Eagles sit at ninth in NCAA Southeast region rankings
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.– In the NCAA's fourth region ranking release of 2021, Carson-Newman women's soccer holds the ninth overall seed
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.– In the NCAA's fourth region ranking release of 2021, Carson-Newman women's soccer holds the ninth overall seed for the Southeast Region into the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Tournament.
This is the first time C-N has been in the region rankings since October 30, 2019, when the Eagles were the eighth and final seed for the Southeast Region.
The NCAA updates its region rankings every Wednesday through the end of the season until the teams are announced during its selection show which is scheduled to take place next Monday, November 15, at 6 p.m. ET.
"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.
The Eagles (10-4-3, 7-3-1 South Atlantic Conference) are the fourth of four SAC schools ranked in the Southeast Region. Other South Atlantic Conference schools in the region rankings include #10 Catawba (16-0-2) in second, Queens (N.C.) (14-3-1) in third, and Lenoir-Rhyne (11-4-2) in seventh place.
C-N will get their chance to move up in the region rankings Friday when they play in the SAC semifinals for the first time since 2018. Their opponent is none other than #10 and first seed in the tournament, Catawba College Catawba Indians.
The SAC conference tournament will hold significant weight in the rankings. Carson-Newman entered this year's tournament as the overall fourth seed after finishing the regular season with 22 points. The Eagles were one of the four host sites for the SAC quarterfinals last Saturday as they welcomed the fifth seed, Wingate Bulldogs, to McCown Field. The Eagles eventually pulled out a 2-1 victory and claimed their spot in the upcoming SAC semifinals on Friday.
C-N's opponents throughout the 2021 season finished with an overall record of 128-128-18 – a .467 winning percentage. Meanwhile, for the Eagles as they head to Matthews, their winning percentage stands at 0.676, tied for the 65th best win-loss-tied percentage in all Division II women's soccer alongside Northwest Nazarene, Oklahoma Baptist, and Truman.
The Eagles hold the 62nd most points per game for DII women's soccer as they have average 5.18 points per match throughout their 17 matches thus far. Meanwhile, the Eagles are tied with fellow SAC member, Limestone, for the 65th most points in DII women's soccer with 88.
C-N is tied with Chico State for the 67th highest scoring offense in DII women's soccer as they hold a clip of 1.82 goals/game. While averaging 1.82 goals per game, the Eagles have also seen 1.53 assists per game this season, sufficient enough to be tied for 52nd in the category alongside fellow SAC member, Lenoir-Rhyne, and Northwest Nazarene. Overall, the Eagles have collected 26 assists this season, tied for 49th in the nation with Concordia-St. Paul.
The most recent history in the rankings has been kind to C-N. The last time the Eagles received a spot in the Southeast Regional rankings was October 2019 when they held the eighth and final seed for the Southeast Region into the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Tournament.
Game time for the Eagles and Indians in the SAC semifinals from the Mecklenburg Country Sportsplex in Matthews, N.C. is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. 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.
"We know what Catawba is capable of, and they are deserving of all the accolades and recognition 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.
