The Emory men’s soccer team (3-3-1) dominated their weekend games, coming back from a tough loss last week against Washington and Lee University (Va.). On Sept. 21, the squad demolished the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) Crusaders 4-1. The Eagles topped off the weekend with a 2-1 overtime victory on Sept. 22 against the No. 24-ranked University of Texas at Dallas Comets.
Head Coach Cory Greiner said he was excited about the team’s performance and hopes to continue building the team’s chemistry.
“I was very pleased with the results this weekend against some traditionally strong opponents from Texas,” Greiner said. “[The team is] gaining some confidence and connecting with each other and looking dangerous.”
The Eagles entered the match against the Crusaders with a losing record and a hunger for a win. The game was scoreless until the 36th minute when junior forward Nate Sampson put the ball in the goal after a cross from freshman midfielder Alejandro Gomez.
But Sampson wasn’t done yet. Just three minutes later, senior midfielder Jun Tsuru found Sampson back in Crusader territory, and the Eagles increased their lead to 2-0 in the 39th minute.
While the Eagles had the lead going into halftime, the Crusaders weren’t ready to give up. Crusader junior midfielder Tyler Childs found his way around the Eagles’ defense in the 45th minute and halved Emory’s lead to 2-1.
Despite Childs’ goal, the Eagles’ power offense did not slow down. Gomez dribbled inside the 18-yard box and faked a shot, fooling the Crusaders’ defense and leaving senior forward Corey Levine wide open. Off a pass from Gomez, Levine one-timed the ball into the goal, putting the Eagles up 3-1 at the 54-minute mark. The Eagles continued their aggressive play by adding yet another goal in the 83rd minute from sophomore forward Ethan Cohen after an assist by freshman forward Madison Conduah for the first collegiate point of his career.
Freshman midfielder Joe Beare commented on how the team’s recent matches motivated them to earn a win.
“We came into the game on a losing record and really needed to grind out the result, and fortunately we did,” Beare said. “We dominated the entire game, and the scoreline reflects that.”
With a win under their belts, the Eagles came ready to take on the Comets. It didn’t look promising for the Eagles at the start, though, as Comets junior forward Jesse Ardila one-timed the ball toward the left post after a cross from senior midfielder Alfredo Kaegi, putting Emory in a 1-0 hole.
The Eagles and Comets remained in an exhausting physical battle for the remainder of regulation, and it seemed as though the Comets were going to squeeze the Eagles. But, at the 71-minute mark, Cohen found Conduah wide right, and Conduah sent the ball into the back corner of the goal to tie the score at 1-1.
As the regulation period came to a close, Comets senior forward Jordan Henderson broke through the Eagles’ defense, looking to put the game away. Sophomore goalkeeper Max Carlson confronted Henderson one-on-one and had a beautiful one-handed save to prevent Henderson from scoring. With the score still 1-1 at the end of regulation, the Eagles and Comets headed into overtime.
The game remained scoreless in the majority of the first overtime period, and a second one looked likely. However, with two seconds left, Gomez centered the ball into the box, and Conduah headed the ball into the net to win the game 2-1.
Gomez said the team’s no-quit attitude and perseverance ultimately led them to a victory.
“We were all very determined,” Gomez said. “We had played a good game and controlled the ball the whole time. It was necessary to pull through.”
After the successful weekend, Conduah was awarded the University Athletic Association Men’s Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week. In the five games he’s played, Conduah has scored two goals and made one assist, giving him five collegiate points. This places his him third overall for collegiate points on the team.
The Eagles will hit the road again to take on the Sewanee: The University of the South (Tenn.) Tigers on Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Jessica Solomon (she/her) (23C) is from Bethesda, Maryland, majoring in neuroscience and behavioral biology and minoring in neuroethics on a pre-med track. Aside from being a managing editor, Solomon is an Emory tour guide and is on the club volleyball team. She loves everything Washington, D.C., even if that means mindlessly supporting every DC sports teams.
