JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. --- Lauren Wade scored three goals and assisted on another, all in the first 22 minutes, and Carson-Newman University made the lead stand up in a 4-2 victory over Tusculum College in South Atlantic Conference women's soccer action Wednesday afternoon.
Wade scored 30 seconds into the match, then added goals in the 18th and 22nd mintes to complete the hat trick as the Eagles (11-3-0, 6-2-0 SAC) handed the first-place Pioneers (9-3-2, 7-1-1 SAC) their first conference loss of the season.
Carly Mill had a goal and an assist for the Pioneers, who entered the match with six consecutive shutouts but saw the streak come to an end in the opening minute. The Eagles outshot the Pioneers 28-10 as Tusculum keeper Miriah Martin was forced to make nine saves in goal.
Wade scored on the first shot of the match to give the Eagles an early 1-0 lead, then fed Varin Ness for a 2-0 Carson-Newman lead at 5:15. Wade added her second of the match from an assist by Alex Brandan at 17:44 to extend the Eagle lead to 3-0, then completed the hat trick from Ness at 21:44 for her 14th goal of the season and a 4-0 Carson-Newman advantage.
Despite the deficit, the Pioneers plugged away and got on the board at 31:36 as Alex Valeri fed Mill, who beat Carson-Newman keeper Jacqueline Burns one-on-one for her third goal of the season. Tusculum trailed 4-1 at halftime after being outshot by Carson-Newman 14-3 in the opening half.
The Pioneers continued the pressure early in the second half, as Burns made saves on Nyssa Garrison in the 48th minute and Olivia Kilgore in the 51st minute. Tusculum trimmed the deficit to 4-2 at 53:19 as Mill set up Payton DeHart for her second goal of the season, but the Pioneers would put just two more shots on goal the rest of the contest.
Carson-Newman finished the match with a 4-2 edge in corner kicks over Tusculum, and the Eagles were whistled for 11 fouls to seven by the Pioneers. Burns finished the match with five saves, including four in the second half, while Martin had six of her nine starts in the first half.
Despite the loss, the Pioneers continue to lead the SAC by one point over Wingate with two conference matches remaining. Tusculum hosts Catawba on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Pioneer Field and Belmont Abbey in a non-conference match on Tuesday at 5 p.m., before closing the regular season on Saturday, Oct. 29 at Wingate.
