Eagles Come Out on Top in Tight Conference Battle
On a gorgeous, but windy day the Emmaus soccer men took on the Central Christian (CCCB) Saints in a battle for 5th place in the MCCC Conference tournament. The Eagles, who lost to the Saints by a lone goal in the early weeks of the season, were anxious at the chance to return the favor.
True to their first two Conference tournament matches the Eagles got off to a fast start, pressing the Saints back line. The Saints, led by outstanding sweeper Collin Buchanan (#16) and staunch goalie Lance Patrick (#1), managed to stymie the Eagles' attacks in the opening minutes. The Eagles persistence paid off, however, as Ryan Bell (#9) drew a foul in the box in the 20th minute for the penalty. Newly upgraded forward Elijah Barsness (#1), stepped up and put home his second penalty and sixth goal of the year. Minutes later Bell nearly doubled the Eagles' lead when he won a throw in and saw his close range shot ricochet off the foot of the Saints' keeper. Bell nearly struck again in the 35th minute when Joe Olson (#3) won the end line and delivered a perfect ball to bell, who saw his one-time hit sail just wide of the post. The result was a 1-0 halftime lead for the Eagles.
The second half of the match saw the Saints come out with bang as they won early corner kicks and pressed the Emmaus back line. Despite a few tense moments, the Eagle defense continued to hold as the Emmaus attack continued to search for a 2 goal lead. In the 83rd minute, the Eagles came close to finishing the game when Samuel Gitonga (#6) saw his close range effort bounce off the gloves of Patrick and then again off the right post.
With their one goal lead preserved, the Saints finally managed to capitalize in the 85th minute when outstanding soccer player Miguel Gudino (#7) sent in a perfect corner kick to giant defender Jimmy Skrocki (#17), who headed the ball into the back of the net. The final five minutes of the half saw chances for both sides with neither able to capitalize.
The teams continued to battle back and forth in the opening minutes of the first overtime. In the 98th minute of the game, the Eagles' Gitonga sent in a cross from the right side that was deflected toward the far post. Joe Olson made play on the ball from a tough angle and knocked the ball on a one time pass to Anthony Flores (#10) at the top of the six yard box. Flores quickly settled the ball and showed great composure in poking the ball into the side of the net for the 2-1 overtime victory.
"That was just a straight up battle today and went a lot like I expected. CCCB has some dangerous players, a great defense, and they never ever quit. We have played them eight times since I have coached Emmaus and both teams have won four times. Hats off to them for their excellent play and show of heart. We trust that the Lord was honored and are so thankful for the opportunity to match up with Brent Messimer's team. I am also so proud of the way the guys conducted themselves. We fought hard and today we got the result we wanted." (Coach Brown)
The Eagles finished 5th in their second ever conference tournament and scored 7 goals to their opponents 4 in their 3 matches. They will be back in action for their final home game on Thursday, October 29th against Eureka College. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30.