Senior forward Emily Feldman takes the ball down the field. Feldman played a crucial role in the Eagles' victory over Centre College (Ky.) this weekend, scoring a "golden goal" with 55 seconds left in double overtime to give the Eagles a 1-0 victory. / Photo courtesy of Emory Athletics
Over the weekend, the Emory women's soccer team won two regional away games in Kentucky against Transylvania University and Centre College, stretching their win streak to five games.
Senior forward Emily Feldman scored in the last 55 seconds of double overtime to win the game against Centre on Sunday in Danville, and the Eagles dominated Transylvania in the second half, ending with a score of 3-0 on Saturday in Lexington.
"For us that was two huge wins," Feldman said.
The game pitted two of the leading teams in Division III against one another. Emory's win places it among one of eight undefeated teams remaining in the division.
"The Centre game was a big statement game," Feldman said.
Feldman's goal was assisted by senior co-captain center midfielder Meredith Doherty, who re-entered the game in the 108th minute. This was also Doherty's first game back after an injury, and the assist was her first of the season.
"That shows a lot of perseverance and heart from our team," Feldman said of her teammates.
While the first overtime period was relatively uneventful, the pace picked up during double overtime.
Throughout the game, junior goalkeeper Liz Arnold persevered and saved two Centre shots in the 105th minute. This marks Arnold's season-high of seven saves, which matches her career best against Wheaton College (Ill.) in last year's NCAA tournament.
"It was a way action packed 10 minutes of overtime," Feldman said. "The goal was an accumulation of all that hard work."
The Eagles outshot Centre 16 to 14, pulling through with a victory in a near-evenly matched game.
The victory against Centre brought Emory to 6-0-2 overall.
Head Coach Sue Patberg said the game against Centre was especially difficult because the Eagles had to play both Saturday and Sunday while Centre just played on Sunday.
"It made that game that much more tiring," Patberg said.
The game against Transylvania, on the other hand, saw a definitive win for the Eagles with a slower first half and a dominant second half.
"We were very, very dominant," Feldman said. "We had a little trouble at the beginning, but we pulled through."
Freshman center midfielder Melinda Altamore scored the first goal of the game and of her collegiate career in the 80th minute of play. The goal was assisted by senior forward Charlotte Butker. Within minutes, sophomore forward Cristina Ramirez scored a second goal, with Altamore assisting.
Sophomore defender Hannah Meyer scored the third goal unassisted. The team made close to 38 shots on the goal throughout the game, while Transylvania made three.
The weekend was reminiscent of an NCAA tournament weekend, because the Eagles have played both Transylvania and Centre in the past during the first and second rounds, respectively, Patberg said.
"But we're not trying to get ahead of ourselves," she said, noting that the team is only about halfway through the season.
These wins come at a crucial time for the team, as they start conference games next weekend against No. 1-ranked Division III Washington University (Mo.).
– By Rupsha Basu, News Editor
