The Emory women’s soccer team pulled off a rare 9-0 victory against Oglethorpe University (Ga.) on Sept. 6 but slipped 1-0 to Rowan University (N.J.) on Sept. 9.
Against Oglethorpe, the Eagles maintained control from the outset and set themselves up for a resounding victory. The offensive explosion in the game was evident through the nine goals from eight different goalscorers. Emory totaled an incredible 44 shots in the game, with 27 of them on goal.
The Eagles scored six goals before the first-half whistle blew. The floodgates were opened for the offense when junior forward Caroline Kolski scored in the sixth minute, faking out a defender and lobbing a shot over the keeper.
“I started the scoring, but the team really came along with me and it was a great way to start the season,” Kolski said.
The goal was followed by a successful unassisted effort in the 13th minute from senior midfielder Madison Phaneuf — a shot fired from outside of the 18-yard box and over the keeper. The team made a conscious effort to start out strong against Oglethorpe.
“In previous years, we have had a history of struggling with less competitive teams,” Phaneuf said. “We had a goal of coming out strong from the start because we have a tendency to play down to these teams.”
Phaneuf followed up her first goal with a knocked-in loose ball from a free kick delivered by sophomore midfielder Lily Dresner in the 19th minute, making the score 3-0 in the first 20 minutes. Junior forward Shivani Beall once again put her name on the scoresheet in the 24th minute, this time with a goal of her own. She put together a noteworthy individual display in which she beat five players dribbling across the box, and slotted home the ball in the back of the net for the Eagles’ fourth goal of the evening.
The scoring continued in the first half with a goal from freshman defender Melika Mohammadi, who beat the goalie to the far post in the 37th minute. The Eagles still managed to slot in a sixth goal before halftime with a goal courtesy of freshman midfielder Arielle Williamson. On an unassisted goal, she beat the goalie to a loose ball.
The barrage continued into the second half with a trio of goals from Beall, sophomore midfielder Kelly Walsh and freshman forward Molly Miller. Beall’s second goal of the game landed in the top corner of the net from a far cross delivered by senior midfielder Jordan Doak in the 53rd minute.
“Our ability to keep the ball moving was good in that game compared to other early games we’ve had early in previous seasons,” Beall said.
The final two goals to seal the astounding 9-0 victory came within five minutes of each other in the 75th and 80th minutes, respectively. Walsh knocked in another loose ball inside the six-yard box on an assist from junior midfielder Morgan Brandewie for her second of the outing. With victory simply a formality at that point in the game, Miller converted a one-time finish from close range off of a cross.
The Eagles finished with nine goals and a sense of cohesion moving forward.
“One of the biggest things we talked about was not thinking about scoring goals or how many we wanted to score, but just focus on the process of moving the ball and possessing the ball,” Head Coach Sue Patberg said.
Another contributing factor to the team’s sustained success and maintaining focus in the game was getting everyone involved in the game.
“We were able to bring in a lot of players from the bench who made an impact and kept the energy really high which was helpful,” Beall said.
Emory followed their shocking victory with a nail-biting 1-0 loss to Rowan on Sept. 9 in a neutral contest at Pfeiffer University (N.C.). The Eagles recorded more shots overall (10) and on goal (6) than Rowan (6 and 3, respectively), but unfortunately were not able to equalize a 40th minute goal from Rowan’s sophomore forward Abby Daigle.
“We knew it was going to be a difficult game,” said Coach Patberg. “We just weren’t as sharp taking care of the ball as we had been in our previous three games.”
The Eagles continue their non-conference slate with games on Sept. 15 and 16 against Lynchburg College (Va.) and Thomas More College (Ke.), respectively, at Sewanee: The University of the South (Tenn.).
Eagles Soar Past Petrels 9-0
Junior forward Shivani Beall lunges for the ball in a matchup against Oglethorpe University (Ga.) on Sept. 6. The Eagles demolished the competition 9-0 with 27 shots on goal total. Forrest Martin/Senior Staff
