Carson-Newman, Belmont Abbey Play to 1-1 Tie

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. -- The Carson-Newman men's soccer team battled Belmont Abbey to a 1-1 tie in its home opener on Sunday afternoon at McCown Field.

The Eagles are now 1-1-1 on the season, while Belmont Abbey is 0-1-1.

"You have to give credit to Belmont Abbey," C-N coach Allen Vital said. "They are a good team. We didn't help ourselves out because we missed so many opportunities that I thought we could finish."

Belmont Abbey jumped out in front early. Crusaders' forward Emmanual Yamson fired a shot past C-N goalkeeper Jordan Moore (Hendersonville, Tenn.) in the 17th minute to give Belmont Abbey a 1-0 lead.

The Eagles answered in the 29th minute, as junior forward Ben Backstrom (Knoxville, Tenn.) finished off a cross from Daniel Tackling (Norwich, Conn.) to tie the game at 1-1.

Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the second half despite each having several golden opportunities. C-N outshot the Crusaders 21-10 in regulation and 5-4 in both overtime periods. The Eagles held a 10-8 advantage in shots on goal.

C-N played the final five minutes of regulation and both overtime periods a man down, as freshman Adam Thomas (Morristown, Tenn.) was assessed a red card in the 85th minute.

Vital was pleased with how his team played while being shorthanded.

"The effort of the guys was fantastic," Vital said. "The guys worked so hard. When you go a man down, their job is not easy. I'm proud of them. They didn't let that affect them and kept playing their game."

Moore finished the match with seven saves, while Belmont-Abbey goalkeeper Brandon Alvarez collected nine saves.

C-N returns to the pitch on Wednesday in a home match against Lees-McRae. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m. at McCown Field.