The Emory men's soccer team will look to ride its recent hot streak into the start of University Athletic Association (UAA) competition this weekend, as the Eagles will play host to the University of Chicago on Saturday at 1:30 PM. Saturday's contest will also be the Homecoming Game for Emory.
Coverage
Fans can keep up with Saturday's home game with both live statistics (http://www.go.emory.edu/LiveStats/MSocc/XLIVE.HTM) and a live video webcast (http://go.emory.edu/Webcasts/MSoccWebcast.html). In order to watch the webcast, you will need to have RealPlayer installed on your computer, which can be downloaded for free from real.com.
Emory Eagles
The Eagles have won three-straight games, the team's longest winning streak of the season, to improve to 5-4-1 on the year, including a 2-2-1 record in home games. On Wednesday, the Eagles claimed a 3-0 road win over the University of the South, behind goals from Dylan Price, Alex Scott and Carl Credle. Overall this season, Emory has outscored opposing teams 24-11, led by senior co-captain Andrew Natalino and Price, who have each scored eight goals and assisted on one. Emory has also come alive defensively with shutouts in each of the last three games, during which the backline has allowed a combined 19 shots and six shots on goal. Freshman goalkeeper Abe Hannigan, who has made four-straight starts for the Eagles, is 3-1-0 with a 0.47 goals-against average and an .857 save percentage this season.
The Eagles are led by head coach Sonny Travis, who is 73-24-6 during his five seasons at Emory, including three NCAA Tournament berths and a UAA Championship. His career 367-116-43 record ranks him 14th among active Division III coaches in victories, and his .738 winning percentage is the 10th-best among active D-III coaches. Travis will be joined by fourth-year assistant Ben Buerger, second-year goalkeeper coach Clayton Schmitt, and student assistant Dehmeh Smith.
Chicago Maroons
Chicago will enter conference play with a 5-1-2 record, which including a 3-0-1 mark in its last four games, and a 3-0-1 mark in road games this season. In the team's most recent outing, the Maroons played North Park to a 2-2 tie on the road. With Jorge Bilbao leading the offense with five goals and two assists for 12 points this season, the team has outscored its opponents 17-6, and held a 130-74 edge in shots. Defensively, David Cohen and Brett Wiesen have split time in goal, with each recording a 0.71 goals-against average, and combining for four shutouts.
The Maroons are led by head coach Scott Wiercinski, who has compiled a record of 55-44-16 during his eight seasons with the team. He is assisted by Michael Madero, Bear Fisher, and Jan Flaska.
Emory is 17-6-2 all-time against the University of Chicago, including a record of 8-3-1 in games played in Atlanta. The last three games in the series have all been decided by 1-0 scores, including the last two, which were both won by Emory. Last season, the Eagles claimed the 1-0 victory behind a penalty kick goal from Natalino in the 69th minute.
Emory Notes
Emory has outscored its opponents 12-0 in its last three games, and 19-1 in its five wins this year… Price and Natalino are each tied for second in the conference in both goals (eight) and points (17) this season… Price matched an Emory record by scoring the game-winning goal in three-straight games, matching the mark held by James Doran (1996), John Symbas (1999), Sturla Stefansson (1999) and Patrick Carver (2005)… His five game-winning goals this season are the third-most in the program's history, and two short of Emory's single-season record.