Emory University, ranked 24th in Division III, will look to add a key victory to its resume heading into the NCAA Division III Championships, when the squad heads to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to face fourth-ranked Carnegie Mellon University on Saturday, November 8th at 2:30 PM.
Coverage
Fans can follow Saturday's action in Pittsburgh with live video (http://athletics.cmu.edu/live) and live statistics (http://emoryathletics.com/sports/wsoc/2014-15/boxscores/20141108_o4dw.xml).
UAA Update
The Eagles will be looking to spoil the Tartans plans for a University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship on Saturday. Carnegie Mellon (5-1-0 UAA) currently leads the UAA standings by two points over 11th-ranked Chicago (4-1-1 UAA) and can clinch the title outright with a win or a Chicago loss or tie. A Carnegie loss and a Chicago win would propel the Maroons past the Tartans for the UAA Title, while an Emory tie with Carnegie, coupled with a Chicago win, would force a tie for the UAA Championship, with Carnegie claiming the automatic bid based on a head-to-head win over Chicago.
New York University is in third-place in the conference with a 3-2-1 UAA mark, while Emory (1-1-4 UAA), 17th-ranked Washington (2-3-1) and Brandeis (2-3-1) are currently tied for fourth place. At 1-4-1 each, Case Western Reserve and Rochester are tied for seventh place in the conference.
All eight UAA teams will be in action on Saturday. In addition to the Emory-Carnegie Mellon game, Brandeis (12-4-1) will play at NYU (11-5-1) at 1:30 PM, Chicago (13-3-1) will be at Washington (12-3-2) at 2:30 PM, and Case Western Reserve (8-6-3) will play at Rochester (5-8-4) at 7:00 PM.
Emory Eagles
Emory will enter the final weekend of the season ranked 24th nationally by the NSCAA and 16th by D3Soccer.com, in addition to checking in at fourth in both the NCAA and NSCAA South Atlantic Region polls. The Eagles are undefeated in their last six games, going 3-0-3 during the stretch to improve to 10-1-6 overall on the season, including a 5-0-4 mark in games away from the WoodPEC. Emory has outscored opposing teams 38-8 this season, and ranks 14th among Division III teams with a 0.431 goals-against average and 96th with 2.24 goals per game. The squad has outshot the opposition 365-133 this season, including a 202-59 edge in shots on goal.
Sophomore Cristina Ramirez leads all Eagles with16 points in 2014, coming of five goals and a team-high six assists. Seniors Emily Feldman and Karina Rodriguez are tied for the team lead with six goals apiece, while senior Charlotte Butker has added four goals and four assists for 12 points. Freshman Kaitlyn Dorka rounds out the Eagles 10-point scorers this year with three goals and four assists.
In goal, junior Liz Arnold ranks 19th in Division III with a 0.49 GAA and 58th with a 0.852 save percentage. As a team, the Eagles have shutout 10 opponents in 17 games this year, including four-consecutive clean sheets.
Emory is led by Head Coach Sue Patberg, now in her 10th year with the team. She has compiled a 136-30-32 record with the Eagles entering Tuesday's game, good for a .768 winning percentage. During her 22-year career as a college head coach, which includes stints at Division I programs in Georgia and Minnesota, Patberg is 282-117-50. She is assisted by Rachel Moreland, Caroline Coates and goalkeeper coach Mike Wentzler.
Carnegie Mellon Tartans
The Tartans, who will enter Saturday's contest ranked fourth in both the NSCAA and D3Soccer.com polls, stand at 14-1-0 on the year, with their only setback during the campaign a 1-0 loss to Washington on October 11th. Since then, the Tartans have won five-straight contests, including four in UAA action, to move to the top of the conference standings. Carnegie is 6-1-0 at home this season, and overall, has outscored its opponents by a 38-5 in 2014, ranking ninth in Division III with a 0.33 goals-against average and 59th with 2.53 goals per game. The squad holds advantages of 250-72 in total shots and 128-37 in shots on goal over their opponents this season.
Carnegie's leading offensive player has been senior Savina Reid, who has scored 10 goals and assisted on four others for 24 points. Freshman Tori Iatarola has contributed with four goals and a team-best six assists for 14 points. In goal, sophomore Katie Liston ranks 10th among Division III players with a 0.332 GAA and 39th with a 0.865 save percentage.
Carnegie is led by Yan Struble, who is 54-22-7 during his five years as the squad's head coach. He is assisted by Shannon Agnew and Greg Blum.
Series History
Emory is 18-3-2 all-time against Carnegie Mellon, including a 7-3-2 mark in games played in Pittsburgh. The Eagles are 6-0-2 in their last eight meetings against the Tartans, dating back to the 2007 campaign. Last year, Emory defeated Carnegie 3-0 at the Woodruff P.E. Center, including goals from current Eagles Jennifer Grant and Emily Feldman. Emory outshot Carnegie 27-6 in the game, including a 12-2 edge in shots on goal, and Liz Arnold made a pair of saves in the shutout win.
The last time the two teams played in Pittsburgh was during the quarterfinal round of the 2012 NCAA Championship, when Emory advanced in the 13th round of penalty kicks after a 0-0 double-overtime tie. It marked the second scoreless tie the two teams played to that season.
Emory Notes
Junior Ally Peterson was named the UAA Defensive Player of the Week for Women's Soccer after helping the team to three shutouts during the week… It was her first career UAA Athlete of the Week honor… Emory has not allowed a first-half goal since October 11th against the University of Chicago, spanning the team's last six games… The Eagles' defense has not allowed a goal over the last 405 minutes and 46 seconds of play… Emory is ranked 37th in Division III in shutout percentage (.588), 40th in save percentage (.862), 46th in assists per game (2.12), 49th in won-lost-tied percentage (.765), and 50th in total assists (36)… With a goal and an assist against Case on Sunday, Emily Feldman is now tied for seventh in school history with 26 goals and tied for ninth with 66 assists.