JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Looking to get back in the win column, Carson-Newman (4-2-1, 1-1-1 SAC) travels to Gaffney, South Carolina tomorrow afternoon for a road contest with Limestone (2-5-1, 1-3 SAC) at 1:00 p.m.
Carson-Newman has responded well after suffering a loss on recent occasions. After its last four regular season losses, C-N is 3-0-1 the game after a loss. After losing to Columbus State in the season opener, Duffy's team responded wonderfully with a resounding 4-1 home-opening win versus Union.
"Our response in that game was excellent," Carson-Newman head coach Simon Duffy said. "Our comments to the team after Wednesday's game is that the only thing that matters is the response. How we train and prep for the game on Sunday and then how we show up. Be persistent, be present, be intentional in what we're doing, that's the only thing that counts."
Sophomore defender Karli Pettitt is up to four goals this season, the sixth-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.
Carson-Newman has been really strong in South Atlantic Conference play under Simon Duffy. The 8th year head coach has posted a 49-16-8 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.
In a series with just seven meetings, Carson-Newman has won five of them, all of which came consecutively from 2016 to 2022. Every meeting has been close, five have been decided by one goal which does not include a tie between the two teams in 2023. In this past season's matchup, Carson-Newman scored the game's first two goals in the first 28 minutes to lead 2-0. The Saints battled to the finish and scored in the 61st and 83rd minutes to leave Mossy Creek with a draw.
Picked to finish second to last in the South Atlantic Conference's Preseason Coaches' poll, Limestone is off to a 2-5-1 start through the first month of the season with a 1-3 conference record.
"I think it's the same as last year when we played them," Duffy said. "Their record may suggest that they aren't a great team, but they are a very good team. Very talented and well-coached. They are a whole lot stronger than the record suggests and I hope we can get that message across to the players. We must be a whole lot better in every aspect if we are to get the win."
The season started with a 1-1-1 record, with the first win coming in 1-0 fashion versus Francis Marion on Sept 11. However, that win was followed by four consecutive losses, three of which came to SAC opponents. During the losing streak that featured losses to Catawba, Coker and Wingate, Limestone was outscored 14-2.
The Saints bounced back in a nice way, defeating Newberry at home on Wednesday 2-1, for their first conference win of the season. Tomorrow's contest with C-N will continue a four-game homestand for the Saints, who play five of their final eight games of the season in Gaffney.
Limestone has the second-worst offense in the conference, only scoring six goals in eight matches. Chances have been minimal, averaging less than eight shots per match and roughly two corner kicks as well.
Anae Malbete is the team's top goal scorer with two of the six. Lucie Bertrand has the most shots with 13 but is goalless.
Goalkeeper Rosemary Elliot has the fourth-most saves in the league with 27. She is saving 66% of the shots that head her way this season. She has five saves or more in four of her seven starts this season.
First touch is set for 1:00 p.m. A live stream of the game is available with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/flowsoc.
Fans can also follow along by following @CN_Eagles on X (Twitter) and Instagram for in-game updates.
