HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Behind strong defense and a Selina Jud goal, Carson-Newman (3-3-1, 2-1) defeated Coker (4-2-1, 1-2) for its second straight conference win of the season.
"We struggled to get going in the first half, and made very hard work of it," Carson-Newman head coach Simon Duffy said. "Credit to our players, they came out in the second half with a different mindset and got a very deserved goal and that allowed us to see out this win."
Carson-Newman simply owns Coker. It's now C-N's eighth straight win over the Cobras and has outscored them 39-1.
The victory featured a trio of firsts. It's C-N's first shutout of the season, and first in its last ten games. It's also the first Saturday win for Duffy's squad this year and first road win of the 2023 season as well.
Both teams recorded two shots on goal in the opening half. C-N goalkeeper Danielle Lacy (Rochester, Ill.) was put to the test immediately. Twenty seconds into the match, Mila Rausch sent a shot on goal that forced a diving Lacy save.
The Eagles first opportunity came in the 22nd minute, Savannah Fields (Johnson City, Tenn) had her shot saved by Rhyan Parkin. Two minutes later, Rausch had another quality chance by Lacy made another great stop.
The final chance in the opening period was a Cameron Giles (Chattanooga, Tenn.) shot from distance that was saved by Parkin.
Carson-Newman started the second 45 minutes with a pair of corner kicks, the second of which resulted in a Fields header that Parkin grabbed to keep the match scoreless.
Selina Jud (Wilderswil, Switzerland) finally broke the ice. Off a corner kick, Felicia Frick (Eschen, Liechenstein) sent a ball into the box that Jud knocked into the back of the net to put the Eagles ahead 1-0 in the 57th minute. Jud's goal was her first this season and fourth of her career.
Ten minutes after the Jud goal, Rausch had another chance but Lacy made another great stop to keep the Cobras off the board.
The freshman Rausch had another chance in the 81st minute, but Lacy stopped yet another shot.
Coker's final chances came by way of a pair of corner kicks in the final seven minutes, but the Cobras were not able to deliver a shot off the corners.
Jud scoring the game's only goal made her the eighth different Eagle to boot home a goal this season.
Lacy was critical in C-N's win, recording a season-high four saves.
Carson-Newman outshot Coker 11-7, with six of those shots on goal. The Eagles had eight corner kicks, their most in a game this season.
The Eagles continue their road trip on Wednesday with a matchup against Mars Hill.
