The Emory University Men's Soccer team erased a pair of one-goal deficits but it was not enough as Case Western Reserve University pulled out the 3-2 double overtime victory on a cold and rainy Sunday afternoon in Cleveland, OH.
Michael Balog scored the golden goal in the 104th minute as he headed in a Connor Weber corner kick to seal the win. With the defeat, the Eagles were eliminated from earning at least a share of the UAA title as Chicago downed Brandeis, 1-0, on Sunday.
CWRU scored their first goal of the afternoon in similar fashion as the game-winner as Paul Darmstadter headed in a Weber corner kick to put the Spartans in front in the 18th minute.
The lead was short lived as junior Tyler Santee tied the score with his second goal of the season in the 35th minute. Sophomore Corey Levine set up Santee with a give-and-go at the top of the 18 with Santee drilling home a shot to the far left corner.
Case Western Reserve went back in front by one in the 54th minute as Zachary Senft knocked in a rebound after freshman Cole Gallagher was unable to gain control of the ball following a save on a Balog offering.
In the 77th minute, junior Moustafa Khattab knotted the score at two as he scorched a shot from 30 yards out to the upper right-hand corner after a touch pass from classmate Michael Stier.
Senior Cody Gardiner almost found the game-winner with one minute remaining in regulation as his header appeared ticketed for the back of the net but a save by a CWRU defender on the goal line kept the score even at 2-2.
Junior Tyler Walsh and senior Christian Meyer had back-to-back chances for the Eagles in the first overtime period but were turned away by CWRU's Christian Grimme.
Grimme finished the game with seven saves as he won his first game of the year. Gallagher also stopped seven shots, setting a new career-high.
Emory returns to Atlanta next Saturday, November 4th, for the regular season finale against the University of Rochester. Game time is scheduled for 11:00 AM. Prior to kick off, the Eagles will honor their six-member senior class with an on-field ceremony.