Eagles Make It Six Straight With Win Over Feisty Calvary

The Eagles played their second match of the weekend on Saturday when they took on the Warriors of Calvary University. The sun was shining when the two teams took the field, with Emmaus coming off of a 4-1 victory over Ozark the night before and Calvary losing a nail biter 0-1 in overtime to Faith Baptist.

The Eagles took control early, sending in some dangerous crosses and creating some excellent buildups. Calvary, led from the back by outstanding goalkeeper Seth Bielenberg, held strong for the first 20 minutes. In the 21^st minute Calvary nearly took a lead when a bad pass in the defense was intercepted by forward Takuya Tagaki (#9) who saw his shot on an open net sail just wide of the post.

The shot seemed to wake up the Eagles, who pressed the attack, drawing a foul from 25 yards out. Senior Carson McBain (#11) stepped up and fired home the free kick into the right upper 90.

The lead was short-lived, however, as Calvary won a free kick at midfield. The initial delivery off of the free kick was bobbled by Eagle keeper, Salinas (#1), and freshman Aiden Wilson (#3) pounced on the rebound to tie up the match.

The Calvary goal once again seemed to wake up the Eagles, who won a corner kick. The far post ball from Anthony Flores (#10) found the head of defender Jacob Taylor (#12), who saw his effort hit off the post and into side netting. In the 33^rd minute, Waki Ebake (#17) created some space up top and saw his effort hit the post and also deflect in to give the Eagles a 3-1 lead.

"I was a little concerned about our lack of focus right after our first goal, but our guys stepped up and finished the half well. If it hadn't been for Bielenberg, we very easily might have had a few more." (Coach  Brown).

The second half saw Emmaus come out a little bit flat, though Ebake did manage to tally a second goal in the 57^th minute. A few early wide attacks looked dangerous, but failed to result in points on the board. Calvary, for their part, continued to fight, creating a few dangerous chances. The Eagle defense held, and the final score of 4-1 meant that the Eagles are now 4-0 in MCCC conference play.

"Honestly, that second half was not our best effort. We didn't stick to the game plan and didn't play well as a team. It was nice to get the win, but we still showed a lot of room for growth. Calvary fought hard today, especially after having to play extra time the night before, all with a short roster. I am very happy with the scoreline. I just wish that we had stayed more disciplined, especially in the second half. Hats off to Calvary for making us work, and for giving us the opportunity to learn some valuable lessons about focus. On another note, as an added bonus, we had several alumni travel several hours to watch the match. It is always fun to have fans on the road!

Emmaus will be back in action at home on Wednesday afternoon as they host Eureka College, a team that they bested on the road this season despite Eureka holding the advantage in shots and corner kicks. It should be a great match. Kickoff is set for 4:00.