EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry University Men's Soccer Team (8-3-5) continued to make history Sunday evening as the Wasps snapped a 30-year streak without a postseason victory. E&H tallied two second-half goals to down visiting Carson-Newman University (3-10-3) in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference Championship. It is the first postseason win for the program since the 1995 squad won two games in the ODAC Tournament before falling to Virginia Wesleyan in the finals. With the win, the Wasps extended their unbeaten streak to 13 games.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 2, Carson-Newman 0
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Food City Sports Complex
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (8-3-5, 6-1-3 SAC); Carson-Newman (3-10-3, 3-6-1 SAC)
How It Happened
- Neither team fired a shot in the opening 15 minutes of play as the squads attempted to settle into the match. E&H had the first two attempts in the 18th and 19th minutes as freshman midfielder Noah Serwy (Liege, BELGIUM) had a pair of shots that did not find the target. The Eagles registered the first attempt on frame in the 22nd minute, but junior goalkeeper Baptiste Berthozat (Saint-Martin-de-Crau, FRANCE) kept it out of the net to keep the game scoreless. Freshman forward Samuel Ulrich (Balneario Camboriu, BRAZIL) recorded the first Emory & Henry attempt that was on frame and C-N keeper Elijah Buford made the save as the score remained 0-0. E&H controlled things throughout the opening half, outshooting the Eagles 10-1 and creating nine corner kick opportunities compared to just one for Carson-Newman, but the Wasps could not break through and it remained a 0-0 game at the half.
- It was more of the same to begin the second stanza as the Wasps continued to create chances but could not open the scoring. Junior Grayson Cunningham (Kingsport, Tenn.) had an opportunity to break through on the scoreboard when he ripped a shot in the 64th minute that rang off the left post. E&H's persistence finally paid off in the 76th minute when freshman defender Leo Mimbele (Paris, FRANCE) slotted a pass to junior midfielder Lander Barrio Gonzalez (Otañes, SPAIN), who finished past Buford in goal to give the Wasps the 1-0 advantage. Emory & Henry put the game on ice in the 84th minute when Serwy was fouled in the penalty box and converted from the spot to give the Wasps a commanding 2-0 lead. The E&H defense locked down defensively for the remainder of the contest to clinch the victory and send the Wasps into the semifinal round.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Serwy led the Wasps with a match-high four shots and his goal. Barrio Gonzalez converted his lone shot of the evening for his second tally of the season. Freshman forward Jean-Charles Eyidi (Briollay, FRANCE) and Cunningham finished with three shots each.
- Berthozat recorded a pair of saves in goal for the Wasps to earn the win.
Carson-Newman Individual Leaders
- Bink Groothuijs had a team-high two shots while four other Eagles registered one attempt.
- Buford made four stops for the Eagles in the loss.
Up Next
- The Wasps will face off against Lincoln Memorial University in the semifinals of the SAC Championship on Friday, November 14. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. from the Sportsplex at Matthews in Matthews, North Carolina.
---E&H---