The women's soccer team had a five-game winning streak snapped on Sunday afternoon when they fell to the Washington University (Mo.) Bears, 1-0. The Eagles fell to 7-3-1 on the season, while Wash. U improved to 9-1-0.
It was the University Athletic Association (UAA) opener for both squads as well as a match-up between two top-ten teams, with the Eagles ranked seventh in the latest Division III and the Bears chalking in at third.
Head Coach Sue Patberg noted that the matchup was the first of many tough in-conference games to come.
"The games are more intense now," Patberg said. "You're playing at 100 percent effort 100 percent of the time."
The game lived up to its billing. Both teams were able to break through the defense early, with three shots on goal in the first twelve minutes of play, but were thwarted by saves from goalkeepers Amy French (Wash. U) and Liz Arnold (Emory).
The Bears struck first in the fifteenth minute off a corner kick from senior forward Becky Berels, who centered the ball to senior midfielder Kate Doyle, who headed it in.
That was all the scoring on the day. The two teams battled back and forth, but French and her nine saves kept the Eagles at bay.
Patberg was still impressed by her team's performance on defense.
"I thought we played really well defensively," she said. "Their one goal was on a set play off a corner kick."
Patberg lauded her players' performance running a "3-back" defense that required defenders to cover more of the field than normal.
Emory took the 1-0 loss despite reaching the goal much more frequently than Wash. U. The Eagles took 15 shots to Wash. U's 10, and had nine shots on goal to just five for the Bears.
Arnold turned in another solid effort in goal with three saves, while sophomore midfielder Jordan Morell led the team with two shots on goal. Junior midfielder Meredith Doherty had three shots for the Eagles.
Arnold, who has split time with junior Gabrielle Pelura in goal this season, dropped to 6-2-1.
Senior Clare Mullins was a bright spot in the loss, moving herself into a tie for first place all-time in program history with 77 games started. Mullins has started every Eagles soccer game since she arrived on campus.
The midfielder had two shots on the day, including one on goal.
It was a tough start to UAA play for the Eagles, who saw their school record-tying 27-game home win streak snapped by their conference rivals.
Patberg remained optimistic about the rest of the season.
"There's still a lot of UAA games left," she said. "Wash. U could lose a game, and we could win out."
The team will take the road next weekend to face their second UAA foe of the season, the University of Chicago, on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
"It's always a battle," Patberg said of playing Chicago. "Their grass is thick, so the game moves a little slower. They've got a lot of good attackers."
– By Ryan Smith
Photo courtesy of Emory Athletics
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