CONFERENCE CHAMPS! Eagles pull away in the second half to win eleventh SAC regular season championsh

Originally published Oct. 31, 2021 to cneagles.com

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - On a rainy Homecoming weekend, the Carson-Newman Eagles used a pair of second half goals from Tim Vercelli and Harry Whitehead to knock off #11 Limestone 2-0 to earn their eleventh SAC regular season championship on Saturday, Oct. 30.

"We knew Limestone was going to be a tough team with a lot of good players," says head men's soccer coach Stephen Lyons. "The conditions were tough for both sides and we played some good football despite the surface. We got opportunites and pounced on them and the guys on the bench and even the guys that didn't even get to play kept the energy up all night."

After recording six shots in the first half of the contest, the Eagles' finally broke through in the 49th minute to go up 1-0 early thanks to a goal by Vercelli off an assist by Yannick Kranz. The assist is Kranz's sixth of the season, good enough for a tie for fourth most in the SAC. The goal was Vercelli's first goal since September 18th when he also recorded the game-winner against Wingate.

"Tim had another big goal against Wingate," says Lyons. "So we know when he gets open he's dangerous in the final third. He offers us a lot on both sides of the ball and his workrate is really good."

"Early on we were on point and it was one of our strengths," says Vercelli. "Like last game we scored quick in the second half and wanted to open the game and from there on we had a perfect game on both sides. We took the conditions very well and knew what was ahead of us. A very good opponent and it was perfect fighting weather and we took the fight and earned the win."

Carson-Newman extended their lead in the 71st minute when Thaylan Sila found Whitehead off a corner kick with a perfect pass to connect with the junior from Oxford, England to swell the Eagle lead to 2-0. The assist is Silva's nineteenth of his career and moves him into a tie with Robert Hill for fourth most all-time in school history. The assist also gives Silva his 26th point of the season, good enough for fifth most in the conference.

"Even when Thay doesn't get goals, he's able to create space for the players," says Lyons. "He'll create assists for other players as well. His movement and his ability to drive other players and commit them to the task is very good and he pushes others."

Limestone earned their best chance of the night in the 77th minute after Kranz fouled Jacob Hancock in the box, setting up a penalty kick opportunity for the Saints. Bram Kaarsgaren used all of his six-foot seven-inch frame to stop the speeding shot to keep the Saints off the scoreboard and preserve the shutout.

"Bram's save was a huge moment," says Lyons. "That could've been a momentum shifter but he was strong in net for us."

For the second match in a row, Kaarsgaren recorded six saves. His 51 saves this season are the fifth most in the SAC. Kaarsgaren is now recording a save percentage of .797, first in the SAC.

Limestone recorded just one more shot in the final thirteen minutes of action, and when the horn sounded the Eagles claimed the 2-0 victory and their 11th SAC regular season championship in program history, the most of any South Atlantic Conference team.

The win secures Carson-Newman's first back-to-back regular season championship since the 2008-2010 teams won three straight titles. Carson-Newman secures their third straight one-seed in the SAC Tournament, meaning the Eagles will host a SAC Quarterfinal match on the banks of Mossy Creek on Saturday, Nov. 6.

Multiple records were surpassed by the Eagles in the win over the nationally ranked Saints. The win is the first win over a ranked team for Carson-Newman since knocking off #15 Coker in overtime on Oct. 12, 2019. It is also the second-highest ranked team that the Eagles have defeated under the guidance of Stephen Lyons. Carson-Newman knocked off #5 Lenoir-Rhyne on September 20, 2017

A week after setting the all-time program record for minutes played, Greg Evans tied Vince Vargas for third-most games started in school history with his 69th start in the Orange and Blue. Evans extended his minutes played record to an astounding 6104 minutes on the pitch.

Kaarsgaren also moved up the ladder in goalie records. The Dutchman passed Tyler Baldock for third-most games started in goal in school history with his 39th start. The win is also Kaarsgaren's tenth of the season in net for the Eagles, breaking a tie with himself in 2019 and Twan Verwelj in 2018 for ninth most in a single season.

The Eagles wrap up the regular season with a trip to Hickory, N.C. on Wednesday, Nov. 3 to take on the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears. A win would give Carson-Newman their most wins in the regular season since winning fourteen contests during the 2015 regular season. Carson-Newman finished the 2015 campaign with a 15-3-2 record.

"We want to keep up the winning momentum," says Lyons. "Lenoir-Rhyne is a very good team and are high in the conference rankings. We're going to celebrate tonight but recover and get back at on the pitch on Monday."

Coverage begins at 7:30 P.M. on the Bears Sports Network. Links to a live video stream and stats can be found at cneagles.com. Fans can also follow along on the new home of Carson-Newman athletics on Twitter for updates at @CN_Eagles.