The men's and women's soccer teams have big weekends ahead of them. Both teams will host the New York University (NYU) Violets on Friday and the Brandeis University Judges on Sunday.
The men's team is coming off of a successful fall break, having notched a 2-0 win over the University of Chicago last Saturday. Sophomore Sebastian Hardington and junior Dylan Price knocked in the Eagles' two goals, while sophomore goalkeeper Abe Hannigan set a season high with five saves and was named the UAA Defensive Athlete of the Week.
The win extended the squad's unbeaten streak to four games and improved their record to 8-3-1 on the season with a 1-0-1 mark in UAA play.
The Eagles, currently sitting at second place in the conference, should be favored at home against NYU, who enter the match at 6-3-3 on the year and will be looking for their first UAA win of the season. The Eagles have an 18-3-4 all-time record against the Violets and have never lost to them in the friendly confines of the Woodruff P.E. Center (WoodPEC).
They will face a bit of a stiffer test on Sunday against the 12th-ranked Judges, who are 10-2-0 on the season after dropping their last game to in-conference rival Rochester. An Eagles win would be a huge boost to their UAA title hopes – Brandeis is the highest-ranked squad that Emory has faced thus far. History, at least, is in their favor: like NYU, Brandeis has never defeated the Eagles at the WoodPEC.
The women's team also picked up a 2-0 road win over the University of Chicago on Saturday, notching their first UAA win of the season after a heartbreaker against rival Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.). Junior Jennifer Grant and sophomore Jordan Morell provided the offense for the Eagles, with Grant knocking in the first goal of her career and Morell icing the game with a goal in the final minute.
The Eagles stand at 8-3-1 on the season. Their 1-1-0 record in the UAA is a bit deceiving – it's good for third place in the conference, but the team is ranked seventh nationally.
Their first opponent, NYU, has been an enigma in UAA play thus far, earning two ties en route to a 0-0-2 record. Their overall record, 6-3-3, is a bit more telling, but the Violets did upset the Eagles at home last year. It was NYU's first ever win over the Eagles, snapping the team's 41-game regular season win streak.
Brandeis is a spot ahead of Emory in both the conference and the nation, chalking in at second in the UAA and sixth nationally. The Judges have posted an impressive 9-2-1 record thus far and have earned a respectable six wins in 26 tries against the Eagles.
Sweeping the weekend slate would be a big step toward conference titles for both the men's and women's teams.
The action starts at 5 p.m. on Friday as the men take on NYU, directly followed by the women's game. The Sunday doubleheader against Brandeis will start at 11 a.m. with the men's game.
– By Ryan Smith
Photo by Andy Ie
