No. 7 Carson-Newman Women’s Soccer Set For Sweet 16 Matchup Against No. 18 Columbus State
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The seventh-ranked Carson-Newman women’s soccer team will look to continue its postseason run on Friday night against Columbus State in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional final.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The seventh-ranked Carson-Newman
women’s soccer team will look to continue its postseason run
on Friday night against Columbus State in the NCAA Division II
Southeast Regional final.
The top-seeded Lady Eagles (19-2-1) and the second-seeded Lady
Cougars (16-2-3) are set to square off on the pitch at 7 p.m. at
McCown Field. Top-ranked West Florida (20-0) and No. 9 Rollins
(16-1-2) will get the round of 16 underway at 4 p.m. in the South
Regional final.
The winners of the two regional final matches will play on Sunday
in the Elite Eight at 1 p.m. in Jefferson City.
“To be honest, I feel like the four teams we have here this
weekend are the strongest four-team group left in the
tournament,” C-N head coach Phil McNamara said. “This
weekend should be a fantastic soccer festival. I encourage people
to come out to see four great teams play. I would go as far as
saying that I believe the national champion will come out of these
four teams.”
The Lady Eagles have made it a habit of reaching the Sweet 16.
Friday’s appearance will be the fifth in the last seven years
for C-N. During two of those years, McNamara guided the Lady Eagles
to consecutive Final Four appearances in 2004 and 2005.
“That’s remarkable to be honest,” said McNamara,
whose team punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 with a 1-0 win over
Tusculum on Sunday. “We are extremely proud of that. This
Friday we are looking to go one step further and try and make it to
the Elite Eight.”
The Lady Eagles are beginning to show their early season form that
carried them through a school-record 11-match winning streak to
start the season. C-N has currently won seven straight games,
including a 3-1 win over Lenoir-Rhyne on Nov. 8 that gave the Lady
Eagles their second-straight SAC Tournament title.
McNamara said he has been pleased with his team’s development
this season.
“This has been a remarkable year from start to finish,”
he said. “We are a much stronger offensive threat this year
than we were last year. I feel like last year we survived games and
won games due to our defense and our goalkeeping. This year we are
much stronger going forward, and that’s taken pressure off
our defense and our goalkeeping.”
“The girls have worked extremely hard and hopefully they have
the mental strength to want to push through and try and get two big
wins this weekend.”
Columbus State is no stranger to C-N in postseason play.
Friday’s meeting marks the fourth-straight year the Lady
Eagles and Lady Cougars have met in the NCAA Tournament.
Columbus State brought C-N’s season to an end each of the
last two years, including a 1-0 win in 2008.
“We are playing a very strong opponent, an opponent we know
very well,” McNamara said. “They knocked us out of the
NCAA Tournament each of the last two years, and maybe a little
revenge factor will kick in there. If we can get good home support
out there, hopefully we can take a good run at Columbus on Friday
night.”
The Lady Cougars advanced to Friday’s Southeast Regional
final with a 4-2 victory over Armstrong Atlantic State on
Sunday.
Columbus State opened the 2009 season on a roll, reeling off 13
straight wins after battling to a 0-0 tie in its first match. The
18th-ranked Lady Cougars are 3-2-2 in their last seven matches.
McNamara said Columbus State will provide his team with a stiff
challenge on Friday.
“They are really younger than what they’ve been,”
McNamara said. “But I expect them to be very athletic. We
will have to play our best to beat them.”
