2010 Emory Men's Soccer Season Recap

The 2010 Emory University men’s soccer team combined a potent offensive with one of the top-ranked defenses in the Nation to record its third NCAA Division III Tournament appearance and top-20 final ranking in the last four years.

The Eagles finished the season with a 14-3-2 record, and were ranked 18^th in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Poll.  In the process, the Eagles set program records with a 0.41 goals-against average, the fourth-best mark among NCAA Division III teams, 13 total shutouts and nine consecutive shutouts.  Emory ended the year ranked second among Division III squads with a 0.918 save percentage, fifth with a 0.68 shutout percentage, 10^th with 2.79 goals per game, 19^th with a 0.789 winning percentage and 20^th with 53 goals scored.

As a result of its successful regular season, Emory was selected as one of four teams to receive a first-round bye and host a second-round NCAA Tournament game.  However, the Eagles’ season would come to a close in that second-round match, as Emory suffered a 2-1 loss to Lynchburg College, the eventual national runner-up.

Emory won its first nine games of the season, and was 11-0-1 through its first ten contests of the year, marking just the third time the team has gone undefeated through its first 12 games.  The season-opening stretch was part of a 15-game unbeaten streak for Emory, dating back to the 2009 season, the second-longest stretch in school history.  In addition, the Eagles recorded 11-consecutive home victories from the end of 2009 through October 31^st, 2010, also the second-longest stretch in the program’s history.  The Eagles finished third in the University Athletic Association (UAA) with an in-conference record of 3-2-2, including a 3-0-0 record in UAA home contests. 

Other team highlights from the 2010 campaign for Emory included team victories at a pair of early-season tournaments.  The Eagles won their own Sonny Carter Invitational with victories over Illinois Wesleyan University and Hampden-Sydney College, as sophomore defender Andrew Natalino earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player honor.  Emory also defeated Randolph College and host-school Lynchburg College to win the Shellenberger Classic, as junior goalkeeper Trenton Spindler was named the tournament’s MVP.

Natalino would earn a place on the all-America third team following the season, becoming the first Emory sophomore or younger to be named an all-American, and the 15^th Emory men’s soccer player overall.  He ended the season as Emory’s leading scorer with 11 goals and four assists for 26 points, and was also a key contributor to the Eagles defense. 

Spindler would finish the season with school records with a .920 save percentage and a 0.40 goals-against average, the second- and seventh-best marks, respectively, among NCAA Division III goalkeepers in 2010.  For his efforts, he was named to the all-South Atlantic Region First Team, where he was joined by Natalino and senior midfielder Christopher Howie.  Sophomore Zach Samuels, who finished 25^th in Division III with 0.53 assists per game, earned a place on the all-region third team.   

The following Eagles earned honors during the 2010 season: