JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman enters Saturday night in search of its first 2-0 start in South Atlantic Conference play since 2014 as it hosts Newberry at 7:30 p.m.
The Eagles (3-1, 1-0 SAC) have seen nine such starts since 1996. Beyond that, they are also seeking a fifth-straight home match without a loss, going 3-0-1 at McCown Field since their loss to No. 10 Lander on Oct. 10, 2018 in a 2-1 decision.
C-N's conference slate began with a thrilling comeback 2-1 victory over Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday night. It extended its four-match string of double-digit shooting with 15 shots in the win. Thaylan Silva (São Paulo, Brazil) and Sofian Maghouz (London, England) provided the 12th and 13th goals for the Eagles this season.
"{We have to be] solid defensively," Carson-Newman coach Stephen Lyons said, "and then when we generate the good attack, making sure that we're being clinical. At least forcing the keeper into saves and, again, I think if we're consistently doing that then good results are going to come."
A thrilling second half comeback capped by Sofian Maghouz's first career goal in his first-ever game lifted @CNmenssoccer over @LMUmsoc in its @SAC_Athletics opener.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) September 19, 2019
��: https://t.co/MIfeoIKIyQ pic.twitter.com/9pIvX1DApH
Much like C-N, Newberry (3-1, 1-0 SAC) enters the match following a win in its conference opener, defeating Anderson on Wednesday night, 3-1. The Wolves have gone 1-0-2 in their last three conference matches between this season and last. Their last conference loss was on Oct. 20, 2018 in a 5-1 decision at Queens while their last win came over Anderson on Sept. 19, 2018, 1-0.
Newberry has not seen a winning season in 15 years, going 9-7-2 in 2004. Since this, it has recorded a 65-158-20 record.
Carson-Newman has dominated the series with Newberry, holding a 24-0-2 record since their first meeting in 1995. In their 26 meetings, C-N has outscored Newberry 109-24 and has completed 10 clean sheets in that time. The Eagles have never allowed the Wolves to score more than three goals in a single game, that occurrence coming in a 7-3 C-N win at Newberry on Oct. 11, 2014. When games are played in Jefferson City, C-N holds a perfect 13-0 record and leads the scoring tally 58-7.
Last year's meeting between the Eagles and Wolves resulted in a 2-2 draw after two overtime periods, the third tie the Eagles faced in 2018 and the first draw with the Wolves since 2001. By halftime, the team's faced a 1-1 tie with goals from Newberry's Andrew Gallagher in the second minute and C-N's Joe Taylor in the 22nd. By the 81st minute, Newberry regained the lead on a Troy Paul goal that was quickly by Tobias Solem Karlsen (Kongsvinger, Norway) in the 84th minute, forcing the game into the overtime periods.
Fourth-year coach Bryce Cooper's group brings back just one All-SAC pick from a year ago in Ibrahim Nadir. The forward was tabbed a preseason first team selection after a freshman campaign that landed him in second for the team's goals and points with five and 13, respectively while tying for second-most assists at three. So far this season, he has scored just one goal but leads the team with 13 shots while tying for the most shots on goal at five.
Freshman keeper Leroy Zeller has been the primary choice for the Wolves in front of the net this season, starting in all four of their games. He has racked up 21 saves on 52 shots faced for a .840 save percentage. He was tabbed the first SAC Defensive Player of the Week for this season following a pair of clean-sheet victories for the Wolves over USC Aiken and Belmont Abbey.
Saturday's match is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Fans can enjoy coverage from the Eagle Sports Network will be provided through a live broadcast, live stats and real-time Twitter updates.
