With less than a week remaining before the first home game of the season, Emory’s men’s soccer team is making the final adjustments to a roster bursting with new talent.
Coming off a solid season in which Emory finished 9-6-2 and placed fourth in the University Athletic Association (UAA) conference standings, the team’s future seemed uncertain given the loss of eight graduating seniors. Following the 2015 campaign, the Eagles need to find their identity in the upcoming season.
Despite the uncertainty, the Eagles have added former MLS goalie Donovan Ricketts as an assistant coach and they have brought in a formidable recruiting class.
According to Head Coach Sonny Travis, this is probably “the most talented freshman class we have ever had in [his] 10 years here at Emory.” Combine this with the addition of Ricketts, who boasts a resume that includes such accomplishments as two-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and former goalkeeper for the Jamaican National Team, and it’s clear why the Eagles are optimistic about the future.
Only six starters are returning to the team, but it would be foolish to overlook what should be a strong cast of returning players. Led by Captains senior Scott Haley, junior Cody Gardiner and junior Jason McCartney, the Eagles should have plenty of experience to go around.
“Haley and Gardiner look to be defensive stalwarts for us,” Travis said. “McCartney will be a good attack player, along with junior Christian Meyers and sophomore Moustafa Khattab.”
Meyers, named to the All-UAA Second Team for the first time last year (along with McCartney), will look to create opportunities on the attack alongside Khattab, who made a name for himself last year tying for fourth on the team in points.
Transitioning from last year, it’s difficult to judge how far this team can go.
“I am very excited about the coaching staff and the players we have in this program. As a caveat, we graduated eight seniors and we are going to be very young at a lot of positions, and it may take a while for us to gel,” Travis said.
For Gardiner, the task at hand is clear: “We hope to challenge for a UAA championship. Our seniors haven’t had the chance to get one at this point yet in their careers, so we would love to get one for them.”
From the scrimmages that the team played prior to the start of the season, Travis was pleased with the goalkeeping and defensive units, but said that capitalizing on goal-scoring opportunities is an area in need of improvement as the team prepares for its first official game. Chemistry is often a factor that must develop with time and will certainly be a key element to observe as the season unfolds.
The Eagles will open the season at home against the University of Texas at Tyler on Sept. 3, their first of two games in the Sonny Carter Invitational at the WoodPEC .
kevin.james.kilgour@emory.edu | Kevin Kilgour (18B) is from Wichita, Kan., majoring in English and business administration with a concentration in marketing. This past summer, he worked as a communications and development intern at Global Growers Network. Some of his greatest sports accomplishments include predicting Butler’s 2010 Final Four run and leading PAL Group One Eight (gold is our fate) to an Oxford Olympics championship. One of his goals in life is to write Derrick Rose’s biography.
