Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams closed out their regular seasons with wins over their respective men’s and women’s University Athletic Association (UAA) soccer team rival, the University of Rochester (N.Y.). The men’s team defeated the Yellow Jackets 3-0, while the women earned a 3-1 victory.
The women’s team ended their season with a record of 8-6-4 (1-3-3 in UAA play), while the men finished 9-6-2 (3-3-1 in UAA play).
It didn’t take long for the men’s team to strike in their game. Senior defender Matt Sherr headed in a ball from senior midfielder Connor Curtin’s corner kick in the 10th minute to give the Eagles a lead they would not surrender. It was Sherr’s fourth goal of the season.
The Eagles padded their lead in the 30th minute with sophomore forward Austin Mirabella’s first goal of the season. After a corner kick from sophomore midfielder Adam Ferguson, Mirabella found the ball in the ensuing scrum and knocked it past the Rochester keeper.
Though Rochester held the majority of the game’s opportunities — they put up 16 shots to Emory’s seven— the Yellow Jackets were rarely on target. They posted just four shots on goal, all of which Eagles senior goalkeeper Abe Hannigan handled easily.
The cherry on top was another goal from Mirabella in the 56th minute, after the sophomore knocked in a deflection off of senior midfielder Nick Schook’s shot.
The Eagles finished with five shots on goal, led by Mirabella’s pair of attempts.
While the men’s team scored fast, the women’s team got on the scoreboard even faster. After Emory earned a corner kick in the ninth minute of play, Jordan Morell curled the corner into the goal without assistance from her teammates. It was her third goal of the season.
Freshman midfielder Grace Jarrett added the Eagles’ second goal of the match shortly after coming off the bench in the 30th minute, poking in a cross from sophomore forward Kaitlyn Dorka to give Emory a comfortable 2-0 lead.
The Eagles put the game away with a score from freshman forward Sophia Dillon in the 68th minute. Dillon collected a pass from junior forward Cristina Ramirez and dribbled her way around the keeper for an easy goal.
Rochester added a goal in the 71st minute, but it did little to change the run of play. The Eagles cruised to a 3-1 victory, their first and only UAA win of the season.
Sophomore midfielder Christian Meyer and senior forward, Sebastian Hardington were the top scorers on the men’s team this season, with five goals apiece. Schook led the team with three assists.
Ramirez led the women’s team in both goals and assists, tallying five in each category.
Associate Editor | Ryan Smith is a College senior from Philadelphia majoring in journalism and American studies. He loves journalism and collegiate athletics, and thus considers it a miracle that he’s survived three years at Emory. He joined the Wheel his freshman year as Assistant Sports Editor before serving as Sports Editor and Features Editor. His work has appeared on SB Nation, Uproxx, Atlanta Magazine, Rivals, 247Sports and various DUC napkins, among other places. Nowadays, he can be found covering University of South Florida athletics for Bulls247.com.
