Duffy reveals 2021 schedule
Carson-Newman women's soccer coach Simon Duffy has released the 2021 fall slate for the Eagles
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman women's soccer coach Simon Duffy has released the 2021 fall slate for the Eagles, which sees six SAC matchups along the banks of Mossy Creek.
Duffy and his team return to their traditional schedule, facing all 11 league squads and adding on five non-conference contests. Duffy led the Eagles to a 4-3 record in the spring campaign, including a 4-2 mark in SAC pod play against Lincoln Memorial, Tusculum, and Mars Hill during the regular season with two matchups against each opponent.
"I am really excited for the girls and coaching staff to get back on the field and do what we love. It will be interesting for our sophomores and freshman to have a first go-round for the fall," Duffy said. "This schedule we put together is challenging, and I'm just excited to get the girls back on campus and get this season prep underway."
To start the fall, C-N will be on the road for two of the first three, with a season-opening home match against the North Georgia Nighthawks on September 2. The last time the Nighthawks and Eagles faced off came in 2016 as the Eagles were handed a tight 4-3 defeat that night and are behind in the overall series history by a tally of 3-1 all-time.
The Eagles will proceed to their first true road trips as they travel to Young Harris on September 5 and Belmont Abbey on September 8. When facing the Mountain Lions of Young Harris, the Eagles lead the series 4-1, including splitting a pair of previous matchups from the confines of the YHC Soccer Complex. Meanwhile, when squaring off with the Crusaders of Belmont Abbey, C-N is 4-2 overall. This will be the earliest (third match of the season) these two programs will square off in regular-season play since 2010.
"The first three games are non-conference but are a really challenging slate," Duffy said. "The challenges and preparation for these teams not only help us leading up to the matches, but will help us to prepare for a longer fall season slate against SAC opponents."
After returning, C-N will see a short two-match homestand as they welcome the Trevecca Nazarene Crusaders to Mossy Creek for a Saturday showdown on September 11 before starting SAC play with the Mars Hill Lions visiting Jefferson City on September 18. The Eagles and Crusaders have not squared off since 2016 when C-N took home a 3-1 victory to even the series history at 2-2-1 between the two sides. On the other hand, C-N has been steadily dominant in the series history against Mars Hill. The Eagles have outscored the Lions 49-7 in their previous 13 matchups, including a whopping 6-0 result from McCown Field on March 4 and a tight 2-1 OT win for C-N on April 1 last spring.
The Eagles will then face another tough road test as they trek to Wingate, N.C., to battle with the Bulldogs on September 18 before returning to home turf for a pair of SAC matchups. The Eagles and Bulldogs have squared off 37 previous times, with C-N holding the series lead 28-7-2. The last road win against the Bulldogs came in 2018 for C-N as Duffy's squad secured a 3-0 victory.
Once back, C-N welcomes the Catawba College Catawba Indians and Tusculum Pioneers to McCown Field on September 25 and September 29 to wrap up the September portion of the fall schedule. The Eagles are 17-19-5 against the Catawba College Catawba Indians and a combined 20-19-2 against the Pioneers.
"This conference is becoming more and more competitive, which once again benefits us in the long run. Yes, we play the typical Catawba, Wingate, and LMU, but we now see a test like Queens who we haven't seen in a year, and Limestone who got added last season," Duffy said. "We need to get back into the mindset of not only playing home-and-away but to be prepared to give every opponent the respect they deserve and to be ready for every battle we will face throughout this season."
October begins for C-N with another trip to the Tar Heel State as they travel to Queens on October 2 before holding another two-match homestand, including the final non-conference action of the fall against Shaw and another SAC matchup with the Anderson Trojans. When facing the Royals, C-N is 11-4, including a combined 4-1 under the direction of Duffy. When the Eagles and Bears square off, it will be the first-ever matchup between the programs. Against the Anderson Trojans, the Eagles are 11-7-1 and have won six straight in the series.
C-N will wrap up the season with five matches against SAC opposition, starting with road matches versus Lincoln Memorial on October 13 and Newberry on October 16. C-N was defeated in both matches in the spring against the Railsplitters, including a heartbreaking season-opening 2OT loss from McCown Field on February 25. As for when the Eagles and Wolves square up, C-N has maintained the lead in the series as they hold a 21-6 record all-time against Newberry. The last matchup coming from Newberry resulted in a 3-1 victory for C-N in 2018.
Duffy will then see his squad wrap up the homestand with Coker visiting Jefferson City for Senior Day on October 23 before the Limestone Saints come to Jefferson City on October 30. This will mark the first matchup between the Eagles and Cobras since 2019 when C-N defeated Coker and came away with the 3-1 win to move ahead in the series history 5-3-1. As for C-N facing Limestone, the series favors C-N as well with C-N holding a 5-1 record all-time against the Saints, winning the last three matchups. This will be the first matchup between these programs as SAC foes after Limestone was added to the conference slate last season.
The final regular-season match of 2021 sees Duffy and the Eagles face the team which handed them their most recent loss, the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears. The latest matchup of these two saw L-R take the 1-0 victory in the SAC Quarterfinals on April 5 en route to becoming the reigning SAC Tournament Champions. As for when C-N has traveled to Hickory, they are 5-8-1 all-time and have not won in Hickory since 2018 when Duffy led the team to a 1-0 victory.
All this paves the way for a fifth-straight trip to the SAC Tournament from November 6-14. C-N had not made it past the Quarterfinals stage since 2018 when they lost in the SAC Tournament Championship. The last time C-N was able to win the SAC Tournament came as part of Duffy's first year when the program went 21-1-1 and captured their third straight SAC Tournament title.
"I think we will be the strongest in depth we have been in my time here as a coach," Duffy said. "We have a strong group with great comrade and great chemistry as well as strong leadership from our seniors and upperclassmen who know what we want to achieve."
Times and dates for matches are subject to change. The Eagles Sports Network will provide live streams of home events for fans to enjoy globally at cneagles.com/live. Additional coverage of each match can be found on Twitter with in-game tweets from @CNathletics.
