VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Stephen Lyons Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. -- Yannick Kranz provided the lone goal in Carson-Newman's first clean sheet of the season with a 1-0 victory over Tusculum at McCown Field Wednesday night.
"We know it's always a big rival match, so to put in a really good performance and then keep the clean sheet, which is the thing we've been looking for," head coach Stephen Lyons said. "I thought we were better defensively, so I think the guys can take a lot of confidence from this result going into the next game on Saturday."
Carson-Newman (5-2, 4-0) moves its South Atlantic Conference winning streak to nine straight since the 2020-21 season, a streak it has notched three times now since the 2003 season. The group's five-match winning streak in this campaign is the longest for the group since last season when it won six straight.
This is the third consecutive win for the Eagles over Tusculum (1-5-1, 0-3-1), marking their longest string of wins in series history. They cut into Pioneers' lead in the series at 15-18-6, now sitting at 7-7-3 when the derby takes place on the banks of Mossy Creek. The third-straight shutout victory in the series moves the Eagles to 304 minutes of action since Nov. 6, 2019 in which they have held the Pioneers off the board. This is the first Orange and Blue clean sheet since April 5, 2021 when it defeated Lincoln Memorial, 4-0, in the SAC Tournament Quarterfinals.
The one-goal win ends a streak of four matches in which at least a pair of Eagles accounted for a goal.
Thaylan Silva (São Paulo, Brazil) lined up for a corner in the 16th minute that bounced off the head of Harry Whitehead (Oxford, England). After hitting some Pioneers, the ball landed in front of Kranz that he quickly sent in from six yards out, past a trio of Pioneers to put the Eagles on the board first, 1-0.
VIDEO: Yannick Kranz Interview
"I mean, it was a little bit funny because the ball was in the 18 box and like, nobody actually knew where the ball was and then it came in front of my feet and, yeah, I scored," Kranz said. "I'm really happy that I scored because I helped the team and we have another win."
Kranz joins Silva as the lone Eagles to have scored multiple goals this season with Kranz now sitting at two. The assist is Silva's third of the season, moving him to 18 in his career for sole possession of the fifth-most in program history.
Get on the board first ✅
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) September 30, 2021
Yannick Kranz with the quick reflexes
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Damien Baltide attempted Tusculum's lone scoring chance in the opening frame with a shot in the 36th minute that was saved by Bram Kaarsgaren (Den Bosch, The Netherlands).
Quinten Carels (Bruges, Belgium) tacked on a pair of chances in the 43rd minute on a header that was saved by Tusculum's keeper Rayane El Mehdi and a shot that went sailing high above the crossbar.
Carson-Newman went into the break with the lead for the third time this season, out-shooting Tusculum 7-4 with a 4-1 edge in shots on goal. The Eagles pressed harder on the gas throughout the final 45, adding on 10 more shots in the frame.
Silva commanded chances in the second half, starting his five-shot frame with a look 26 seconds into the period that was saved by a Tusculum defender. He brought another chance to elevate the lead in the 60th minute on a sneaky touch off of a pass from Tim Vercelli (Münster, Germany) that was booted away by a Tusculum defender.
Tusculum had one final chance to even the match as the clock ticked down, bringing all 11 players in for a Baltide corner kick. His shot went sailing deep into the box to meet the crowd. A play at the line in the mouth of the goal was cleared away, keeping the ball from breaking the plane.
Carson-Newman out-shot Tusculum 17-7 on the night with a, 8-2 mark for shots on goal. The outing marked the second-highest shots and shots on goal for the group this year.
Silva reset his career-high for single match shots with eight in the win, sending three of those on frame. Kranz did much of the same with his three shots, landing one on goal for the sixth time in his career.
In his first shutout of the 2021 campaign, Kaarsgaren needed just one save. He extends his career shutout tally to 12.1 with 21 wins. He is now one win shy of tying Rumwald Le Guevel (2012-13) for the third-most career wins in program history.
Baltide led all Pioneers with two shot attempts, one on frame. In net, El Mehdi was forced into five saves.
The Eagles take flight to the Tar Heel State for a Saturday match with Queens. That match is set to start at 7:30 p.m. at the Queens Sports Complex.
