JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Ending the month of September on a four-match unbeaten streak, Carson-Newman (4-3-2, 3-2-1) starts a new month welcoming in the 22nd ranked Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (8-0-3, 6-0) on Saturday.
This begins an end of the year stretch where Carson-Newman will play six of its final seven games at home, but the next three opponents are the top three teams in the SAC standings.
"The next three opponents are ranked in the region and two are ranked in the top 25 in the country," Carson-Newman head coach Simon Duffy said. "We get to test ourselves at home against a quality side. When we compete and show up, we can go toe to toe with anybody in our league. The players are excited."
The match tomorrow evening against the Bears will be the 12th ranked team that Duffy's squad has faced in his tenure. He has a 5-5-1 record against top 25 squads over his previous six seasons.
This will not be the first time Lenoir-Rhyne comes to Mossy Creek as a ranked team. The Bears came to Jefferson City on October 2, 2019, and left with a 3-0 victory. #11 LR scored three first half goals to leave town with a win.
That 2019 win was the start of a four-game winning streak for LR over C-N. The Bears have outscored the Eagles 9-3 over the past four meetings. LR leads the series 24-13-4 all-time and is 8-6-3 when battling at McCown field.
Carson-Newman enters the intriguing matchup on a four-match unbeaten streak, playing some of its best soccer of the season. C-N ended the month two clean sheets, outscoring its opponents 7-2 during this four-game stretch. The strong end to September has C-N placed fifth in the SAC standings with ten points, one point shy of fourth place and three shy of third.
Lenoir-Rhyne enters Saturday's match ranked 22nd in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. The Bears earned the ranking in the poll for the first time this year, thanks to an unbeaten record and a 6-0 effort in league play. The Bears bring a six-game winning streak to Mossy Creek, outscoring opponents 20-3 during the impressive streak. LR is 4-0-2 in road matches this year.
LR ranks second in several offensive categories, scoring 28 goals in eleven matches this season. Elin Hansson leads the potent attack and is one of the more talented offensive threats in the country. She has a team-high nine goals, ranking second in the conference and and ninth in the country. Defender Ria Acton has been just as critical to the Bears success. She is tied for the most assists in the country with eight this season.
Defensively, it has been just as good for LR. Kristin Oliver has the second highest save percentage (.885) and has only allowed three goals in 11 matches. As a team, the Bears have seven clean sheets this season.
"They seem to be a very balanced team and are very solid at every position," Duffy said. "They are very well coached and it seems like they have just picked up where they left off last year. They can really hurt you at every position. It's my job to get the players prepared and ready for the game and I intend to do so."
Tomorrow's match kicks off at 5:00 p.m. from McCown field. The game can be streamed on FloSports with a subscription. Fans can also follow along to @CN_Eagles on Twitter and Instagram for in-game updates.
