September 7, 2025

Second half goals not enough, Eagles and Chargers play to draw

Carson-Newman (0-1-1) and Alabama Huntsville (1-0-1) scored second half goals less than eight minutes apart, but neither was able to find a game-winner and the two sides played to a 1-1 draw on Sunday afternoon at Charger Park.

Carson-Newman

0-1-1, 0-0-0

Alabama Huntsville

1-0-1, 0-0-0

Final	1	2	T
Carson-Newman (0-1-1, 0-0-0)	0	1	1
Alabama Huntsville (1-0-1, 0-0-0)	0	1	1

Box Score (PDF)

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Carson-Newman (0-1-1) and Alabama Huntsville (1-0-1) scored second half goals less than eight minutes apart, but neither was able to find a game-winner and the two sides played to a 1-1 draw on Sunday afternoon at Charger Park.

"I thought the lads were very good today," Carson-Newman head coach Stephen Lyons said. "Again, we felt like we deserved more from it to be honest. Defensively, we knew what to expect and handled set pieces exceptionally. In possession, I thought we dominated and were patient in the build up. It was good to have Mitch (Honcoop) back and Dukes took his goal well. But, overall it was a full team effort."

Carson-Newman's first half chances were shots on frame and came early. Rhydian Williams (Conwy, Wales) sent a left-footed shot on frame that was saved in the 6th minute. Less than 90 seconds later, Maxime Wester (Brussel, Belgium) sent a shot toward the lower left corner of goal but UAH goalkeeper Sonny Wright made a second save.

Alabama Huntsville would take the final six shots of the opening half, four of which came in a 90-second stretch. Two of those shots were blocked and the others were off target.

C-N goalkeeper Elijah Buford (Atlanta, Ga.) made his second save of the half in the 43rd minute. Oli Orzechowski fired a shot from well outside the box that Buford handled with ease.

The Chargers attempted the first shot of the second half, missing high in the 55th minute.

Carson-Newman's first attempt came in the 60th minute. Williams' header forced UAH's Wright to make a leaping effort to save the attempt.

After UAH lost possession, C-N went on the counterattack. The ball was sent forward for Ben Dukes (Southampton, England) and he was taken down just outside the box.

A yellow card was given and a free kick was given to the Eagles in the 67th minute. Dukes would take the free kick and swing a left-footed shot around UAH's four-man wall to put C-N up 1-0.

ELITEEEE STRIKEEEEEEEEE‼️‼️@bendukes7 puts the Eagles in front

�� @CNmenssoccer 1
�� Alabama Huntsville 0
'67

��https://t.co/LdNdHjwpaK
��https://t.co/X5WmCljMpv pic.twitter.com/VKqrxXEWCa
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) September 7, 2025

Less than eight minutes later, UAH would respond. Xavier Martin dribbled in the center of the pitch and fired a shot, from outside of the box, into the top shelf of goal to level the match.

Quickly after the UAH goal, Buford would be tested again. He came up with a pair of saves, less than a minute apart to keep things tied in the 78th minute.

Buford's final save would come in the 86th minute. Harvey Hewson took aim toward the top part of goal, but saw Buford make his third save of the second half.

Carson-Newman's final chances for a game-winning goal came in the final two minutes. Williams took the last shot of the game, seeing his attempt toward the bottom right corner stopped by Wright.

The Eagles were able to get their second and final corner kick in the last 30 seconds but were unable to make anything out of the opportunity.

C-N only used one substitute in the draw. Eight different field players played the full 90 minutes.

UAH outshot C-N 15-5, but the Eagles were ultra efficient with their attempts. All five hit the target, while the Chargers hit the target on just six of their 15.

Buford made five saves in the match. There were as many fouls as shots in the match.

C-N concludes a three-game road trip on Wednesday afternoon against West Alabama. First touch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. eastern time.