Emory 3, #1 University of Chicago 0
The Emory University men's soccer team pulled off arguably its biggest victory in team history on this date (Oct. 7) in 2017, defeating No. 1 ranked University of Chicago, 3-0, on its home turf in Chicago, IL. It marked the first-ever win against a top-ranked school in Emory men's soccer history and the second win all-time against a team ranked inside the top-five nationally.
Entering the game, the Eagles were riding a six-match winning streak while the Maroons were amidst an unbeaten streak spanning 29 regular season contests and carried a perfect 11-0-0 record into the match. However, on this Saturday afternoon in the Windy City, it was the Eagles that played like the superior club, earning the University Athletic Association victory.
Junior Moustafa Khattab opened the scoring in the 15th minute as he blasted in a shot from just outside the 18. Classmate Tyler Walsh doubled the Eagles lead in the 30th minute, scoring the first goal of his career. Senior Christian Meyer tacked on an insurance goal early in the second half, giving Emory a commanding three-goal edge in the 49th minute.
Freshman Cole Gallagher collected his fourth clean sheet of the year with one of his strongest outings to date, making several big saves to keep the Maroons off the scoreboard. Gallagher made four saves in total as he improved to 5-1 between the posts.
The Eagles dominated possession throughout the 90 minutes, with the backline holding Chicago without a goal for the first time in 14 contests as well as just four shots on goal, the second-lowest SOG output on the year for UC, a team that eventually reached the NCAA Final Four.
Emory, under the tutelage of first-year head coach Cory Greiner, finished its storybook season with a 15-5-2 record and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in 30 years.