Carson-Newman Tops Lenoir-Rhyne 3-1 For Food Lion SAC Women’s Soccer Tournament Title

ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Melissa Morris scored her third goal of the season, and Sandra Kaelin recorded a pair of assists to lead No. 11 Carson-Newman College to a 3-1 win over Lenoir-Rhyne University on Sunday evening in the championship match of the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament, clinching the Eagles' second straight SAC Tournament title.

Carson-Newman controlled the run of play for much of the match, outshooting the Bears by a 24-12 margin, including an 11-4 spread in the first half. Lauren MacKenzie made four saves for the Eagles in the match, while Katelyn Burwell stopped 11 attempts on goal for the Bears.

Morris, Treanna Howell, and Morgan Gruenenfelder each found the back of the net in the match for Carson-Newman, while Kaelin notched a pair of assists and Nikki Brannen added a helper to pace the balanced Eagle attack. Lenoir-Rhyne's Catherine Hauck added a late goal to spoil the shutout bid as Chermaine MacLachlainn picked up an assist for the Bears.

Carson-Newman opened the scoring early in the first half, taking the initial 1-0 advantage on Howell's 13th goal of the season in the opening moments of the ninth minute off a well-placed cross from Brannen. The Eagles stretched the lead to 2-0 in the closing seconds of the 16th minute, when Morris redirected a Kaelin corner kick past the L-R keeper for her third goal of the season.

Carson-Newman scores a goal during the first half of Sunday's Food Lion SAC Women's Soccer Tournament championship.

Gruenenfelder widened the margin to 3-0 early in the 29th minute with her fifth goal of the campaign, getting her head on a deflected corner kick by Kaelin and redirecting it into the back of the net to send the Eagles into the interval with a three-goal advantage.

The Eagles held the three-goal advantage until late in the 83rd minute, when Hauck took advantage of a loose corner kick by MacLachlainn and redirected it into the back of the net to spoil the shutout bid and cut the advantage to 3-1.

Carson-Newman earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship by capturing the SAC Tournament title, and will await the selection of the remaining field to learn its seed in next weekend's Southeast Region Tournament.

2009 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference All-Tournament Team

Alyssa Retundie, Catawba
Tasha Wilhelm, Catawba
Marjaana Kaaresvirta, Tusculum
Ashley Bradford, Tusculum
Catherine Hauck, Lenoir-Rhyne
Kaelia Frazier, Lenoir-Rhyne
Katelyn Burwell, Lenoir-Rhyne
Morgan Gruenenfelder, Carson-Newman
Brianna Buckley, Carson-Newman
Katie Hunter, Carson-Newman
Sandra Kaelin, Carson-Newman (MVP)

Members of the All-Tournament team from Lenoir-Rhyne and Carson-Newman.

Sandra Kaelin from Carson-Newman is presented the tournament Most Valuable Player award from SAC Commissioner Patrick Britz.