October 28, 2012

Eagles rally late for 2-2 draw with Mars Hill

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman men’s soccer team (7-5-3, 5-1-3 South Atlantic Conference) rallied for a pair of goals late in the second period en route to a 2-2 two-overtime draw against the Mars Hill Lions (13-2-2, 8-1-1 South Atlantic Conference) at McCown Field on Saturday night. While Mars Hill wins the regular season SAC title, the Eagles with the draw finished alone in second place in the conference standings despite being picked to finish sixth in the preseason SAC poll.

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman men's soccer team (7-5-3, 5-1-3 South Atlantic Conference) rallied for a pair of goals late in the second period en route to a 2-2 two-overtime draw against the Mars Hill Lions (13-2-2, 8-1-1 South Atlantic Conference) at McCown Field on Saturday night.

While Mars Hill wins the regular season SAC title, the Eagles with the draw finished alone in second place in the conference standings despite being picked to finish sixth in the preseason SAC poll.

"We made some drastic changes in the match and it paid off for us," said Carson-Newman head coach Richard Moodie. "We were playing in a formation we really haven't played much in but we scored a goal, so the decision was made to keep with that formation and push for another goal and it really gave a lift to the boys. I felt like we could've won the game but it's just crazy how the game of soccer can change."

Mars Hill took the match's first lead in the 31^st minute mark, as Alex Mullen scored on an assist by Corey Roberts to put the Lions ahead 1-0. Mars Hill maintained that lead throughout the first period, despite the Eagles outshooting the Lions 8-5 in the first 45 minutes.

Mars Hill would increase its lead to 2-0 early in the second period. In the 53^rd minute mark, Felipe Ferraro scored on a Mullen assist to give the Lions a two-goal advantage.

Carson-Newman began its comeback in the 84^th minute. Senior Emanuel Aboagye (Ghana) scored on an assist by senior Taylor Jolley (Morristown, Tenn.) to get the Eagles on the board.

59 seconds later in the 85^th minute mark, Joao Pedro Dowsley (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) scored an unassisted goal to tie the match at two.

Neither team scored during the remainder of the second period, or in the two overtime periods, ending the match in a 2-2 draw.

The Eagles outshot the Lions 26-17 in the match, including a 15-9 edge in shots during the second period. Goalkeeper Rumwald Le Guevel (Vannes, France) only allowed two goals while making three saves for Carson-Newman. Mars Hill goalkeeper Zac Scott made eight saves while allowing the two Eagle goals.

Prior to the match, the Eagles honored the 2012 senior class of: Aboagye, Jolley, Evan Preston Kelly (Galway, Ireland), Matt Craine (Morristown, Tenn.), Ariel Pimentel (Virginia Beach, Va.), and Christopher Sabo (Greenback, Tenn.).

Carson-Newman will next play on Tuesday Oct. 30 at home against Lenoir-Rhyne in the first round of the SAC tournament. The match begins at 7:30 p.m., and live stats and an audio webcast will be available on www.cneagles.com.