Weather Holds for Eagles' Season Opener

Dubuque, IA - The Emmaus Eagles soccer team opened up their season with a home game on Friday afternoon against the Grace University Royals of Omaha, NE. The weather reports were ominous all day, but the weather held and the game kicked off at the scheduled time.

In front of a damp, but excited crowd, the Eagles got off to a great start in the game, controlling possession immediately and playing a dangerous ball to the corner. It was the Royals, however, who delivered the first punch in the second minute when senior forward Adam Jones (#1) cut across the defense and fired a skipping ball toward the net, which bounced off Emmaus goalkeeper Erik Rasmussen (#00) and into the goal for the 1-0 lead. The rest of the half saw both teams settle in as possession was won and lost with neither team finding much success with the long ball.

In the 10^th minute, the Eagles found the equalizer they had been searching for as newcomer Anthony Flores (#10) made a strong run down the right flank and was fouled just inside the opponents' box. Elijah Barsness (#1) stepped up from the sweeper position and put away the penalty shot, bouncing it off the left post. Although they were outshot 12-7 through the first 45 minutes, the Eagles entered the break knotted at 1-1 and looking for the upset.

It was not to be, however, as Royals struck quickly in the second half to take a 2-1 lead, after taking advantage of a turnover near midfield. Midfielder W. Whitman (#11) received an excellent through ball and slid it right into the side of the net, just outside the reach of Rasmussen. The Eagles made a few decent runs in the second half, but were not able to create any dangerous scoring chances. The Royals added to their lead in the 71^st minute when Adam Jones caught a nice bounce to get behind the Eagles' defense and slotted home his second goal of the night.

The score stood for the remainder of the game as the Eagles came up short in the season opener. Still, the soccer men had much to be proud of as they showed strong play, good hustle, and great attitudes all around. Keep Rasmussen recorded 13 saves, including some strong efforts by the Royals.

"I was really proud of the way the guys fought tonight. There is plenty of room to improve, but there were moments in the game when it was obvious we were thinking the right things and creating some great buildups. Grace is a solid team with some great kids, and our guys made them work for their win tonight. Kudos to newly hired coach Paul Osborne for getting his guys to settle down in the second half and maintain possession. I have great respect for their coaches and program and it is always a pleasure to match up" (Coach Brown).

The Eagles next match is their annual alumni game on September 5^th. Their regular season will continue on the road September 11^th and 12^th at Baptist Bible College (Springfield, MO) and Lincoln Christian University (Lincoln, IL).