JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – For the third time this season, No. 8 Carson-Newman (8-7-3) squares off with unbeaten No. 1 Lenoir-Rhyne (15-0-4), with this meeting being the most meaningful one, a win or go home scenario in the first round of the NCAA tournament tomorrow evening at 6:00 p.m.
"I couldn't be more excited for our players to experience this," Carson-Newman head coach Simon Duffy said. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity and it doesn't come around very often. For our seniors and fifth-years, I am just so excited for them. But not just for them, but for the freshman to experience that and get that hunger now for postseason. That's so important for our culture going forward."
Since 1991, this will be just the third occasion where C-N plays the same team three times in one season. Most recently, it happened in 2018 when the Eagles played Lincoln Memorial three times. C-N won the regular season meeting, lost the SAC tournament matchup, and then tied the NCAA meeting before falling in PK's.
The Bears and Eagles are set to face off for the second time in the last week. Last Friday, LR beat C-N in the South Atlantic Conference semifinals winning 2-0. Neve Duston scored a 4th minute goal to put the Bears up early and then an own goal increased the advantage in the opening half. After getting shutout in the first 45 minutes, C-N did manage eight second half shots but could not find a goal.
In the two combined meetings this season, LR has outshot C-N 25-9 and has outscored the Eagles 5-0.C-N averages nearly five corner kicks per match but has only gotten two against the Bears. Lenoir-Rhyne has won six straight matches against Carson-Newman. Seven of the last ten meetings have been decided by one goal.
This postseason berth for C-N marks the 12th NCAA tournament appearance for the program and its first since the 2018 season. C-N's first trip to the NCAA tournament came in 2003. In its last eight NCAA tournament appearances, Carson-Newman has won at least one game in the tournament. The 2007 loss in the opening round to Columbus State is the last time the Eagles have been bounced in round one.
Overall, C-N is 18-12 all-time in NCAA tourney matches and is 5-1 under Duffy in his two previous NCAA tournament runs with the Eagles. His first run in the national tournament was a magical one, taking C-N all the way to the national championship game in 2017, before falling to Central Missouri in penalty kicks.
Carson-Newman is led by its three All-SAC performers, Abbie Zander (Baneberry, Tenn.), Felicia Frick (Eschen, Liechtenstein) and Addie Henry (Chattanooga, Tenn.). This trio has got the job done on both ends of the field this season and has combined for seven goals and ten assists this season. Selina Jud (Wilderswil, Switzerland) and Alba Delgado (Oviedo, Spain) have both been effective as attackers this season, scoring four goals each and adding one assist. Nobody on C-N's roster has any NCAA tournament experience.
Lenoir-Rhyne is the number one overall seed in the Southeast region after winning the SAC regular season championship and securing the conference championship as well. The Bears defeated Catawba in penalty kicks to win the SAC title. The number one seed is the first time LR has been ranked in the top spot.
The Bears are one of six teams in NCAA DII women's soccer that have not lost a match this season. Along with the two SAC championships, LR took home three other individual honors for their impressive season. Elin Hansson was named SAC offensive player of the year after leading the conference in goals scored with 14, eleventh most in the country. Ria Acton earned defensive player of the year honors after leading the conference in assists with 12 this season. She also has helped lead the defense to eleven shutouts in 17 matches. The final award was Dean Ward earning coach of the year honors after leading LR to an unbeaten regular season and then the SAC title.
Nine different players have scored multiple goals for an offense that has scored 50 goals this season, the 17th most in the country. The Bears average seven and a half corner kicks per game, the sixth most in the land.
"No disrespect but I don't care who we are playing, "Duffy said. LR is a wonderful team and rightly so the number one seed. But we are going to go there and give them everything we've got. We respect them as the opponent and are definitely going to go there well-prepared and hopefully the players can show up on the day and put in the best performance."
The winner of No. 1 Lenoir-Rhyne and No. 8 Carson-Newman will get the winner of the 4/5 matchup between a pair of Peach Belt schools, Columbus State and Flagler. Kick off from Hickory is set for 6:00 pm.
