C-N heads to Nashville to begin 2025 season
September 3, 2025

C-N heads to Nashville to begin 2025 season

For the first time since 2020, Carson-Newman will play a true road game to start the 2025 season as it heads to Nashville to clash with Trevecca Nazarene on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m.

VIDEO: Carson-Newman vs Trevecca Nazarene 2024 Highlights

VIDEO: Stephen Lyons Interview

C-N Game Notes (PDF)

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – For the first time since 2020, Carson-Newman will play a true road game to start the 2025 season as it heads to Nashville to clash with Trevecca Nazarene on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m.

C-N enters the 2025 season as one of the most experienced teams in the South Atlantic Conference. Head coach Stephen Lyons returns 18 players from this past season's squad, and those 18 players combine for 236 career starts. Only Anderson has a more experienced roster based on career starts entering 2025.

The Eagles have fared well in season openers under Stephen Lyons, going 6-1-1 in his eight seasons with C-N. Overall, the program has won 10 of its past 12 season openers and is 18-15-3 all-time in openers.

Carson-Newman was selected to finish ninth in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches' poll. The 36 points were well ahead of 10th place Tusculum and 16 behind eighth-place Catawba. This preseason ranking is identical to C-N's finish in the league in 2024

Preseason All-SAC players Ben Dukes (Southampton, England) and Mitchell Honcoop (Nieuw-Vennep, Netherlands) led the offensive attack in 2024, each scoring team-high five goals and are back with the club in 2025. The duo ranked in the top 12 among goal scorers in the SAC. Four of Dukes' five goals came in the final week of October. Luckily for C-N, it has plenty returning around them as well. 24 of the 26 goals scored last season return, with top assist men Antoine Torrent (Clermont ferrand, France) back after a fabulous freshman season. He totaled 13 points, scoring three goals and adding seven assists.

Thursday's meeting will be just the third all-time meeting between the two programs. Carson-Newman is unbeaten in the two games, winning 7-0 in its only trip to Nashville in 2014. This past season, Honcoop scored two goals in the first 25 minutes, but Trevecca Nazarene scored twice over the next 65 minutes to force a tie at two. The second goal for TNU came in the 88th minute.

"Took a good two goal lead in that game," Carson-Newman head coach Stephen Lyons said. "Probably should have put that game to bed early. We made a couple of defensive errors that they capitalized on. In the end, it was one that got away from us. They have some very dangerous players returning and it'll be tough test with it being on the road as well."

Trevecca Nazarene posted a similar record to Carson-Newman in 2024, posting a 5-9-3 overall record. Despite the losing record, TNU was able to qualify for its first GSC postseason appearance, falling to #25 Auburn Montgomery 5-2. Inconsistent play is what hurt the Trojans. They held opponents to one goal or less seven times, while also giving up three goals or more on five occasions.

In this year's GSC Preseason Coaches' poll, TNU was predicted to finish tied for eighth with Montevallo, also a future C-N opponent. Similar to C-N, this also aligns with how TNU finished in 2024. Three Trojans were named to the 2025 GSC Newcomers Watch List, Tomas Barros, Fabian Willert and Hunter Walker. Barros transferred from Cal State Fullerton, while Willert and Walker are true freshmen.

Chris Douglas, TNU's top goal scorer in 2024, returns after scoring six times and adding three assists as a freshman to lead the team last season. Daniel Shiel was also an impactful freshman, scoring four times in his 11 starts. Despite returning its top two goal scorers, TNU loses its top six players in terms of minutes played from 2024.

Since transitioning to NCAA Division II in 2011, Trevecca Nazarene is 6-4-4 in season openers with wins in three of its last five. In home openers, TNU has won three of their last four.

First touch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. eastern time. A video stream is available with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/floFC.

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