VIDEO: Stephen Lyons Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – A barrage of second half goals, including two in the last five minutes of play from Lenoir-Rhyne, resulted in Carson-Newman's first home loss of the season, 4-2, on Wednesday evening at McCown Field.
"It simply wasn't good enough," Carson-Newman coach Stephen Lyons said. "We've talked about it. Just right from the off, sticking to the game plan, the energy, the effort just wasn't at the level we know we need to be at. Lenoir-Rhyne kind of capitalized off of that."
This is the first home loss Carson-Newman (5-2-1, 2-1-1 SAC) has suffered since Oct. 10, 2018 when it fell to No. 10 Lander. Lenoir-Rhyne (5-3-1, 2-1-1 SAC) has now handed C-N its first conference loss in back-to-back seasons.
The four goals scored by the Bears are the most scored by a C-N opponent since Oct. 14, 2017 when it fell to Wingate, 7-1.
Kensho Yoshikoshi (Tokyo, Japan) provided the earliest goal C-N has scored this season with a header in the seventh minute. Thaylan Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil) lined up for a corner on the near side of the field. His kick in lofted to the head of Yoshikoshi, connecting for his third career goal.
Nearly eight minutes later, Bram Kaarsgaren (Den Bosch, The Netherlands) made contact with Andres Ruiz just above the 18-yard box, forcing a yellow card to be shown to the C-N goalkeeper. Victor Cascon, LR's leading scorer this season, lined up for a free kick that equalized the match at one.
Lenoir-Rhyne found a 2-1 lead in the 67th minute on a look from Goncalo Garcia. He weaved through a few Eagle defenders before sending a shot to the right portion of the net.
Yoshikoshi used a second header in the 84th minute to once again turn the match into a tied affair off of a free kick from Silva.
His two goals moved him to four in his career. As for Silva, his two assists on the goals pushed him to team-high six on the season, 16 in his three years at C-N.
Lenoir-Rhyne capitalized with a pair of goals in the final five minutes to seal the deal. Garcia scored his second goal of the match in the 86th minute, getting a ball through the legs of Yoshikoshi, finding the back left of the net.
The LR dagger came in the 89th minute on a look from Jamie de Manuel from just a few yards out.
Carson-Newman was outshot for the first time this season, 22-14. It was held to seven shots in the first half, marking its second-lowest shot total through the first 45 minutes in a match this season. Similarly, the 11 shot opportunities for LR were the most of a C-N opponent through the first half this year.
Silva created the most opportunities in the match of all players on the pitch, making six shot attempts to match his season-high. The junior was only able to put one on frame.
Garcia was the leading shot-taker for LR with five shots, three landing on goal.
Kaarsgaren needed seven saves on the evening, marking a new season-high for the junior.
The Eagles take on one more home game for the month of October as they welcome Queens to McCown Field on Saturday night with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. As always, the Eagle Sports Network will provide a live broadcast along with live stats and updates on Twitter from @CNathletics.
