JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This is the second part of a three-part series previewing the 2023 Carson-Newman women's soccer season. We continue by previewing the midfielders with sophomore Selina Jud.
The most returning players come from Carson-Newman's midfield core. Five steady players return after helping a Carson-Newman offense rank second in goals scored (36) and goals per game (2.12) in 2022. The Eagles will return just under half of their goals from last season, all of which were scored by midfielders.
C-N's top returner is graduate student Addie Henry (Chattanooga, Tenn.). The 4x All-SAC midfielder returns for a fifth season after scoring three goals and leading C-N with five assists in 2022. Henry's 56 career appearances and 49 starts are both the most among active players.
Joining Henry as an upperclassman returning is Savannah Fields (Johnson City, Tenn.). She enters her senior season having scored at least one goal in each of her first three seasons with C-N.
A trio of talented midfielders return after spectacular first seasons in Mossy Creek. Felicia Frick (Eschen, Liechtenstein), Maja Bengtsson (Malung, Sweden) and Selina Jud (Wilderswil, Switzerland) each made 16 appearances and combined to score eight goals and add four assists in their rookie seasons.
"We were three new freshmen coming in, but we still were able to find that chemistry," Jud said. "It was just great that we could have that chemistry right from the beginning. I think that helped us a lot."
Molly Zander (Baneberry, Tenn.) returns after six appearances last season. She missed two thirds of her freshman season due to a knee injury.
Malia Kim (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) and Alba Delgado (Oviedo, Spain) are two transfers that complete C-N's talented group of midfielders. Kim finished her high school career with 62 total goals and won district offensive player of the year in 2021-22. Delgado is a Division I transfer from UT Martin. As a freshman, she played in 18 games, recording two assists and firing a total of four shots.
"We had that ability to learn how to play together," Jud said. "Getting into this year, in our first scrimmage, I could actually see that we had that chemistry from last year. Now with two new faces coming in with Malia and Alba, I think it will be easier to get them into our place because we have so many returners in the midfield."
We wrap up Carson-Newman's position previews on Monday with a look at the team's forwards with assistance from senior Molly Bukiewicz.
