The No. 8-ranked Emory University Men's Soccer team opens the 2018 season on Friday night under the lights of the Woodruff PE Center with the Sonny Carter Invitational.
The 2018 edition of the Sonny Carter Invitational features three teams that qualified for the 2017 NCAA tournament including two teams that advanced to the second weekend. Emory is set to face Hardin-Simmons University in the opener before taking on No. 14-ranked Washington & Lee University on Saturday. Both games are slated to start at 7:00pm. In other tournament matchups, W&L faces Oglethorpe University at 4:30pm on Friday in a rematch of their NCAA Second Round match where W&L edged the Stormy Petrels in penalty kicks to advance to the Sweet 16. On Saturday, OU will take on Hardin-Simmons University, also beginning at 4:30pm. Emory captured the 2017 tournament crown, marking the 10th time the Eagles have won the season opening tournament in team history.
The Eagles return to the pitch after posting a 15-5-2 record in 2017 and advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight for just the second time in program history. Head Coach Cory Greiner returns 20 players from last year's squad to go along with seven newcomers and sees his team ranked eighth in the United Soccer Coaches National Preseason poll, the highest preseason ranking in program history.
Senior forward Moustafa Khattab headlines the returning group as the Toronto native is looking to build off his career-high 20-points junior campaign which nabbed him All-University Athletic Association First Team and All-South Region Second Team honors. Khattab is one of three returning All-UAA performers as seniors Tyler Santee and Aidan Datené are in back in the midfielder fold. Santee and Datené were each tabbed to the All-UAA Second Team for their performances on the Emory defensive unit a year ago.
Other notable returners include junior Keegan McCombie (5G, 1A), senior Michael Stier (1G, 2A), senior Tyler Walsh (1G, 2pts), junior Corey Levine (2A, 2pts) and sophomore goalkeeper Cole Gallagher (11-4-2 record in 17 GS, 57 saves, 0.86 GAA).
Joining the Eagles this fall will be seven newcomers from six different states as well as the District of Columbia: Charlie Scruton (D/Brooklyn, NY), Daniel SanGiovanni (D/Rockville, MD), Will Tichy (D, Bethlehem, PA), Matt Engler (M/Westport, CT), Ethan Cohen (F/Paradise Valley, AZ), Jasper Pearson (F/Washington, DC) and Max Carlson (GK/Lilburn, GA).
Head Coach Cory Greiner enters his second season at the helm of the men's soccer program and sixth overall and is joined on staff by Clayton Schmitt, Dan Klinect, Felipe Quintero and Steven Hobart.