JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After securing a much-needed point against the North Georgia Nighthawks Thursday, Carson-Newman hits the road for the first time in 2021. The Eagles (0-0-1) will make the short trip to Young Harris, Ga for a battle with another Peach Belt foe, the Young Harris Mountain Lions (1-0-0) Sunday evening.
Thursday was a rollercoaster of emotions for Eagle fans, players, and staff as the Eagles got off to a strong start thanks to the contribution of freshman Nellie Bryneus (Halmstad, Sweden) netting her first collegiate goal in the 11th minute. From there, North Georgia stormed back and saw themselves ahead at the halftime break 3-1, thanks to Abbie Crane and Taylor Malasek. Crane, first-team All-PBC selection in the spring, captured a brace with goals in the 23rd and 40th minute.
"A lot of character last night. All be it, not a great first half as we played some great football and playing with some good intensity," head coach Simon Duffy said. "It was really good to see the reaction of the players after suffering some crucial individual mistakes and allow them to go on top."
However, the second half was an onslaught of Eagle attempts as they clawed their way back into the contest as junior Makayla Garner (Fort Mill, S.C.) find the back of the net in the 48th minute off an assist by fellow junior Addie Henry (Chattanooga, Tenn.). The Eagles kept the pressure on the Nighthawks defense throughout the second-half, as they looked for the tying goal in the contest.
It was Carson-Newman graduate student Emilee Futrell (Wilson, N.C.) proving her leadership as she found the back of the net in the 65th minute to tie the game at three apiece. With the goal, Futrell is now tied for seventh-all time in CNWS history for career goals with former assistant Jules Herrity. The Wilson, N.C. native also moves herself into sole possession of seventh all-time in points with 77, which is two behind Jules Herrity and Liz Jallo who both finished their C-N careers with 79.
"I think we came out of the second half fighting and it came to a head when Emilee scored. It's early in the season and the players have a lot to learn so I can't blame the players. Big one for us Thursday to get level and maybe this will help us as we go through the season," Duffy said. "Nellie stepped in and did a great job last night. We expect a lot out of these players and the players we bring in shows that. The effort they put forth and the experience to play against a team like North Georgia just helps them develop."
In the shortened spring season, C-N was still able to lead the SAC in goals scored (18) and assists (15) while also being in the top-three for shots (106), shot percentage (.170), shots per game (17.7), and shots on goal (59) for offensive categories during SAC matchups. Meanwhile, C-N's defense stifled opponents to two shutouts, a .131 goals-against-average, eight goals, and 30 saves over seven contests. Futrell, Henry, Garner, and second-team preseason All-SAC selection Lira Mathes (Knoxville, Tenn.) return as leading scorers for the Eagles to go along with sophomore Molly Bukiewicz (Beavercreek, Ohio) who finished the shortened spring as the SAC leader with six assists.
Sunday's match will be the first true road test for Duffy's team since September 5, 2019, when Carson-Newman played the Bellarmine Knights to start the season. In Duffy's tenure as head coach of the Eagles, C-N is 5-5 on the road against non-conference foes (including playoffs).
This is the fifth matchup between the Eagles and Mountain Lions in a series that dates back to 2013. Carson-Newman holds the 3-1 series advantages, outscoring the Mountain Lions 6-2 over the last three matchups, all C-N victories. The last time the two sides squared off in Young Harris was October 2015 where it was former C-N assistant Jules Herrity netting the game-winner in the 103rd minute of action to help C-N secure the 2-1 win in double overtime.
"I think the level of the opponent is big because North Georgia and Young Harris are two talented teams. We want to challenge our team so that when it comes time, we have been in that situation," Duffy said. "I hope we take what happened last night and improve upon it. I can't blame the girls for making mistakes but they need to improve upon it."
Young Harris comes into Sunday's matchup after claiming their win of the fall against the Tusculum Pioneers of the SAC 3-2 on Thursday. In their first game, Alex Scarpinato captured a brace with a game-winner with 18:30 left in the second half. Scarpinato was found by Aimee Durn before splitting the Pioneers defense to give the Mountain Lions the victory. Jhena Ellerbe scored for Young Harris in the 37th minute to push the Moutain Lions ahead 2-0 after Scarpinato gave the Mountain Lions an early 1-0 lead in the 21st minute.
Fourth-year head coach Rob King enters the 2021 season as the 24th winningest women's soccer coach in Division II with 228 career victories and led the Mountain Lions to their fourth consecutive trip to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament in 2019.
Prior to arriving in the Enchanted Valley, King spent 14 seasons on the sidelines as coach at Kennesaw State from 2001-15, including starting the Owls women's soccer program in his time.
In the shortened spring season, Young Harris were led in scoring by Thea Juul and Durn who both collected two goals in eight contests and return for the fall season. The Mountain Lions fired the fourth-fewest attempts in the Peach Belt with 79 attempts while scoring the fourth-fewest goals with seven in their eight contests.
In goal, the Mountain Lions saw Pien Van Kampen start in six of the eight contests for Young Harris. In her starts, she made 21 saves, compiled two shutouts, held a GAA of 1.18 and played for over 534 minutes.
In their last appearance in the PBC Tournament, the Mountain Lions lost to their in-state rival, the North Georgia Nighthawks, in the PBC Quarterfinals 3-0. Young Harris was given a fifth-place projection in the 2021 Peach Belt Conference preseason poll as they tied Lander for the position.
"As much as a home gameday helps, the preparation is on the players from sleep to fluids. Hopefully they understand the importance of that and we can make it as normal of a game as possible come Sunday," Duffy said. "We can only do a little bit for them, but hopefully we can come together and go out there and compete come Sunday."
The last matchup for Young Harris and Carson-Newman came in September of 2019 from Mossy Creek. In that match, Lara Hallgrimsdottir got the Eagles on the board early in the third minute off a penalty kick. From there, it was junior Makayla Garner (Fort Mill, S.C.) who collected an individual brace with goals in the 14th and 30th minute for Duffy's squad. Her first goal came off a shot from 20 yards out with a placement in the left corner before making it a pair with a tap in from six yards out to push C-N ahead 3-0. Young Harris replied in the 67th minute with a header goal from Juliana Alarcon but it was not enough as C-N walked away victors.
Sunday's match is set to kick off at 5 p.m. at the Young Harris Soccer and Lacrosse Field. A live broadcast from the Mountain Lion Sports Network will hit the airwaves worldwide at https://pbcsportsnetwork.com/youngharris/.
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