Richard Moodie and Julianne Herrity Interview
ROCK HILL, S.C. – The South Atlantic Conference's Player of the Year Julianne Herrity's (Donegal, Ireland) header in the 81st-minute clinched the 14th-ranked Carson-Newman women's soccer team's (17-2) first trip to the SAC title game as the Eagles held off the Anderson (S.C.) Trojans 1-0 Friday night in the SAC Tournament semifinals at Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, S.C.
The win avenges Carson-Newman's lone loss against SAC teams in the regular season as the Trojans held off C-N 2-1 on Oct. 3rd. The Eagles have knocked off every SAC team in a season for the first time since 2005.
The Eagles' win gives C-N a 10-match win streak, which is the program's first double-digit streak to since 2009 when C-N opened the year 11-0.
"I thought it was a tactical game from both sides. They pressed more; we let them have possession and allowed our back four to control them. That was the goal coming into the game based on what we saw them do against L-R," coach Richard Moodie said. "We knew we would get chance off a set piece at some point in the game and we did. The league's Freshman of the Year connected with the league's Player of the Year on the goal. Our defense locked down tonight; we respected one of the most dangerous players in the league and were able to lock her down. Our defense was great as a unit."
The two teams totaled just three shots in the first 45 minutes of play and Anderson recorded two of them. The Trojans had the lone corner kick in the first half in the ninth-minute.
Play picked up in the second half. Carson-Newman attempted its first corner in the 51st-minute. Each team finished the second half with two corners each.
Back-to-back diving saves from freshman goalkeeper Jessica Fraiture (Hebron, Ky.) stopped the Anderson offense midway through the second half. Idoia Agirre attempted a shot from the edge of the box on a breakaway that Fraiture saved to her right, but the ball rolled out of bounds for a corner. On the ensuing corner, Anderson sent the ball to the head of Faith Johannes that sent a shot towards the left post that Fraiture dove and saved.
Carson-Newman finally found the back of the net in the 81st-minute. The Eagles won a corner kick after deflecting the ball off an Anderson player. SAC Freshman of the Year Varin Ness (Sogndal, Norway) sent the corner in to Herrity who headed the corner home and gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
Anderson outshot C-N 5-4 in the game; each team had three shots in the second half. Herrity led the Eagles with two shots; Ness and freshman Sarah Benton, (Grand Junction, Colo.) who played 62 minutes in her fourth-career appearance, were the only other two Eagles to register shots. Johannes led Anderson with two shots.
Fraiture had three saves and did not concede a goal in 90 minutes of play. Trojan goalkeeper Abby Helm did not record a save in the game and conceded the contest's lone goal. Fraiture is now one win away from tying the Carson-Newman record for wins by a goalkeeper with a record of 17-2; Melissa Terrell won 18 games in her debut season in 2004.
Carson-Newman advanced to 4-3-1 in semifinal contest with the win, while Anderson fell to 0-2 in the round.
The Eagles now wait to see whom they will face in the title game as Wingate and Queens (N.C.) will compete in the second semifinal on Friday night. Carson-Newman knocked off both teams in the regular season.
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