Cleveland, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman women's soccer program collected its 300th win all-time on Saturday night when they defeated the Lee University Flames by a final of 3-2 in overtime.
Senior Kennedy Rankin (Dearborn, Mich.) collected her second goal of the game in the 93rd minute on a shot from the near right wing that snuck into the far corner. Madison Huffstetler (Maryville, Tenn.) collected the assist giving the Eagles (2-2) a win over the Flames (2-1-1) for the first time since 1995 to avoid a fourth consecutive loss. The series history now sits at three wins apiece as C-N moves to 15-11-2 against Gulf South Conference teams. Saturday's match marks the lone win in Cleveland in the series.
It's C-N's first overtime win since the South Atlantic Conference Semifinal last season when the Eagles topped the Tusculum Pioneers 2-1 and the first against a non-conference opponent since 2009 when Phil McNamara's Eagles dropped Belmont Abbey 1-0.
"Delighted to get the win tonight even though I thought we should've finished them in regulation," Coach Simon Duffy mentioned. "We had enough momentum in the second half to finish them off but fair play to Lee. They were able to keep battling through till the end and they're a very good side."
In search of her first goal as an Eagle, the midfielder Rankin had come within inches of doing so multiple times through the first three games of the year with the latest being a shot that connected against the post in the 10th minute. With the game knotted at one, Rankin drilled a feed from Magda Mosengo (London, England), one-timing it over the outstretched hands of goalkeeper Taylor Green, this time using the crossbar to her advantage to give C-N the 2-1 lead in the 29th minute. Elena Propst also was credited with an assist on the play marking the second-consecutive game in with the freshman has recorded a point.
"Kennedy is putting herself in great positions," Duffy added. "The whole set up of the second goal was absolutely fantastic and for her to make a big play and dig deep in overtime when we needed her was great to see."
Lee was relentless the rest of the night needing late saves from Green to remain within striking distance. Her teammates took care of the rest as Mia Hollingsworth fed Riley Engles on a cross as she put it home for her first of the season.
The goal marked just the fourth time in Jackie Burns' (Cookstown, Northern Ireland) career in which she's allowed multiple goals in a match. The junior goalkeeper put on the C-N uniform for the first time this year after missing the team's first three games while reporting for international duty.
Emilee Futrell (Wilson, N.C.) got things started quickly in the nightcap after a misplayed ball from the Flames was sent through the box. Futrell outraced the Lee goalkeeper to the ball and converted the one-on-one break on the doorstep to notch her fourth goal of 2018.
It didn't take long for the Flames to respond as Hollingsworth quickly answered with her fourth of the season on the team's first shot of the game in the 7th minute.
The win helps the Eagles gain some confidence and momentum as it was the first time this season with a full roster under Simon Duffy who went without Burns and Catarina Realista (Lisbon, Portugal) when they opened up the season against two ranked opponents. C-N downed a Lee team who just came off a 3-2 win on Thursday over No. 18 North Georgia.
Carson-Newman topped Lee in the shot category 17-7 with eight of the 17 on frame.
Duffy's group will turn its heads to the conference schedule next week when they make a stop in Hickory, N.C. to play Lenoir-Rhyne.
