Senior midfielder Aidan Datene reads the field in a match against Sewanee: The University of the South (Tenn.) on Sept. 25. Datene scored the first goal of the game after a corner kick. Keerthana Sivaramakrishnan/Staff
The Emory men’s soccer team hosted the Sewanee: The University of the South (Tenn.) Tigers on Sept. 25 for a high-adrenaline match in which Emory came out ahead at 4-0, their fourth straight shutout and eighth consecutive victory. With their first-place rank in the conference (tied with the University of Rochester (N.Y.)) safe yet again, the Eagles’ red-hot start to the season is not losing any steam.
Junior midfielder Jun Tsuru pushes past a Sewanee midfielder. Keerthana Sivaramakrishnan/Staff
Neither team found any shots for the first 10 minutes of the game, at which point the pacing shifted. The Eagles rocked four shots on goal before any answer from the Tigers. At 27 minutes remaining in the first half, senior midfielder Aidan Datene scored the first goal of the game for Emory off a post-corner kick skirmish. Only seven minutes later, junior midfielder Jun Tsuru followed with a jaw-dropping goal, gracefully tapping the ball past the Sewanee goalkeeper after a breakaway.
The game continued with a noticeable increase in aggression from the Tigers that was quickly matched by the Eagles. Though few penalties were called in total, elbow swings and toe jabs began to look more intentional as the first half went on. A trip near the goal line gave junior midfielder Keegan McCombie a penalty kick, which he promptly sank into the net.
Freshman defender Will Tichy dribbles the ball towards the Emory goal. Keerthana Sivaramakrishnan/Staff
The second half began without as much enthusiasm from either squad, but with all the aggression from the first half. After only 10 minutes, the Eagles put up their fourth goal of the game. A corner kick from Tsuru found junior midfielder William Jones, who took a shot that went wide. Senior midfielder Tyler Walsh then recovered the ball and placed a follow-up shot into the back-left corner of the goal.
Perhaps the night’s most remarkable statistic was that the game marked the Eagles’ sixth shutout this season. With only five goals allowed in their eight games so far this season, there is no question Emory’s defensive formula is effective.
Senior midfielder and co-captain Tyler Santee jogs off the field. Keerthana Sivaramakrishnan/Staff
“The chemistry between the team is really high,” sophomore starting goalkeeper Cole Gallagher said. “Also, the confidence is there. We do have a young back line, but through these first eight games of the season you’ve seen a total change in confidence. … It’s our confidence and our ability to do the small things really well, and the big things will follow.”
Overall, neither half saw any shortage of questionable play from the teams. Even the energy from the sidelines felt tense as players pushed and prodded both each other and the limits of the referee. Even with an unremarkable final penalty count, it seemed as though both teams toed the line with their physicality.
Sophomore midfielder and defender Max Mehlman struggles against a Sewanee Tiger in what turned out to be a physical match. Keerthana Sivaramakrishnan/Staff
Senior Emory co-captain and midfielder Tyler Santee felt confident that both his team’s energy and their textbook technical work kept them ahead despite the aggressive nature of the game.
“We can rely on both our physicality and our technicality,” Santee said. “We’re one of the most technical teams in the nation. We can play around teams. … Not only can we match teams with physicality, but we can match them and beat them with our technicality as well.”
The Eagles will travel to play Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) on Sept. 29 at noon.
