JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman begins its 2024 season against a ranked foe in #23 Columbus State tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m. at the Walden Sports Complex in Columbus, Ga.
"It's been a great preseason," Carson-Newman women's soccer head coach Simon Duffy said. "Columbus State is always a ranked opponent. It doesn't matter when you play them, they are always going to be ranked. We get to see where were at. It's always tricky opening up the season, and makes it even more so on the road, and even more tricky when it's against a team like Columbus State."
Under Duffy in season openers, C-N is 2-4-1. The Eagles scored a season-high five goals in last season's season-opening win versus North Greenville. Carson-Newman will aim to win its season opener on the road since 2016, and also go for its first win over a ranked squad in six years. C-N's last ranked win came against Limestone on Oct 24, 2018.
Five Eagles were named preseason all-conference. All-SAC midfielder Felicia Frick was C-N's lone second-team pick. Four players were selected to the third team. Forwards Anita Arnadottir and Krista Nielsen and midfielders Alba Delgado and Selina Jud earned third team honors from the league office.
C-N is coming off a 2023 season that featured the program's 12th NCAA Tournament appearance, its first appearance at the national tournament since 2018. Plenty of experience returns from last year's bunch, headlined by the team's top three goals scorers Alba Delgado, Felicia Frick and Selina Jud, all of whom scored four goals last season. Of the 23 players on this year's roster, 20 played last season and return. With so many key players returning, C-N will bring back 22 of their 28 goals scored from last season.
Carson-Newman squared off against Columbus State in late October last season. The Cougars scored in the third minute and never looked back to leave Mossy Creek with a 3-0 victory. CSU leads the all-time ledger 7-4
Columbus State has been selected as the preseason favorites in the Peach Belt Conference's Preseason Coaches Poll. The Cougars received 77 total points with five first-place votes to capture the top spot ahead of North Georgia. In the United Soccer Coaches DII Top-25 Preseason Poll, CSU was selected 23rd.
In 2023, Columbus State defeated North Georgia in the PBC Tournament Championship for the ninth time in program history. It finished the season with a 15-4-2 overall record with a 7-1-1 PBC record. The impressive regular season earned the Cougars their 15th NCAA Tournament appearance.
Three key returning players earned preseason all-conference honors Lauren Barnes, Emma Beddow, and Sarah Hungerford. Beddow leads the trio, as a three-time All-PBC selection. The two-time All-American led the team in goals (14), assists (11) and points (39) in 2023. Hungerford has produced back-to-back seasons with eight goals and has 37 career points for CSU. Barnes scored 20 points in 2023, netting seven goals and assisting on six.
Carson-Newman is the first of five matchups for CSU against South Atlantic Conference teams. The Cougars will face Lincoln Memorial, Tusculum, Catawba and Lenoir-Rhyne later this season.
First touch from the Walden Sports Complex is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. A live stream of the game is available at https://pbcsportsnetwork.com/csucougars/
Fans can also follow along to @CN_Eagles on X (Twitter) and Instagram for in-game updates.
