Last Second Shot Just High As Sabrecats Down Eagles 1-0

The Emmaus men's soccer team was on the road Friday in Watertown, Wisconsin in a matchup with regional powerhouse Maranatha Baptist Bible College.  The meeting was the first between the two teams since 2014 when the eventual national champion Sabrecats easily defeated the Eagles by an impressive 9-0 score line. Not surprisingly, Emmaus entered the game with something to prove, and they did not disappoint.

The game kicked off with some light rain and saw the Eagles settle in early with disciplined defense and several dangerous counterattacks. As the game progressed they continued to play smart soccer, building from the back and using their space in the middle of the field. The Sabrecats, for their part, created a few chances, but for the most part were held in check by the organized Emmaus defense. After 45 minutes neither team had gained an edge with Maranatha outshooting the Eagles 5-2.

The Eagles came out fired up in the second half and put some pressure on Maranatha, fighting for 50/50s. Maranatha, coached by the veteran Jeff Pill, made some adjustments and began to create some dangerous build-ups from wide with #23 Eric Fausto winning the end line on several occasions, only to be stopped at the last minute by Eagle defender Timothy Barton (#8).

Maranatha finally found the breakthrough goal in the 59th minute when a winger found #15 in the middle whose right footed shot found the back of the net after a near missed block from Elijah Barsness (#1). With a one goal lead, Maranatha looked to put the game out of reach, but the Emmaus defense continued to scrap in their own box, coming up with several big saves and blocks.

With the clock winding down and Maranatha clinging to their one goal lead, Emmaus launched a final counter attack. After a long pass by Elijah Barsness, neat settle by Carson McBain  (#11), and a cut by Mason McCarl (#7), Emmaus watched as McCarl's shot sailed just over the goal at the literal last second.

"Our boys fought incredibly hard today. They played disciplined defense, created some good chances, and in the end gave themselves a chance. Maranatha is always a great team and our guys proved that we can play with the top teams in the region today. I honestly thought that we had that last shot, but hey, we will play for another chance next game. The program has come a long way in the past couple of years and the upperclassmen have really lead the way. What a privilege to coach them." (Coach Brown)

The Eagles return to Dubuque for a home match on Saturday against top ranked Kansas Christin College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00.

"Kansas Christian is a great team, but if we play like we did today, we may just give ourselves a shot. This is going to be a fun final few weeks of the season!" (Coach Brown)