Eagles prepare for rematch with Indians in SAC Semifinals
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Fourth-seeded Carson-Newman's road to a South Atlantic Conference Championship appearance gets a bit tougher for the group
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JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Fourth-seeded Carson-Newman's road to a South Atlantic Conference Championship appearance gets a bit tougher for the group as the Eagles will face the top-seeded Catawba College Catawba Indians for the second time in the 2021 season. Game time from the Mecklenburg Country Sportsplex in Matthews, N.C. is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.
The two sides met on Sept. 27 at McCown Field as part of the start to the 2021 SAC schedule as it would be the Indians taking home a thunderous 7-0 victory and handing the Eagles their worst loss under head coach Simon Duffy.
"We know what Catawba is capable of, and they are deserving of all the accoloades and reconigiton they have received this season from coaches to players. They saw us at our absolute worst this season when they defeated us at home in September so we're hoping we can know see them when we're at our best," Duffy said. "We need to be at our best at any level from on the field to coaching to bench players showing support. We are fighting for a conference title and unlike previous years, we don't have anything to fall back on so this is do or die for us now."
Catawba comes off a 1-0 win from the Frock Soccer Complex over eighth-seeded Newberry on Saturday. Helen Summerell's goal in the 52nd minute would be the lone goal scored as the Indians outshot the Wolves 26-9 and held a 14-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Goalkeeper Jamie Kazenmayer as the Lady Indians kept their 13th clean sheet on the season. In their regular season matchup, it was Sierra Davis who was in net for the Lady Indians as she made three saves to keep the Eagles scoreless at home for the first time this season.
Catawba's Hannah Dunn and Sydney Jimmo have been the leading forces for this potent Indians offense this season. So far this season, Dunn has compiled 16 goals, which is 10th in DII women's soccer, along with five assists to hold 37 points this season. During the September 27 matchup, Dunn got the Lady Indians off and rolling as she netted a hat trick in the first 33 minutes of action to make it 3-0 Catawba. She finished that match with five shots and four shots on goal.
Her counterpart, Jimmo, was a thorn in the side of the Eagles during their regular season matchup. In the 7-0 win, Jimmo had the final two goals. This season, she has 11 goals which is tied for 34th in DII women's soccer. Meanwhile, Jimmo also has five assists as her season point total runs at 27 through the 18 matches thus far.
Dunn and Jimmo along with two other teammates (Helen Summerell and Katie Beck) were named to the 2021 All-SAC first team as the league announced those teams on Tuesday. Dunn was also named the 2021 SAC Offensive Player of the Year while Beck received the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year honors.
The Indians are top three in a number of offensive and defensive categories including assists per game (2.78), corner kicks per game (9.94), goals against average (.271), save percentage (.907), shots on goal per game (10.67), shutout percentage (.722), total assists (50), and win-loss-tied percentage (.922).
Throughout 2021, Catawba has been awarded an unreal amount of corners as they currently hold 179 which is tops in the conference. The next closest team is Lenoir-Rhyne with 109, then it falls to 94 with Wingate to round out the three-highest totals.
Leading the Indians is now the two-time reigning SAC Coach of the Year, Nick Brown. Brown took over the women's soccer program at Catawba in the spring of 2015. Since then, he has compiled a 60-43-8 record heading into the semifinals on Friday. Since Brown has taken over, the Indians have returned to the NCAA Tournament after a decade long absence, as they made back-to-back appearances in 2018 and 2019.
A former player for the Catawba men's team, Brown had served an assistant with the women's program since 2010. Prior to becoming Catawba's head coach, he was at the helm at Lake Norman High School.
The Eagles will appear in the SAC semifinal match for the 13th time in the program's history in the 25 years they've gone to the tournament. C-N holds a 8-4 record in semifinal games.
"We know what it feels like to be playing at this stage of the season as we have had success and failure from the conference tournament since I've been here," Duffy said. "For us to be able to be one of the last four teams playing speaks volume for our staff and players. The girls do not want to end the season and that shows from their fight in the quarterfinals against Wingate."
C-N has won seven out of the last ten contests against the Indians including winning seven straight from 2015 to 2018 before tying in 2019 and the thrashing that took place earlier this season. In the last 10 matches, C-N has outscored the Lady Indians 24-13, including four clean sheets over that span.
C-N has also played Catawba four times in the SAC semifinal with C-N holding a 3-1 advantage outscoring the Indians 8-5 in such games. The Eagles and Indians have met in the SAC tourney a total of eight times with C-N and Catawba tied at 3-3-2 all-time. In the SAC Tournament, Catawba is outscoring the Eagles 14-10.
Offensively for C-N, it has been freshman Sydnee Duncan (Athens, Tenn.) leading the charge with 16 points and eight goals including four game-winners. Her fellow freshman, Nellie Bryneus (Halmstad, Sweden) has been making her name known in her debut season as she has compiled 16 points as well to go along with four assists and 24 shots on goal.
Graduate student Emilee Futrell (Wilson, N.C.) has been a consistent presence for Duffy's squad as she continues to etch her name in the record books for Carson-Newman women's soccer. Heading into the semifinals, Futrell is sixth all-time in points with 87, is tied for sixth-most career goals (37) alongside Lauren Wade, has the third-most shot attempts with 263, and the fourth-most shots on goal with 115 attempts thus far.
"Emilee is a fighter no matter the situation. We know she will give us her full effort no matter what and her tenacity and toughness is sometimes unmatched," Duffy said. "We know we missed her in the regular season against Catawba, but they are still a dominant team and we need everyone to play their best soccer to prove our worth and talent."
Follow along with the conference live stream here. Updates will be provided throughout the game on Twitter @CN_Eagles. A recap following the match will be available on cneagles.com.
Tickets will be available at the gate and will allow entrance for one calendar day. Listed below are the ticket prices:
Semifinals:
Daily Adults - $15.00
Youth age 6-12/seniors 60+ / Active & Retired Military - $11.00
Under 5 – Free
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Team Stats
Catawba
| Game Statistics | Carson-Newman | Catawba |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 13 (3) | 14 (7) |
| Saves | 4 | 3 |
| Fouls | 14 | 7 |
| Corner Kicks | 4 | 2 |
| Offsides | 2 | 0 |
