The Carson-Newman men's soccer team defeated Francis Marion 5-0 in their first game and shutout under the new McCown Field lights. The win puts the Eagles 2-2, while dropping Francis Marion to 1-3-1 on the season.
The Eagles' first goal of the night came from sophomore Ben Backstrom's goal in the fifth minute of the first half, with senior Carl Ferreira getting the assist. Five minutes later, Backstrom would give the Eagles their second goal of the game, with the assist by senior Marcus Cabralis.
Cabralis earned his second assist of the night when junior Thomas Ostvold found the back of the net on a corner kick in the 18th minute of the game, extending C-N's lead to 3-0.
"We were aggressive today and that made the diffference," said Vital, "It came from everyone, with the guys that came off the bench also making huge contributions."
One of these contributions came from freshman Robert Hill, who added to the Eagles' lead on an unassisted goal in the 56th minute. The final Eagle goal would come from sophomore Matthew Finlay, with an assist by Gustavo Jimenez, in the 78th minute.
On the defensive end, sophomore goalkeepers Jordan Moore and Michael Alley combined for the shutout. The pair had nine saves, Moore with six and Alley three.
"We never let down," finished Vital, "I am happy with our performance and though we still have some things we need to work on, we can enjoy the win."
Carson-Newman will be back in action Wednesday, September 17th, in their conference opener against Mars Hill at 7:00 p.m. Francis Marion returns to action Tuesday, September 16th, at home against Wingate at 4:00 p.m.