ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Anteneh Lemma scored two
goals including a penalty kick goal in the 85th minute as No. 5
seed Tusculum College upset top-seeded Carson-Newman College 2-1 in
a semifinal match of the 2009 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference
Men's Soccer Tournament. The semifinal and final are being played
at Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, S.C.
The Pioneers (9-6-2) advance to Sunday's SAC Tournament
Championship match as they will face No. 7 seed Mars Hill College,
who upset No. 2 Wingate 4-1 on Friday. Carson-Newman (No. 15 in
NCAA Division II) has its nine-match winning streak halted as the
Eagles fall to 13-4-1 and will await word later this weekend of a
possible NCAA II Tournament berth.
Tusculum will be playing in its third straight Food Lion SAC Tournament Championship match and will look to capture its fourth SAC Tournament crown (1999, 2004, 2008). Mars Hill will be in quest of its third SAC Tournament trophy (1997, 1998).
TC got on the board first when Lemma scored his ninth goal of the season when he tapped into an open net on a through ball pass from Nick Rich at the 16:54 mark.
The battle between the two East Tennessee rivals was a physical one as the teams were whistled for 31 fouls, combined, including five cards. C-N's Robert Hill, the team's leading scorer, was issued a red card at the 73:56 mark of the match.
Despite being a man-down, Carson-Newman got the equalizer at the 80:01 mark when Matthew Finlay sent in a free kick from 22 yards out to the top of the box and was headed in by Daniel Zitt to the far post. For Zitt, it was his third goal of the season.
But with 5:39 left in regulation, the Eagles were called for a hand ball foul in the box, setting up Lemma's penalty kick at the 84:21, which proved to be the match-winner, his third of the season.
Carson-Newman out-shot the Pioneers by a 21-11 margin, including a match-high five shots by Omar Cooke. Tusculum's Lance Moore recorded three saves in goal for the victory, while Jordan Moore finished with five saves in his 90 minutes of action.
- TC -
