Moodie Named NSCAA Southeast Region Coach of the Year

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Carson-Newman women's soccer coach Richard Moodie was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Southeast region Coach of the Year after guiding the Eagles to a 19-3 mark and a sweep of the South Atlantic Conference regular season and conference championships during the 2015 season.

Under Moodie's guidance, the Eagles won their first regular season title since 2010 and their first SAC Tournament since 2009. C-N also made its first appearance in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship since 2009. The regular season championship was the program's seventh and its SAC Championship was number five.

The award is the first for Moodie in his career and the first for a Carson-Newman coach in the program's illustrious past. Moodie was named the SAC men's and women's Coach of the Year on Nov. 4th, which were the first two such honors in his career.

"It's a fantastic achievement to be recognized for such an accolade. I think it is not a reflection on me; I think it is a reflection on all the hard work on a staff, which is a lot larger than me, and obviously a team effort on and off the field," Moodie said. "It is a great achievement and definitely one that I am proud of."

He guided Carson-Newman to the best turnaround in SAC history after the Eagles went from 3-14 in 2014. The 19 wins are the second-most in school history and just one off the 20 wins that the 2009 team achieved. Carson-Newman ended the season ranked 13th in the nation; when the Eagles first became ranked on 20th, it was the first ranking since the 2010 preseason poll.

Moodie, the fourth-year coach from Stenhousemuir, Scotland, entered the season with a 12-31-6 career record leading the women's program but is now 31-34-6 all-time leading the Orange and Blue. He also coaches the men's program. Combined in 2015, Moodie won 34 games and lost just six times with two draws.

In 2015, the Eagles knocked off every team in the SAC at least once for the first time since 2005 and the first time C-N has achieved the feat since the South Atlantic Conference began expansion in 2010. Carson-Newman rallied off a school record 12 wins that stretched from a win against Lincoln Memorial on Oct. 7th to a win against Armstrong State in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship second round on Nov. 15th. First-year players Julianne Herrity (Donegal, Ireland) and Varin Ness (Sogndal, Norway) helped sweep the SAC yearly awards.

Carson-Newman led the SAC in 2015 in goals scored and shots tallied and had the second-most assists, goals against average and shots per game average. The Eagles averaged 2.50 goals per game and handed out 40 assists. The Eagles also knocked off two ranked opponents with the first coming against Lenoir-Rhyne on Sept. 16th; the win over the Bears was the team's first win over a ranked foe since 2009.

"It's the ideal season for everyone. You want to compete, win some trophies and go to the national tournament. That was always the goal at Carson-Newman; it just took a little longer than anticipated. It's not that it puts pressure on us moving forward, it just puts us back where we need to be," Moodie said. "To win the conference outright and win the tournament is unbelievable. The team just grew in confidence. The coaching staff was always confident in the team and their ability. Our girls' team just refused to sit back and get trampled on."

Moodie now has 83 career wins in five combined seasons at Mossy Creek. He guided the men's program to its first NCAA Championship game appearance in 2013.