C-N Announces 2009 Men's Soccer Schedule
May 27, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. -- The Carson-Newman men's soccer team will open the 2009 season with consecutive road matches and will face three participants from last year's NCAA Tournament as a part of its schedule, head coach Allen Vital announced Wednesday.
The Eagles will travel to Laurinburg, N.C., for their season opener against St. Andrews Presbyterian College on Aug. 27 and will then head to Murfreesboro, N.C., for a match against Chowan University on Aug. 28.
After the back-to-back road contests, C-N will enter a favorable stretch in which it plays six of its next eight matches at home, including its home opener against Belmont Abbey on Sept. 5 and a match against Lees-McRae on Sept. 9.
Lees-McRae won the Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament titles in 2008 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, finishing its season at 17-3-3. The Eagles and Bobcats met during the regular season last year, with Lees-McRae coming out on top 1-0.
C-N opens its South Atlantic Conference slate on Sept. 15 at Mars Hill.
The Eagles will travel to Greeneville, Tenn., for a key SAC matchup against Tusculum on Oct. 14. Tusculum, the defending SAC champion, went 20-3-1 in 2008 and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament. The Pioneers defeated the Eagles 1-0 last season.
C-N will face the third 2008 NCAA Tournament participant on its schedule on Oct. 21 when it hosts Northern Kentucky. The Norse advanced to the NCAA Final Four last season before falling to Dowling 2-1 to finish the year at 16-3-4. The Eagles fell 1-0 in an overtime thriller against Northern Kentucky in their matchup last season.
C-N is coming off an 11-5-2 campaign in 2008 in which it earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive season. The Eagles lost to Francis Marion, 4-3, in the opening round.
