JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – For the first time since 1997, Carson-Newman women's soccer begins a season with a 1-1-2 overall record through four matches. The Eagles (1-1-2, 0-0 SAC) battled back-and-forth with the Trojans of Trevecca Nazarene (1-2-1, 0-0 G-MAC) through 110 minutes of action, but neither side could pull out a win as the two programs tied 1-1.
The Eagles last started a season 1-1-2 in 1997 under Will Beddingfield when they lost to Lincoln Memorial in overtime (2-1), tied Concord (2-2), defeated East Tennessee State (3-1), and then tied Lenoir-Rhyne (0-0) to start SAC play that season.
Since head coach Simon Duffy took over in 2017, when playing in the friendly confines of McCown Field, the Eagles are 25-6-3 under Duffy and have outscored opponents 90-29 at home since 2017.
The series between Carson-Newman and Trevecca Nazarene has been a see-saw battle through all six matchups as no team has won more than two in a row before Saturday's matchup. The same has stayed consistent after Saturday as the series history is now 2-2-2 all-time when the Trojans and Eagles meet each other.
This also marks the first tie between the two sides since 2012 when it was a 0-0 draw between the two. The last time Carson-Newman defeated the Trojans at home was 2015 when C-N won 2-1.
"Honestly disappointed with the lack of quality we produced today. It's almost like déjà vu for us as we have been through four contests and the same result for us through each of the matchups," Carson-Newman coach Simon Duffy said. "Yes, statistically we outplayed them but when you cannot put the ball into the net, it absolutely means nothing. Over the last three contests, we completely outshot our opponents but we still only have one win to show for it."
Saturday proved to be another strong offensive showing for Duffy's squad. It was freshman Nellie Bryneus (Halmstad, Sweden) in the 51st minute who put the Eagles ahead early and gave them an early 1-0 advantage. Shortly after, Abbigail Legg was the difference maker for Trevecca Nazarene as she tied the game at one apiece in the 55th minute off a cross from teammate Annie Warner.
After the first 45 were in the books, Carson-Newman saw eight total shot attempts as the Trojans only held one shot attempt by Maddie Ferrel in the 43rd minute, but it was saved by C-N goalkeeper, Lilly Ebner (Hohentengen, Germany).
Once the second half kicked off, it was pedal to the medal for both sides as they scrambled to make sure they left the field with the three points. Carson-Newman kept up the pressure offensively as they finished 90 minutes with 15 shot attempts compared to the Trojans four attempts. Beyond Bryneus's finding the back of the net, it was junior Makayla Garner (Fort Mill, S.C.) in the 72nd minute with the best C-N attempt in the second half.
Once the extra period began, Carson-Newman tacked on five more attempts as the Trojans kept pace with four of their own as their total rallied to eight after 105 minutes of action. In the first overtime period, graduate student Lira Mathes (Knoxville, Tenn.) saw an attempt in the 97th minute off an Eagle corner. As the first OT period came to an end, Gigi Ariola fired a shot wide right in the 99th minute as the Trojans and Eagles went into the second period tied at 1-1.
"Nellie is something special for our program. We love her tenacity to attack the ball and challenge defenders every time she is on the pitch. For us, Kristina Markfort shined in every position we placed her today. She provided some great leadership and helped us challenge their defense constantly," Duffy said. "We as a coaching staff just need to get the girls ready and primed because this type of performance will not fly in our conference. The SAC is full of high-level talent and we need to get ready come Wednesday."
After 110 minutes of action, Carson-Newman outshot the Trojans 23-8 with 12 of the Eagles attempts being on goal. Of their eight attempts, six of those fell on goal.
Bryneus was the leading shot-taker for Carson-Newman as she rocketed off seven total attempts on Saturday as four of her attempts were on goal. The Eagles also saw junior Addie Henry (Chattanooga, Tenn.) make her presence with four total attempts, three of those falling on goal.
Ebner made a total of five saves to move to 1-1-2 in the 2021 season. So far through four matches, Ebner has made 12 saves and allowed seven goals to opponents.
Legg was the leader for Trevecca Nazarene with four attempts and three on goal. Four other Trojans were awarded one shot attempt in the 110 minutes of action.
In goal for Trevecca Nazarene was Delayna Holman who saw her second start of the year, latest one coming in the season opener for the Trojans against Southern Indiana. During Saturday's contest, she was a brick wall against the Eagles as she made 10 saves on the 23 shot attempts, while allowing the one goal.
After Saturday's contest, the Eagles do see one bright spot as Futrell continues to make her mark in Carson-Newman women's soccer program history. With her assist on the Bryneus goal in the 51st minute, Futrell now holds the seventh most career points for an Eagle with 78. She also has moved into fourth all-time with 229 career shot attempts, including the four 2021 contests. The Wilson, N.C. native is also fifth all-time with 108 shots on goal attempts.
Carson-Newman will look to start the 2021 SAC slate off strong as the Mars Hill Lions come to town for a 5:00 p.m. kickoff next Wednesday, Sept. 15 from McCown Field. 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.
"Our conference is getting more and more competitive and we need to be at our best no matter the opponent or location. We've already seen two of the top programs in Queens and Catawba battle hard with nationally-ranked Columbus State which just shows how tough this conference can be," Duffy said. "We will take the next couple of days to mentally and physically prepare as we look to open up SAC play here at McCown Field next Wednesday. We know what we need to do and we know starting off strong helps us in this new season for us."
-CN-
