Stephen Lyons was tabbed to be the fifth head coach of the Carson-Newman men's soccer program on Dec. 21, 2016.  He is in his first year as head coach of the Eagles.  In his inaugural season at the helm of the Carson-Newman mens soccer program, the Eagles garnered a 9-7-2 overall record, 6-2-2 in the conference, with a trip to the South Atlantic Conference tournament. The 2017 season marked the most successful of any first year coach in program history. The Eagles amassed a streak of eight consecutive clean sheets through the season, including a 1-0 shutout victory over No. 5 Lenoir-Rhyne. Lyons arrives in Jefferson City from Tennessee Wesleyan University, where he spent nine seasons guiding the men's program. As coach of the Bulldogs, Lyons amassed a record of 74-59-15, including a mark of 58-28-9 over the last five campaigns. During that same time, he compiled a ledger of 35-9-5 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Lyons twice led the squad to the regular season title in the AAC and they also captured the conference tournament championship in 2012, which earned them a trip to the NAIA National Tournament. In 2016, Tennessee Wesleyan posted an 11-4-4 mark with a 6-2-1 conference record. Their season included a 2-1 home victory over Carson-Newman on Sept. 5th. The program reached its highest spot in the national rankings in Oct., when they rose to 22nd in the NAIA coaches poll. Over the course of nine years in Athens, the native of Middlesbrough, England has coached 18 players who were selected as first-team all-conference, as well as two student-athletes who earned AAC Freshman of the Year honors. Lyons's first coaching experience came in 2005 when he joined the staff at Middlesbrough F.C.'s Youth Academy. From there, he moved on to the University of Saint Mary in Kansas, spending two years as a graduate assistant while he earned his MBA. The newest member of the Carson-Newman family is also a former student-athlete, as he spent four years on the soccer team at Tennessee Wesleyan and captained the 2001 edition of the squad to the national tournament. Lyons earned all-conference, all-region and All-American recognition during his time playing for the Bulldogs. He then played professionally for two seasons in the New Zealand National League. Stephen is married to Kristen Lyons.