MARS HILL, N.C. – After exploding for 19 shots but falling just short against the LMU Railsplitters, Carson-Newman (3-2, 3-2 SAC) will look to build momentum to end the regular season with the second matchup against the Mars Hill Lions (0-5, 0-5 SAC) Thursday. The Eagles have seen great previous success from matchups with Mars Hill, as they have outscored the Lions 42-5 in their last 10 matchups.
The Eagles will also boast the reigning SAC Offensive Player of the Week in senior Emilee Futrell (Wilson, N.C.) who received the honor Wednesday morning. After scoring a pair of braces on the road and at home against Tusculum, Futrell was honored with the new title for the first time in her Eagles career.
Since Simon Duffy has taken over at the helm of the Eagles, he has gone a perfect 4-0 against the Lions (including 2021) and has seen his squad outscore Mars Hill 18-2 since his first year of 2017. In all-time meetings with Mars Hill, the Eagles hold the overall 28-2-1 series lead and have not lost when matched up since 2007.
"We need to get sharper in a lot of areas and get back to the style of play we know we can hold. We wish we could've pulled out the crucial win last night but now our attention is on Mars Hill and preparing for another tough match," head coach Simon Duffy said. "We know we can be one of the top teams in this league, but that only happens if we play how we know we can. We must keep the pace of play up-tempo and we must play a full 90 minutes."
Since the Eagles and Lions last met on March 4, the Eagles have gone 2-1 with a regular season sweep over Tusculum last week before falling to Lincoln Memorial 2-1 on Tuesday. So far in 2021, C-N leads the SAC with 14 assists, a goals for average of 3.20, are tied for first with Lenoir-Rhyne at 16, lead in goal differential (+10), and lead the SAC with 46 team points.
The Eagles will look to secure a top-five seed in the upcoming SAC Championship Tournament, which begins next Monday. For the 2021 Tournament, the top eight teams make the cut with each round games being hosted by the higher seed.
"We know as of now, we are on the road for the first tournament game (if we make it), so playing our last two regular season games on the road might help," Duffy said. "This is a determined group and I know they will come out on Thursday ready for a fight and to redeem themselves after a not-so-ideal game against LMU."
In the only regular season between the two in 2021, the Eagles got off to a hot start thanks to individual braces from senior Lira Mathes (Knoxville, Tenn.) and sophomore Makayla Garner (Fort Mill, S.C.). After the duo scored a pair apiece, C-N busted out to a 4-0 lead before freshman Savannah Fields (Johnson City, Tenn.) and Marta De Zanger (Barcelona, Spain) notched their first goals as Eagles.
Once the match ended, the Eagles saw themselves outshooting the Lions 23-4 in the game along with sophomore Hope Doyle (Harrison, Ohio) made her C-N debut and played the final 31 minutes of game action.
Thursday's matchup is scheduled for a 5 p.m. first kick from Mars Hill. Since they starting playing each other, C-N is 14-2 all-time on the road against Mars Hill and have not lost since 2007 when playing in Mars Hill.
Live stats and video will be provided Thursday by the athletic staff of Mars Hill. Be sure to keep up with all things Carson-Newman women's soccer at cneagles.com and on all social media accounts.
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