JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (5-2-2, 2-1-2 SAC) continues its home stretch with a South Atlantic Conference contest with Lincoln Memorial (4-4-2, 2-2-2 SAC) Wednesday night at McCown Field.
Both teams have eight points in the conference standings, tied for fourth place. The only difference is that Lincoln Memorial has one more match played than Carson-Newman.
With the exception for the covid-shortened 2021 spring season, C-N has managed to have multiple, multi-game winning steaks every season under eighth-year head coach Simon Duffy. It's occurred every season since 2014. A win tomorrow night would continue this stretch.
Scoring a pair of goals in Saturday's win versus Mars Hill, C-N remains unbeaten when scoring multiple goals in a game this season, now 4-0-1. The Eagles are 5-0 when scoring the first goal and 4-0 when leading at intermission.
Sophomore defender Karli Pettitt leads Carson-Newman's offense with four goals this season. Anita Arnadottir, Selina Jud, Krista Nielsen and Savannah Fields are all multi-goal scorers with Pettitt this season, each having two. Eight different players have scored a goal this season. Four others, that have not scored a goal, have assisted on a goal giving Carson-Newman. 12 different players that have recorded a point this season.
Carson-Newman has been strong in South Atlantic Conference play under Simon Duffy. The 8th year head coach has posted a 50-16-9 record against the league since taking over in 2017. The Eagles have gone 46-13-6 at home over the past two seasons and are 4-0 so far this season, outscoring opponents 11-2 at McCown Field. C-N has won its last five home games dating back to 2023.
In a series with 33 meetings, Carson-Newman has won 20 of them, holding a 20-10-3 advantage. The Eagles currently have a three-match unbeaten streak against the Railsplitters, the longest since winning five games in a row from 2015- 2018. The last seven meetings have been decided by one goal or less. Carson-Newman won 2023's meeting in Harrogate by a 2-1 tally. Krista Nielsen and Selina Jud each scored goals in the first 22 minutes to set a terrific tone early in the match. LMU cut the deficit in half when Lexi Bearden scored in the 84th minute, but C-N's defense held strong to secure the road win.
Lincoln Memorial heads to Mossy Creek on a two-match winning streak. The Railsplitters have won games against Georgia College and Newberry by 2-1 and 3-0 tallies. The pair of victories moves LMU back to .500, for the first time since early September.
The Railsplitters have eight points in six conference matches, sporting a 2-2-2 league record. Against the top three teams in the South Atlantic Conference standings, LMU is 0-2-1, with the lone tie coming versus #3 Lenoir-Rhyne on Sept 14. Both of LMU's conference wins have been on the road. Its only true road loss this season came to #17 Columbus State on Sept 11.
Tasha Flynn's team has been the most aggressive and physical team in the SAC this season. They average more than six fouls per match, the most in the league and 21st nationally. Middling in most offensive categories, LMU ranks fourth in corner kicks per match, managing close to five a night.
The seventh best offense in the SAC is led by Ryan Branson who has a team-high three goals, while also leading the team in shots and shots on goal. Three others have scored two goals this season, with five more having at least one goal as well. Alicia Bevins has a team-high three assists, with the rest of the team having just four combined.
Bente Latenstein has been one of the top shot-stoppers in the SAC this season. Her 46 saves are second-most in the conference. She made 30 saves in her first four starts of the year and has just 16 in her last four starts. The senior has conceded 17 goals and has one shutout in nine starts.
The first 120 students to Wednesday's action will receive free pizza.
The match will start at 7:30 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.
