JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. --- Carson-Newman University erased a two-goal deficit in a span of eight minutes in the second half to defeat Tusculum University 3-2 in South Atlantic Conference women's soccer Wednesday night.
The Eagles (7-6-3, 5-4-2 SAC) trailed 2-0 at halftime but scored three times in the first 14 minutes of the second half to rally for the win. Molly Zander, Felicia Frick and Selina Jud scored for Carson-Newman after Adriana Netskos and Joey Garrett opened the scoring in the first half for the Pioneers, who were eliminated from postseason play with the loss.
Carson-Newman outshot Tusculum by a 20-8 margin, including a 13-2 spread in the second half. Zander brought the Eagles within a goal in the 51st minute, followed by the tying goal on a penalty kick by Frick in the 55th minute and the eventual winner from Jud in the 59th minute.
Tusculum had the first shot on goal of the match in the 10th minute, as a free kick from Marje Enste settled into the arms of Carson-Newman keeper Berna Kabakci. Carson-Newman's first shot on target was from Abbie Zander in the 12th minute, but her shot from range was caught by Tusculum keeper Grayson Patterson.
The Pioneers had a chance in the 15th minute as Sydney Grant tracked down a pass along the right side and took a shot from inside 15 yards that was pulled in on a short hop by Kabakci. Two minutes later, Brynn Stokes would move up on the play and take a shot from the right side that was tipped out of bounds by a lunging Kabakci to set up a corner kick.
On the corner, Enste delivered a perfect pass to Netskos on the near side, and she headed the ball past Kabakci for her second goal of the season at 17:12 and a 1-0 Tusculum lead.
Carson-Newman looked for the equalizer in the 22nd minute, but Patterson made a fine sliding save near the post on a blast from 20 yards by Savannah Fields.
In the 26th minute, the Pioneers were awarded a penalty kick after a corner kick from Enste was played off the arm of an Eagle defender. Garrett stepped up and went top middle by Kabakci for her third goal of the season and a 2-0 Pioneer lead at 25:42.
The 2-0 advantage would carry all the way into the second half, when Carson-Newman got on the board in the 51st minute. A short corner was played by Addie Henry to the far post, where Alba Delgado took a shot that went off the crossbar and directly to Molly Zander at the far post, where she headed in her second goal of the year at 50:45.
Carson-Newman would tie the match just over four minutes later when Jud was fouled in the box, setting up a penalty that Frick put off the hand of a diving Patterson and into the net for her third of the season at 54:56.
The Eagles would go up 3-2 at 58:59 as a loose ball in the box caromed out to Jud at the top of the box, and her one-timer curled off Patterson and into the goal for her second of the season.
Tusculum would be kept without a shot on goal in the second half, while Patterson helped keep the Pioneers within reach as she made saves on Krista Nielsen in the 62nd minute, Jud in the 87th minute and Molly Zander in the 88th minute.
Patterson finished with five saves for the Pioneers, while Kabakci made three saves for the Eagles. Carson-Newman had a 6-3 edge in corner kicks over the Pioneers and the Eagles were called for 11 fouls to nine by Tusculum.
- TU -
