The women's soccer team came up just short in their road match against Lee University (Tenn.) on Friday night, falling 2-1 before earning a decisive 3-1 win in their home opener over No. 4-ranked Lynchburg College (Va.). The Eagles are now 3-2-1 on the season.
Lee's NCAA Division II Lady Flames were able to earn their first ever win over the Eagles, although it was not an easy one. Early on, junior forward Charlotte Butker pursued a scoring opportunity with a shot on goal for the Eagles that the Flames' goalkeeper Haley Gribler was able to snatch. Right from the start, the Eagles peppered the opposition's goal with shots.
As both teams went back and forth, freshman forward Emily Matis came off the bench to inspire a momentum shift for the Eagles. Matis took three shots on goal over an 11-minute time span, but the goalkeeper stopped each shot, maintaining the game's 0-0 tie.
Starting for the first time in her career as goalkeeper, Emory sophomore Liz Arnold matched the Lady Flames with three saves in the first half as well.
The Eagles outshot the Lady Flames 10-6 as the first half came to a close, including a 6-3 lead in shots on goal.
As the second half was underway, the Eagles' defense proved once again impenetrable, as they were able to clear away a corner kick taken by the Lady Flames. The corner kick resulted from a shot on net that was deflected off of an Emory teammate.
Arnold kept up her impressive performance as she continued to make saves in the second half for the Eagles, one of them being a crucial diving save to keep the game tied and scoreless.
The Lady Flames finally saw a scoring opportunity when they were given another corner kick after the Eagles were called for a foul inside the box. Junior midfielder Chloe Rader would convert the corner kick into a goal for the Lady Flames, scoring her third goal for the season and putting her team up 1-0 with 39 minutes left in the match.
The goal ended the Eagles' scoreless streak that had been maintained during their preceding two games, as well as Arnold's impressive scoreless streak in goal that had lasted for 256 minutes over the span of three games.
Although the Eagles outshot the Lady Flames 14-12, including an advantage in shots on goal 8-5, the home team was able to triumph in a close game that ended 1-0 in favor of Lee University. With the win, the Lady Flames improved their season record to 1-2-0.
Matis led the Eagles with three shots on goal, followed by Butker, who contributed two. Senior midfielder Clare Mullins, senior defender Lauren Gorodetsky and freshman defender Hannah Meyer had one apiece.
Arnold played the entire game in goal, the first player to do since former Eagles' goalkeeper Kaele Leonard three years prior. Arnold finished with four saves for the Eagles.
The Eagles came out with 12 fouls at the end of the game, one of them setting up the only scoring opportunity for the Lady Flames, who totaled six fouls.
After the close loss, the team was determined to clinch a win in their home opener game against the No. 4-ranked Hornets.
The Eagles started off their lead within the first seven minutes of play when senior forward Veronica Romero received a pass from Butker that set up a one-on-one scoring opportunity. Romero's initial shot on goal was saved, but after recovering her own rebound, she was able to sink her shot to put the Eagles up one goal to zero.
Towards the middle of the first half, the Eagles were able to secure another goal when Romero crossed the ball to senior midfielder Kelly Costopoulos to double the lead to 2-0.
In the second half of play, the Hornets answered back when Lynchburg forward Dessi Dupuy headed a ball into the net, receiving a pass from midfielder Jessie Gonzalez, making the score 2-1.
Only three minutes later, Eagles senior defender Lauren Drosick would assist Costopoulos to score the final goal for the Eagles to fasten a two-goal lead that would last for the rest of the match.
Sophomore goalkeeper Liz Arnold played her second straight game in net for the Eagles, once again posting a total of four saves.
With the win under their belt, the Eagles extended their undefeated streak at home to a remarkable 25 wins. For the Lynchburg Hornets, this was their first of the season.
Emory will hit the road once again on Sept. 20 to face off against Birmingham-Southern College (Ala.) at 8 p.m.
– By Zoe Elfenbein
Photo courtesy of Emory Athletics
