JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman women's soccer team (8-2, 5-1 SAC) packs its bags for the fourth-straight contest and heads to the Tar Heel State for a South Atlantic Conference contest against the Catawba Indians (3-7, 2-4 SAC) Saturday afternoon at Forck Athletics Complex.
Carson-Newman enters the contest having won seven of its last eight matches, including a 3-0 win over instate rival Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday, while the Indians have dropped their last five games. Catawba lost at home on Wednesday to Queens (N.C.) 1-0 in overtime.
Catawba won the 2014 edition of the rivalry with two goals 42 seconds apart in the last 10 minutes of play to steal a win away from the Eagles.
"Absolutely. I think it is. But it also has to go on the record that they have lost their last five games. For us, all but two, we have found ways to win and even win games that have been close," coach Richard Moodie said. "I think we are a different team; they are a different team. That's definitely a moment last year that would've changed our season had we been able to hold on for the win at home against Catawba. It stays in the back of the mind and it has to be a catalyst to drive us forward."
Catawba has struggled offensively by having scored 10 goals on the season and averaging just one goal a game. The Indians are led in scoring by freshman Emily Davis who has four goals; Davis normally comes off the bench as she has appeared in all 10 of the Indians' contests but has only made one start. Senior midfielder Kristina Hoff is the only other player with multiple goals and has two goals on the year.
The Indians have played three goalkeepers in goal with Angelica Pawlowski getting most of the time in frame with over 750 minutes of playing time; Pawlowski has conceded 12 goals and owns a .815 save percentage. Preseason first-team All-SAC keeper Bethany Davis has only appeared in four games and made one start. Second-team All-SAC preseason team members Alex Hulsey and Erin Feldman have started every contest but have yet to score a point.
The Eagles' offensive outburst has continued from the beginning of the year. The Eagles ranked 24th in Division II with 27 goals scored and they rank 23rd in the nation with a goals for average of 2.70. Freshman Varin Ness (Sogndal, Norway) is three goals off the freshman record of 10 goals in a debut season with seven contests remaining.
"We told the girls for three days after the Anderson game that we just wanted a reaction out of them and if they want to be contenders to win this conference or even be in the top-four, they're had to be a reaction of some sort. For us, the girls answered a lot of questions there and going on the road," Moodie said. "We're now in the second half of the season and it is important for us to keep this going and we continue to build and finish stronger than we started."
The Eagles and Indians kick off at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Salisbury. A full recap with stats and quotes will be available on cneagles.com following the match.
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