JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Although it was their first time seeing each other, Carson-Newman (5-3-2) had no issue with the visiting Shaw Bears (3-7) as they would defend McCown Field and leave with the 2-0 win. Carson-Newman was led by the efforts of sophomore Sydnee Duncan (Athens, Tenn.) scoring both goals for the Eagles as graduate student Emilee Futrell (Wilson, N.C.) made her own noise for the Eagles.
Since head coach Simon Duffy took over in 2017, when playing in the friendly confines of McCown Field, the Eagles are 28-6-4 and have not lost back-to-back home matches since 2014 when the Eagles were handed a 2-1 loss by Catawba before Lincoln Memorial took a 4-3 victory after the Eagles wrapped up a three-match road trip that season. Wednesday also marked the first non-conference home win for a Duffy-led squad since September 25, 2019 when the Eagles defeated Belmont Abbey 3-0.
"It was a much impressed second half. I don't know if the first half just saw some frustration, but the second half saw some intent and I think the girls played well to get the win," Carson-Newman coach Simon Duffy said. "Two great goals by Sydnee. Just glad to get a clean sheet which is important defensively."
Wednesday was a rare mid-season non-conference meeting for the Eagles as it was the sixth time under Duffy that the Eagles have met an opponent for the first time. In their previous five attempts, C-N went 2-3 all-time including seeing a pair of new opponents in Duffy's first season at the helm in 2017.
However, the Eagles quickly turned their luck around as freshman Sydnee Duncan (Athens, Tenn.) was the one to watch out for as she netted not one, but two Eagles goals in a span of four minutes of game action. Duncan and the Eagles came out firing on all cylinders Wednesday as they controlled the pace of the game for the majority of the first 45 minutes of action, holding Shaw without a single shot attempt as the halftime whistle would blow.
"We've been having a tough time lately and after not coming out like we wanted to in the first half, it was important to come out and win as Sydnee carried us with both goals," Futrell said. "I've been able to be surrounded by some great talent and I've wanted to be a role model for the girls I have played with. We've been focusing on working with each other and getting some goals in as well as getting a clean sheet."
The second half has been where the Eagles have shined brightly this season, as they had scored four goals coming into Wednesday. The Eagles built up their strong first half in offensive prowess and kept the pressure on the Bears defense, as finally in the 51st minute, Duncan got away and made it 1-0 C-N after Emilee Futrell passed the ball into the box before Duncan found her way to it and pushed it into the back of the net.
However, Duncan and Futrell were not anywhere close from being finished as the duo linked up again in the 54th minute off a beautiful one-timer from Futrell. In an attempt to net her 34th career goal, Futrell rocketed a shot from nearly 20 yards out that would sail just over the head of the Bears goalkeeper, Maude Rouanet, and hit the crossbar. Sydnee Duncan was there to clean up the mess as she found the ball at her feet before netting her second of the day and third goal this season as an Eagle.
"We had some quality goals against a very stubborn Shaw team which I think gave us a great challenge all match," Duffy said. "I think the girls really wanted to get a couple more, but we're happy for Syd to push us ahead with her goals and to capture another clean sheet which speaks to our defensive efforts."
Once the final whistle blew, Carson-Newman finished the night with the 20-7 shot margin as eight of the Eagles attempts found the frame compared to four of the Bears attempts. This now continues the trend that Carson-Newman has seen after every match this season, an opponent not getting as many shot attempts away but when they do, they're more often on goal.
The Eagles saw a trio of athletes finish their night with at least three shot attempts. Junior Makayla Garner (Fort Mill, S.C.) fired off three attempts with two being on frame. Sydnee Duncan held three shot attempts in the 90 minutes of action, as her two shots on goal ended up being the difference as they became the two Eagles goals. Finally, Futrell would fire off three shot attempts but could not see one become a shot on goal.
Graduate student Emilee Futrell (Wilson, N.C.) started once again for C-N after having to sit out two matches earlier in the season. The Wilson, N.C. native wasted no time getting back to her old habits, as she notched herself further into program history with her two-point (two assists) effort against Shaw. After assisting on both goals on Wednesday, Futrell now holds the sixth-most career points for a Carson-Newman women's soccer player as she notched her 79th and 80th point.
Also, Futrell was able to get off three more shot attempts on Wednesday which moves her into fourth all-time in the category as she now holds 236 career shot attempts. Of those 236 attempts by Futrell, 109 have been shots on goal, which is now the fifth-most career shots on goal for an Eagle. Futrell is only six shot attempts away from tying former C-N All-American Lauren Wade in career shots while being a single shot on goal from tying Claire Ramsdale who finished her Eagles career with 110 shots on goal.
Starting in the net for Carson-Newman for the third straight match was junior transfer Hope Doyle (Harrison, Ohio) who had started both matches against SAC rivals Tusculum and Queens after coming in the second half of the 7-0 loss to Catawba. Doyle was able to have her defense help her out as she was not forced to make any saves in her first half of action.
Duffy and his staff decided to switch out goalkeepers at the halftime break, bringing in sophomore Lilly Ebner (Hohentengen, Germany) who had started the first seven matches for the Eagles. This was her first action since giving up four goals against Catawba as Ebner was able to come back and get into form. In her 45 minutes of action, the Germany native made four saves for the Eagles and did not allow a goal attempt by the Bears.
Meanwhile, Shaw saw Mya Rolinson lead the charge in shots as she attempted two with one being a shot on goal. Rolinson saw five of her teammates also attempt a shot with three of those athletes holding a shot on goal attempt as well.
In between the pipes for Shaw was Mauden Rouanet, who had been the primary goalkeeper for coach Randy McClure's staff. Against the Eagles, Rouanet made six saves, allowed the two goals, and was about to see the full 90 minutes of action.
Carson-Newman will jump back into 2021 South Atlantic Conference play as they welcome in the Anderson (S.C.) Trojans for a Saturday night showdown. The Eagles are 11-7-1 all-time against the Trojans as they will see each other for the first time since 2019.
"If we play like we did in the second half tonight, we could be a good team as we were missing some key pieces today which I hope to have back for Saturday," Duffy said. "If we can continue playing with the intensity and defensive prowess like we've walked on, I think we can continue improving and climb up the table."
Live in-game coverage will be provided by the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live with live-in game update provided via Twitter from @CN_Eagles.
-CN-
