's team is 5-1-2 in league play and enters Saturday's meeting in a tie for second place with 17 points. The wins in conference play for AU are against Emory & Henry, Tusculum, Catawba, Mars Hill and most recently Coker. His team has been sharp on the road, going 5-0-2. Its the program's most road wins in a season since 2021.

One of the best teams in the Super-Region 2 has an elite offense. AU has a league-high 26 goals, 23 assists and is the most accurate scoring team as well. It is a group effort offensively. Three players are tied for the team lead in goals and assists. Seven different players have scored multiple goals and five have multiple assists.

Franco Antoniolli is one of the best goalkeepers in the South Atlantic Conference. He ranks top three in the four main statistical areas for a goalkeeper. He is third in saves (42), save percentage (.792) and goals allowed (11). His 0.85 goals against average mark is second-best in the league.

First touch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network is available with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/floMsoc.