JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (4-1-1, 1-0-1 SAC) concludes the month of September when it plays host to Newberry (5-0-1, 1-0-1 SAC) for Senior Day on Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. at McCown Field.
C-N will honor four seniors on Saturday evening, Cameron Giles (Hendersonville, Tenn.), Noel Criser (West Yarmouth, Mass), Savannah Fields (Johnson City, Tenn.) and Danielle Lacy (Rochester, Ill.). Senior day festivities will take place during halftime of the men's game, which will be approximately around 5:45 p.m.
Carson-Newman is off to its best start since the 2017 season when it started 5-0-1 that season. This year's 4-1-1 start just edges the 2021 team that began the season 3-1-2. It's the third time in eight seasons under Duffy that C-N has just one loss through its first six games of a season. If the Eagles can stay unbeaten in Saturday's match against Newberry, it will be the program's best start in league play since 2018.
The quality start to the season has carried into South Atlantic Conference play. The Eagles are 1-0-1 with four total points and will enter the weekend in a four-way tie for second place.
Carson-Newman has been really strong in South Atlantic Conference play under Simon Duffy. The 8th year head coach has posted a 49-15-8 record against the league since taking over in 2017. The Eagles have gone 45-13-6 at home over the past two seasons and are 3-0 so far this season, outscoring opponents 9-2 at McCown Field.
After her first career multi-goal game this past Saturday versus Coker, sophomore defender Karli Pettitt (Kingston, Tenn.) is up to four goals this season, the second-most in the South Atlantic Conference. Krista Nielsen joins Pettitt as a multi-goal scorer this season with two, while six others have scored at least one goal. In total, eight different players have scored a goal. Three others, that have not scored a goal, have assisted on a goal giving Carson-Newman 11 different players that have recorded a point this season.
C-N has been dominant against Newberry, winning the last nine meetings in the series. Despite having a winning streak that dates all the way back to 2015, five of the nine wins have only been decided by one goal, including the four most recent matchups. In a series without a tie, Carson-Newman holds the 24-6 advantage.
For the third straight game, Carson-Newman will face off against an unbeaten team. Newberry is unbeaten through six games for the first time in school history. DeeDee Alexander's team has been one of the more impressive squads, with a 5-0-1 record. 4 of those five wins have come on the road. They've outscored their opponents 11-1 and have recorded five shutouts through six games. Newberry joins Carson-Newman as one of the four teams tied for second place in the SAC standings with four points.
"They are well-structured and defensively they have a really good unit," Carson-Newman head coach Simon Duffy said. "They work really hard and are well-coached. They are probably looking at last season and thinking that it could have been better. It seems like they've turned a corner. We are going to prepare for this team like any other team. We won't be taking them lightly."
A 5-0 rout of Shorter in the season opener set a good tone for Newberry. That win was followed up by a pair of 1-0 shutouts of Lees McRae and Southern Wesleyan on the road. The tie came in its SAC opener at home versus Mars Hill, a scoreless draw two weeks ago. It enters Saturday's match against C-N on a two-game winning streak, a 3-1 defeat of USC Aiken ten days ago and most recently, a 1-0 road win against Tusculum this past Sunday.
It's a Wolves squad that was picked to finish ninth in the league and had zero players named to the preseason all-conference team. But several contributors have made a name for themselves early in the season. Bella Gonzales and Becca Lipp each have a team-high three goals, with four others have scored at least one goal as well. Emily Castaneda has a team-high four assists, a mark that is tied for first in the SAC as well.
Newberry has rotated its goalkeepers early in the season. Aubrey Cripe and Sarah Waller have basically split time in goal and have both combined for the team's four clean sheets in 2024. Waller has 14 saves and has a 3-0-1 record, while Cripe has a goalie record of 2-0 and has five saves, allowing the team's lone goal.
The match is set for a 7:30 p.m. start. A live stream of the game is available with a subscription to FloSports.
Fans can also follow along by following @CN_Eagles on X (Twitter) and Instagram for in-game updates.
