JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – When Carson-Newman welcomes the Coker Cobras on Saturday afternoon at McCown Field for Senior Day, it will mark the first meeting in 743 days between the two South Atlantic Conference foes.
Carson-Newman (7-3-3, 5-2-1 SAC) will honor six of its graduating seniors at the halftime of the men's match versus Coker – Kate Zander (Baneberry, Tenn.), Kristina Markfort (Munster, Germany), Lira Mathes (Knoxville, Tenn.), Madison Huffstetler (Maryville, Tenn.), Emma Daniels (Knoxville, Tenn.), and Emilee Futrell (Wilson, N.C.). Between all the seniors being recognized, there has been a combined 263 appearances with 46 goals and 27 assists, led by the efforts of Emilee Futrell with 34 career goals and 15 career assists in her time as an Eagle.
"Just keep it rolling and coming away from Harrogate 1-1 was frustrating, but the second half was much better. We were able to keep that rolling into last Saturday," Carson-Newman head coach Simon Duffy said. "We've been preparing and pushing the girls this week as we got a much needed midweek break. There are incredible memoires with these seniors we'll honor. They've been apart of one of the most successful eras in Carson-Newman women's soccer."
A win on Saturday would allow C-N to build upon their unbeaten streak as of late, as they tied with Lincoln Memorial last Wednesday before going on the road and defeating Newberry 1-0 on Saturday. The win also allows C-N to regain sole possession of fourth place in the 2021 SAC women's soccer standings behind Catawba, Lenoir-Rhyne, and Queens.
A win on Saturday would also mark the first time C-N has won three straight SAC matches at McCown Field since October 2018 when they defeated Mars Hill (4-1), Limestone (1-0), and Catawba (2-1). The Eagles went on to win two more home matches that season against SAC foes, one being in the SAC Quarterfinals and then the 2018 NCAA Southeast Regional.
This season, Emilee Futrell has the seventh-most shot attempts in conference with 39 attempts this season. Meanwhile, freshman Sydnee Duncan (Athens, Tenn.) is tied ninth in the SAC for goals with her five thus far for C-N, with three coming in SAC play which is sufficient for 10th in conference. Of her three goals against SAC competition, two have been declared game-winners which is the second-most in conference. Duncan is also sitting with the 16th-most points in conference play as she has collected three so far.
In net, Lilly Ebner (Hohentengen, Germany) has allowed the third-fewest goals in SAC play with five goals allowed and holds the fourth-best goals against average with a 0.86 clip. Finally, she has been apart of the second-most shutouts in SAC play (four) while being responsible for the fourth-most wins in conference play with four under her belt.
C-N and Coker meet for the 10th time with the upcoming match reigniting a series between the two dating back to 1991, the first recorded season for Carson-Newman women's soccer. In the overall series history, it is C-N leading the way 5-3-1, currently in a six-match unbeaten streak dating back to 2013. The last win for Coker in the series came in the 1993 season when the Cobras came to Jefferson City and left with a 1-0 win. Since then, C-N has gone 5-0-1 against Coker and are outscoring the Cobras 27-1.
"Two tricky trips away to LMU and Newberry, it feels to be back home," Duffy said. "Hopefully we can have some fans out there and cheer us on but we have to give them something to cheer for and give them a good performance."
When playing in Jefferson City, C-N has gone 2-2, outscoring their opponent 14-3. When on the road in Hartsville, C-N also leads 3-1-1, outscoring the Cobras 14-6 with a 58-9 shot advantage under Duffy's direction since 2017.
This season, Coker's lone win came against Mars Hill on October 9 as the Cobras defeated the Lions 1-0 in double overtime. The victory also made history as it would mark the first ever conference victory for Coker under third-year head coach Garrett Linquist.
The Cobras and Eagles last met in October 2019 when three of the athletes being honored on Saturday would pay dividends for a 3-1 Eagle victory.
Lira Mathes got the scoring started early in the 16th minute off an assist from junior Addie Henry (Chattanooga, Tenn.) from a corner kick. Then, in the 24th minute, it would be Emilee Futrell putting away another assist by Henry, this time off a through ball and beating the keeper in the lower left portion of the goal to make it 2-0 Eagles.
After Coker got one back in the 56th minute, Kristina Markfort put away the nail in the coffin as she put away an assist by Futrell in the 59th minute off a timely cross to beat the Cobras keeper and make it 3-1 C-N.
The Cobras come into Saturday after taking a brief non-conference break as they hosted the Shaw Bears on Wednesday. Prior to their matchup with the Bears, Coker saw two straight SAC losses after their victory over Mars Hill. On October 13, the Wingate Bulldogs hosted Coker and absolutely thumped them 7-0 as they outshot the Cobras 38-3. Shortly after, on October 16, it was Limestone hosting the Cobras and taking home a 4-0 victory thanks to the Saints holding Coker to a single shot attempt.
This season, Coker has been booked the second-most times as they have picked up 11 yellow cards, but they still are yet to have been shown a red card this season. Seven of their 11 yellow cards have come in SAC matches. The Cobras have scored five goals while allowing a resounding 35 goals from opponents including the 11-0 deficit in their last two SAC matches. Overall, the Cobras average second-fewest shots per game as they only attempt 6.8 shots/game this season.
In his third season at the helm of the Cobras, Garrett Linquist is no stranger to the Eagles. Before taking over in Hartsville, Linquist served as the assistant women's soccer coach and head development team coach at Catawba College before most recently, serving as director of girls' goalkeeping program at Carolina Rapids Soccer Club.
Freshman forward Lexi Lilly and senior midfielder Gabby Strula have paced the way as both athletes have attempted 12 shots on the season and hold four shots on goal. Lilly is also one of five Cobras to net a goal this season.
Junior net-minder Sarah Swaim has been called upon most often this season, as she has started in 10 matches for Coker. She holds a goals against average of 2.88, has made 77 total saves, and is responsible for 28 of the 35 total goals allowed by the Cobras defense to opponents.
Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 12:00 p.m. from McCown Field at Wayne and Beth Harvey Stadium on the campus of Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tenn.
The six seniors for Carson-Newman women's soccer will be recognized at halftime of the men's soccer match versus the Cobras.
"The seniors and the memories we've captured the last four and five years will be tough to miss and they have been part of a legacy while leaving one behind themselves," Duffy said. "It will be tough to see them leave, but we know what we can do and hopefully we come out and can get a result worthy of what they have left this program."
Fans can watch the action via the Eagles Sports Network at cneagles.com/live and follow live in-game updates via Twitter from @CN_Eagles.
