Eagles and Bulldogs meet in key SAC clash
Looking to make a late surge up the South Atlantic Conference standings, Carson-Newman (6-4-2, 2-3-2 SAC) travels to third-place Wingate (8-4, 4-3 SAC) for its final road regular season game Saturday at noon.
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JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Looking to make a late surge up the South Atlantic Conference standings, Carson-Newman (6-4-2, 2-3-2 SAC) travels to third-place Wingate (8-4, 4-3 SAC) for its final road regular season game Saturday at noon.
The Eagles have plenty to play for with just three conference games left. If the season ended today, C-N would be the last team in the postseason as the number eight seed with eight points. Fortunately, its final three games are against teams ahead of the Eagles in the standings and they are just four points away from third-place Coker and Wingate.
Carson-Newman had its longest unbeaten streak of this season snapped last Saturday, suffering a 2-0 loss to Lenoir-Rhyne at home. Prior to that contest, C-N was unbeaten in five straight games and won three of those games. Heading into Saturday's final road game, the Eagles will aiming to break a winless streak in league games that sits at 3. Two of C-N's last three SAC games have ended in ties.
Molly Bukiewicz continues to shine in her sixth and final season along the banks of Mossy Creek. The graduate student is tied for third in the SAC with seven goals. Her fantastic season has come with remarkable efficiency. Her seven goals have been scored on just 20 shots, scoring on 35 percent of shots this season. She has scored in each of Carson-Newman's six wins this season.
The Eagles have an identical 3-2-1 record at home and on the road this season. Simon Duffy's team will take a three-match road unbeaten streak to Wingate on Saturday. It's C-N's longest such streak since going unbeaten in four straight road matches during the 2023 season.
Despite having a strong 30-10-2 advantage in the all-time series, C-N has dropped the past four meetings. Two of those four losses over the past three seasons have been in the opening round of the SAC tournament, with one of those coming last season. Wingate's Hinako Aoki scored with less than 30 seconds left in the first half to lift the Bulldogs to a 1-0 win. C-N outshot WU six to three in the second half but could not score an equalizer.
Carson-Newman will be facing a Wingate team on Saturday that is playing its best soccer of the season. The Bulldogs have won five of their last six games, with their only loss coming to #8 Catawba 17 days ago. They are tied with Coker for third place in the league with a 4-3 record, good for 12 points.
Wingate's run in conference play has been highlighted by a strong October. It lost a pair of one-goal games to begin conference play at Tusculum and at home versus #23 Lenoir-Rhyne but has since found its groove. Their wins in October have come on the road against Mars Hill, Anderson and Newberry in league play. WU's only conference win at home was a 4-2 result versus Lincoln Memorial on Oct 4. The Bulldogs are 3-2 at home this season. Their program has not lost three home games in a season since 2008.
Head coach Katie Mitchell's team has been really good offensively this season. Her club ranks top 30 nationally in assists, goals, and points. WU's 30 assists are the most in the league and 12th nationally. It has scored 30 times, second-most in the league and 23rd best in DII. Ellie Polk helps lead both categories, with her team-high five goals and tied for the team lead with five assists. Plenty of others have contributed at a high level. Eight other players have scored at least two goals for Wingate. Overall, 14 different players have contributed at least one point this year.
Sydney Schnarr has 10 starts in goal this year with 43 saves. However, she allows almost two goals per game and has only saved 71 percent of shots. Amelia Forsling has started the past two games, making eight saves and allowing just one goal in a pair of victories.
First touch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. from WU's Pride Park. A video stream is available with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/floWsoc.
Team Stats
Wingate
| Game Statistics | Carson-Newman | Wingate |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 13 (3) | 10 (6) |
| Saves | 6 | 2 |
| Fouls | 10 | 4 |
| Corner Kicks | 4 | 3 |
| Offsides | 2 | 4 |
