Eagles picked ninth in SAC preseason poll
In the annual South Atlantic Conference men's soccer preseason poll, Carson-Newman men’s soccer was voted to finish ninth by the league’s coaches, the conference office announced Tuesday morning.
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ROCK HILL, S.C. – In the annual South Atlantic Conference men's soccer preseason poll, Carson-Newman men's soccer was voted to finish ninth by the league's coaches, the conference office announced Tuesday morning.
Carson-Newman earned 36 points in the poll, significantly higher than tenth place Tusculum, but 16 points below eighth place Catawba.
The ranking lines up with where the Eagles finished in 2024, ninth place after posting a 3-7-1 record in SAC play.
"No surprise to see where we are based on how we finished last year," Carson-Newman head coach Stephen Lyons said. "Obviously, we understand where we've been placed. We know the SAC is just so competitive. Looking forward to this season and excited to get started."
The league's head coaches are expecting a lot of parity in 2025. Only four points separate the top three teams in the preseason poll. Lenoir-Rhyne is picked to win the league with 84 points, despite having the third-most first-place votes with two.
Wingate is second, just ahead of Coker by two points, with both teams tied for the most first-place votes in the league with three.
Mars Hill received the final first-place vote and was picked fourth with 71 points.
Five through eight in the poll was separated by just 10 points. Lincoln Memorial's 62 points was fifth, five ahead of Anderson.
Emory & Henry just edged Catawba by a single point for seventh place in the poll.
Tusculum and Newberry round out the poll at 10 and 11, respectively.
Carson-Newman opens the 2025 season on September 4th, on the road against Trevecca Nazarene at 6:00 p.m. The game can be streamed on FloSports with a subscription. Fans can also follow along to @CN_Eagles on X (Twitter) and Instagram for in-game updates.
2025 SAC Preseason Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll
|
Pl. |
School (1st place) |
Pts |
|
1 |
Lenoir-Rhyne (2) |
84 |
|
2 |
Wingate (3) |
82 |
|
3 |
Coker (3) |
80 |
|
4 |
Mars Hill (1) |
71 |
|
5 |
Lincoln Memorial |
62 |
|
6 |
Anderson |
57 |
|
7 |
Emory & Henry |
53 |
|
8 |
Catawba |
52 |
|
9 |
Carson-Newman |
36 |
|
10 |
Tusculum |
16 |
|
11 |
Newberry |
12 |
