The Emory University Men’s Soccer team heads to the University of Rochester on Saturday night for the regular season finale. Kickoff from Edwin Fauver Stadium is set for 7:30 PM.
UAA Update
The University of Chicago clinched the UAA Championship last Sunday with a win at Carnegie Mellon but the Eagles can still finish as high as second with a win at Rochester and Brandeis loss to New York University. Emory (3-2-1) begins play Saturday sitting one point behind the Judges (3-1-2). Other UAA contests on Saturday’s slate: Case Western Reserve at Carnegie Mellon and Chicago at Washington.
Emory University Eagles
After a tough 2-0 setback at Brandeis on Friday night, the Eagles bounced back with a one goal victory at NYU on Sunday, knocking off the Violets 1-0 to improve to 10-4-1 overall, 3-2-1 in UAA action, and enter the final weekend of the regular season in seventh in the latest NCAA South Atlantic regional rankings. Sophomore Moustafa Khattab returned to scoring column after a brief three game hiatus, notching the game-winning goal in the first half to down NYU. On the season, Khattab ranks second on the team and tied for ninth in the UAA with 14 points on the strength of five goals and four assists. Three of his tallies have acted as game-winners which is tied for the team lead and tied for third among UAA field players. Junior Jake Deuel notched his second shutout, making one save in the game as the Eagles backline limited the Violets to just six shots, the second-lowest total allowed by an opposing team this season.
Juniors Jason McCartney and Cody Gardiner recently were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District based on their performances on the field and in the classroom. McCartney, a double major in Biology and Russian with a 3.91 grade-point average, leads the Eagles with a career-high 21 points (7G, 7A) and ranks in the top-four among UAA field players in those three offensive categories. Gardiner, a double major in History and International Studies with a 3.61 GPA, has anchored the Emory defense this season helping the unit post a 1.22 goals against average, holding the opposition to an average of 10.6 shots per game, while recording the first two goals of his career to go along with an assist for a career-high five points. Both Eagles will now be placed on the national ballot for an opportunity to be named an Academic All-American.
Emory is under the leadership of Sonny Travis who has racked up a career record of 415-137-51 in 31-plus seasons with a 121-45-14 mark in 10 seasons with the Eagles. He assisted by Cory Greiner, Donovan Ricketts and Dan Klinect.
University of Rochester Yellowjackets
Rochester has struggled as of late, going 1-4-2 in its last seven games including entering Saturday on a three-game losing skid to drop to 8-4-3 overall and 1-3-2 in UAA games. Senior Jeff Greblick leads the Yellowjackets offense with four goals and three assists for a team-high 11 points. Freshman Mitch Volis is tied for the team lead with Greblick with four tallies while sophomore Bryce Ikede has netted two goals and three assists for seven points. Senior Ben Swanger has found the back of the net three times this season including the Yellowjackets lone marker in a 3-1 loss to Brandeis on Sunday. Sophomore Patrick Conway has started all 15 games at goalkeeper for Rochester, going 8-4-3 with five shutouts while posting a 1.09 GAA and 34 saves for a .667 save percentage.
The Yellowjackets are coached by Chris Apple who is in the midst of his 16th season with the program. During his time with the team, Apple has a record of 191-58-46 and has guided the team to nine NCAA tournament berths. In his career which includes stops at the University of Notre Dame and North Carolina Wesleyan, Apple owns a 210-86-49 mark.
All-Time Series
The Eagles are 4-1-1 in the previous six meetings with the Yellowjackets and stake claim to a 16-10-3 overall record in the all-time series. Emory has taken the past two contests including a 3-0 decision last season. Junior Austin Mirabella netted the first two goals of his career to help the Eagles to the three-goal victory.