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2004 Men's Soccer Season Recap

Emory University finished the regular season ranked 21st by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). After losing two all-conference forwards to graduation, the Eagles outscored all opponents 46-14 en route to its 19th winning season in 21 years with a 12-4-2 record.

The Eagles fell one goal shy of the University Athletic Association title and an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III national tournament. The Eagles lost 2-1 on the road to the 25th ranked team in the nation and eventual conference champions. In the three games against teams that advanced to the NCAA tournament this season, the Eagles went 2-1, outscoring their opponents 11-3.

Emory's defense recorded 10 shutouts, the third highest total for the Eagles in the last 29 years and the most since 1986. The squad's 0.75 goals against average was the fourth best in school history.

The Eagles entered the season ranked 20th in the nation, the first time Emory has been ranked in a preseason poll since 1999. After starting the season 4-0, the Eagles moved up to No. 3 in the national poll, their highest ranking of the season. Emory went on to win eight of its first nine games for the fourth best start in school history.

Coach Mike Rubesch picked up his 200th career win Sept. 4 against Methodist (N.C.). He became the 43rd active men's soccer coach in Division III to reach the 200-win plateau.

The following Emory players received individual post-season honors:

All-Region (National Soccer Coaches Association of America)
Karl Dix First Team Snellville, GA (Brookwood)
Kevin McCarthy Third Team St. Louis, MO (St. Louis University)
 
All-Conference (University Athletic Association)
Karl Dix First Team Snellville, GA (Brookwood)
Jon Arost Second Team Winter Park, FL (Trinity Prep)
Tyler Gordon Second Team Tampa, FL (Hillsborough)
Kevin McCarthy Second Team St. Louis, MO (St. Louis University)
Anthony Esposito Honorable Mention New Port Richey, FL (Jesuit)
Alex Grigulanas Honorable Mention Snellville, GA (South Gwinnett)

 

Rohit Agarwal
Junior goalkeeper Rohit Agarwal played in nine games for the Eagles this season, starting eight of them. In more than 731 minutes, Agarwal allowed five goals for a team-best 0.62 goals against average (GAA). He recorded a team high this season in saves (31), shutouts (3) and wins (6). Heading into his senior season, Agarwal's 0.67 career GAA is on pace to break the school record. He is fifth in school history in career wins with 22 victories, and sixth in career shutouts with seven.

Jon Arost
Jon Arost finished his senior season tied for the team lead in points (27) and goals (11), both single-season highs for the forward. Nine of Arost's points (four goals and one assist) came in University Athletic Association (UAA) games, the second highest total of any player in the conference. He was named to the all-conference second team, the first time he has received the honor. Arost recorded the third hat trick of his career on Sept. 26, becoming the third player in Emory history with at least three hat tricks. Arost finishes sixth in school history in career assists, ninth in career points and 10th in career goals.

Chad Chambers
In his first year starting for the Eagles, Chad Chambers tied for the team lead with 11 goals. He only needed seven games to match his previous season best total of five goals. Chambers added four assists for a total of 26 points, the third most on the team. On Sept. 24, Chambers became the 13th player in Eagles history to record a hat trick, capping off a three-game span when he scored 14 points.

Michael Conway
Michael Conway started all 10 games he played in for Emory, compiling a GAA of 0.79. In his first season, the junior goalkeeper did not allow a goal in his first five starts as an Eagle. Over the course of the season, Conway had three shutouts and 22 saves, 15 of which came in conference games. Conway's shutout performance on Oct. 31 against conference rival New York University with one game remaining in the season kept alive Emory's hopes of a conference title.

Karl Dix
Karl Dix was named to the all-region first team for the second consecutive season, becoming the first Eagle to do so since 1999. He made his second straight appearance on the UAA all-conference first team. With a team-best nine assists this year, Dix moved into fourth place for career assists in school history after two seasons on the team. The junior, who scored a career-high nine goals, finished the season tied for the team lead with 27 points. Dix's assist and point total's were the second and third highest in the conference respectively. The midfielder scored in 11 of 18 games for the Eagles, including scoring two game-winning goals himself, and assisting on an additional two game winners. Dix became the 12th Eagle to record a hat trick when he scored three consecutive goals for the team on Sept. 12.

Anthony Esposito
Anthony Esposito earned honorable mention in voting for the all-conference team. The midfielder finished his Emory career with 21 assists, the 10th highest total in school history.

Tyler Gordon
Tyler Gordon finished with a career-high six assists, matching his career total entering the season. Three of Gordon's assists came in conference games, helping him earn a spot on the all-conference second team for the first time in his career. He started all 18 games for an Eagle defense that helped record the fourth-lowest GAA in school history.

Alex Grigalunas
Alex Grigalunas started all 18 games for Emory this season and is the only Eagle to start every game over the past two years. The sophomore defender had one goal and a career-best seven assists for the season. Grigalunas led the UAA in assists in conference games with five en route to earning honorable mention for the all-conference team. On Oct. 15, Grigalunas assisted on all three of the team's goals, becoming only the second player in school history to accomplish the feat.

Kevin McCarthy
Defender Kevin McCarthy helped Emory record 10 shutouts, the most by an Eagle defense since 1986. The senior was named to the all-region third team, the first time in his career that he has been awarded the honor. McCarthy started all 14 games he played in, increasing his career total to 68 starts, the fifth most in school history and second most by a defender. He picked up assists in two consecutive games on Sept. 24 and Sept. 26. McCarthy was named to the UAA all-conference second team for his defensive contributions this season.

Written by Jonathan Schwartz, Emory sports information assistant.