VIDEO: Richard Moodie Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn – Having seen their three-game win streak snapped at Wingate on Saturday, the Carson-Newman women's soccer team turns their attention to a Wednesday evening battle with the Tusculum Pioneers at McCown Field that's set for 5 p.m.
"We've got to win," Soccer Coach Richard Moodie said. "Plain and simple. We've got to go after them. They're a good team. They've got a lot of good results, but the question I pose to the girls is 'How good are they?' Teams are only going to be as good as we let them be. I know we are a good team. I'm not going to second guess that for one second. I think we'll see a different team on Wednesday that will come out of the gate and get after [Tusculum]."
The Eagles' most recent loss puts them in a tie for fifth in the South Atlantic Conference with four games left in the regular season. Their conference record currently stands at 5-2 to go with an overall mark of 10-3. They are seven points behind Tusculum for the top spot in the SAC and also trail, in order, Wingate, Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba. C-N's loss at Wingate is just the second defeat they've suffered in their last 10 games and both losses have been by 1-0 scores. Those are also the only two times they've been shutout this season.
The Pioneers were picked to finish sixth in the SAC's preseason poll, but through eight conference games this season, nobody has been able to knock them off and their 7-0-1 league record and 22 points have them in first place. They are also 9-2-2 overall and have not lost in more than a month. They come to McCown Field riding a six-game win streak during which time they have not yielded a single goal. The last score Tusculum conceded came on September 17th, when they fought back from a 2-0 deficit to earn a tie with L-R. The Pioneers have also not allowed a goal in a conference road game this season.
Tusculum's offense has been good enough this season, but they are not among the SAC's top teams in terms of scoring. Their 18 goals are tied for seventh in the conference and they do not have a player with more than two goals on the season. Olivia Kilgore has only one goal this year, but leads the team with seven points, as her five assists tie her for fifth in the SAC. The Pioneers scored three goals in their season-opening win over Concord, but they haven't scored more than two in any game since then. Four of the six wins during their current streak have been by a score of 1-0. Tusculum has also been shutout twice this season.
On the other hand is Carson-Newman's offense, which remains at the top of the SAC even after being held off the scoresheet on Saturday. Their 52 goals, 46 assists and average of four goals per game put them third in country and all three totals lead the conference by wide margins. Julianne Herrity (Donegal, Ireland) still holds the league lead with 14 goals and 32 points and Lauren Wade (Coleraine, Northern Ireland) is in second place with 12 scores and 31 points. Holly Talbut-Smith sits atop the SAC with eight assists, one more than Wade and fellow Eagle Varin Ness (Sogndal, Norway). The offense has had a few hiccups recently, as they've been shutout twice in their last five matches, but they'll be trying to return to form on Wednesday.
Goalkeeper Jacqueline Burns (Cookstown, Northern Ireland) set a career-high on Saturday with six saves, continuing a stellar freshman season, during which she's put herself among the conference's best. Her 0.53 goals-against average ranks first in the SAC and is 23rd in the nation. She's also tied for the top spot in the league with seven goals allowed and her .837 save percentage places her fourth. Burns also needs only two more shutouts to break the program record for clean sheets in a season, which was set last season by Jessica Fraiture (Hebron, Ky.).
"I think [Jacqueline] is the best in the conference," Moodie said. "I think she's got it all and to be a freshman is exciting times for us. She's a great individual and I think that's what makes her a special player. I haven't seen many goalkeepers at this level that can distribute a ball quite like Jackie. We're proud that we've got her in the goal for us."
Opposite Burns in this match-up will be the reigning SAC Player of the Week, Miriah Martin, who has been in net for all 13 of Tusculum's games in 2016. The Virginia native has had an outstanding season of her own, totaling four clean sheets and posting the SAC's second best GAA, at 0.59. She has also put herself in the top five in save percentage, with a mark of .846 that places her third, and goals against, where she's fifth, having conceded eight scores.
The Pioneers hold substantial lead in the all-time series between these teams, as they've won 18 times, lost 13 and tied twice. Last season, The Eagles traveled to Tusculum and broke a five-game losing streak in the series with a 4-2 triumph. C-N got scores from Herrity, Alex Brandan (Knoxville, Tenn.), Nikki McWilliams and Averi Williams (Powell, Tenn.) on their way to victory. Tusculum had won the previous five meetings in the rivalry, including a win in overtime in 2010 that eliminated the Eagles from the SAC Tournament.
Wednesday's contest will be broadcast live on cneagles.com/live with up-to-the-minute stats. Mark Inserra will call the match and cneagles.com is where you can go for the postgame recap.
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