Eagles Fall to Red Lions at Home

Dubuque, IA - Clear skies and gusting winds made for an interesting match as the Eagles took on the Red Lions of Lincoln Christian University on Saturday. The game proved to be a physical matchup, especially as the Eagles looked to bounce back from their previous 7-1 loss at Lincoln, earlier in the season.

For the first 30 minutes, the teams were neck and neck. Good opportunities came for both teams, but the breakthrough came in the 28th minute, when Lincoln freshman Paolo Espinoza took on a pair of Emmaus defenders and slotted the ball past goalkeeper Kyle Pikaart to find the goal. A few minutes later, Emmaus forward Anthony Flores fired an impressive shot towards the corner of the goal, but Lincoln goalkeeper Michael Brand parried the shot just wide. The rest of the first half was evenly matched.  The only significant event came in the 37th minute, when Lincoln's freshman defender Stephen Gibbs was shown a yellow card for obstruction. Halftime came with the score 1-0 for Lincoln.

The second half started equally close, with both teams playing physically with great chances. Emmaus was able to equalize in the 63rd minute, when a free kick played in by Anthony Flores found junior Nick Skoglund, who played the ball to midfielder Tyler Tucker in the 6 yard box, who comfortably played the ball past the Lincoln keeper.

The level game was not to last, however, as tactical changes from Lincoln brought an onslaught of attacks forward. In the 76th minute, Lincoln's David Lucas found the back of the net on a low shot from the top of the box. Just a minute later, Lucas connected with a bouncing ball on the volley to score again. In the 84th minute, Lincoln's Ethan Frontone took on an Emmaus defender and was able to score from inside the penalty area. The game finished 4-1 for Lincoln.

The Eagles are back in action on Tuesday as they take on Faith Baptist Bible College at home. The loss brings Emmaus to an overall record of 3-7.