MATTHEWS, N.C. – The Emory & Henry University Men's Soccer Team (8-4-5) battled all evening long, outshooting opponent Lincoln Memorial (8-7-2) 23-10 and creating 11 corners compared to four, but could not break through on the scoreboard as the Wasps fell to the Railsplitters in the Semifinals of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Lincoln Memorial 1, Emory & Henry 0
LOCATION – Matthews, North Carolina
VENUE – Sportsplex at Matthews
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (8-4-5, 6-1-3 SAC); Lincoln Memorial (8-7-2, 6-2-2 SAC)
How It Happened
- The Wasps had the first scoring chance of the contest in the fourth minute when a shot by freshman defender Marcos Baez Juarez (Miranda de Azan, SPAIN) was saved by LMU goalkeeper Daniel Benedek Miklosi to keep things scoreless. The Railsplitters opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Botond Skulka found Enrique Martin, who slotted a shot into the back of the net to make it 1-0 LMU. E&H responded, outshooting LMU 8-0 over the remainder of the half, but the Wasps could not convert and trailed by one at the break.
- Emory & Henry continued to create chances to begin the second half, but struggled to find the target as none of their four shots in the first 15 minutes were on frame. LMU's Antonio Talavera forced junior goalkeeper Baptiste Berthozat (Saint-Martin-de-Crau, FRANCE) into action in the 63rd minute, but Berthozat was up to the task as he made the save to keep the deficit at one. Berthozat was called upon again in the 73rd minute, but he made another stop to keep the Railsplitters from increasing their advantage. The Wasps had their best opportunity to score of the half in the 84th minute when junior midfielder Lander Barrio Gonzalez (Otanes, SPAIN) fired a shot on goal, but Benedek Miklosi made a diving save to keep E&H off of the scoreboard. Emory & Henry had a last-gasp chance in the 90th minute on a header from sophomore defender Marcelo Lopes (Sao Paulo, BRAZIL), but once more the LMU keeper was there to secure the shutout and the win to advance the Railsplitters to the championship game.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Baez Juarez led the Wasps with four attempts, one of which was on target. Freshman forward Samuel Ulrich (Balneario Camboriu, BRAZIL) and freshman forward Jean-Charles Eyidi (Briollay, FRANCE) each finished with three shots for E&H.
- Berthozat recorded three saves in goal for the Wasps.
Lincoln Memorial Individual Leaders
- Martin recorded the lone goal of the contest on three shots while Skulka added his assist and fired three attempts of his own.
- Benedik Miklosi finished with five saves to earn the shutout and the win.
Up Next
- The Wasps will now await the NCAA Division II Tournament selection show on Monday, November 17 at 7:00 p.m. to see if they receive an at-large bid.
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