Emory University junior Nick Schook scored his first game-winning goal of the season in the first half, and the defense made the strike stand for the remainder of the contest, as the 24th-ranked Eagles defeated Case Western Reserve University 1-0 in their regular-season home finale.
Emory raised its University Athletic Association (UAA) record to 3-3-0 with one game left in the conference slate, and improved to 13-3-1 overall. Case dropped to 8-5-4 overall, including a 2-2-2 UAA ledger.
Schook gave the Eagles the lead in the 30th minute of play with his second goal of the season. The scoring opportunity was started on a breakaway attack for Emory, with Schook, sophomore Jason Andrejchak and junior Sebastian Hardington all coming forward on the attack. A Spartans' defender attempted to clear the ball out of the zone, but instead it deflected off the side of his foot and right to Schook, who finished with a low shot past the keeper to give Emory a 1-0 lead.
Emory would hold the lead through halftime, ending the first 45 minutes of play with an 8-4 advantage in total shots, and a 5-2 edge in shots on goal.
The Eagles would ramp up their attack in the second half, outshooting the Spartans 11-2 during the period. Despite not finding the back of the net, Emory's backline allowed the one-goal lead to hold up, holding Case without a shot on goal in the final half of play.
The shutout was the second-straight for the Eagles, and their eighth overall this season. Junior goalkeeper Abe Hannigan made a pair of saves in the win, recording his seventh individual shutout of the season.
The Eagles will conclude their regular season on Saturday, November 8th at Carnegie Mellon University, with the game time set for noon. Emory will then await the selection of the field for the 2014 NCAA Men's Soccer Championships, set to be released via a webcasted selection show on NCAA.com at 1:30 PM on Monday, November 10th.