Timely First Shutout Sees Emmaus Through to Conference Final

The Emmaus Eagles travelled to Joplin, Missouri this weekend to compete in the  MCCC Conference tournament. The team earned the number two seed and a first round bye after going three and two in the regular season. On the first evening of the tournament five Emmaus players were awarded with All-Conference Honors. Tim Barton (#8) and Jake Taylor (#12) were selected to the Second Team while Anthony Flores (#10), Carson McBain (#11), and Elijah Barsness (#1) earned 1st Team Honors.

The second day of the tournament saw Emmaus matched up with the #2 seeded Eagles of Faith Baptist Bible College (Ankeny, IA) after Faith defeated the hosts, Ozark Christian, by a score of 4-0. The "Eagle" matchup marked the 3rd of the season for the two teams with both teams winning at home. The third match between the two was set to determine who would play for the conference title Saturday afternoon.

The game got off to a physical start with both teams battling for control of the midfield. Faith made an early surge into the Emmaus defense, earning three corner kicks in a row. The Emmaus defense held, though, with keeper Gabriel Salinas (#5) making several important stops. Toward the middle of the first half Emmaus made their own push, earning several corners and sending in some dangerous crosses. Still, neither team managed to gain an edge as the scores remained knotted at ones at the half. Faith suffered a major setback when conference MVP Joseph Frerichs (#11) had to exit the match with an ankle injury in the 28th minute.

The second half saw both teams continue to battle back and forth in a very physical contest. Taking advantage of the wind, Emmaus kept the ball in the Faith half for early portions. They nearly took the lead in the 62nd minute when Anthony Fores (#10) sent in a long cross that Mason McCarl (#7) hit out of the air, forcing a great save from Faith keeper Jason Schepps. Minutes later Faith nearly equalized when a great through ball to a center midfielder was shot from the top of the 18, forcing Salinas to make a great save of his own.

The deciding moment of the game came in the 78th minute when Samuel Gitonga (#16) took a shot that deflected off of the hand of a Faith defender in the 77th minute, earning a penalty kick. Carson McBain calmly stepped up and fired home the penalty to give Emmaus the 1-0 lead.

The remainder of the half saw Faith push for the equalizer while Emmaus locked in their defense. Faith game close to scoring with just four minute to play, but a big save from Salinas and clearance from Barsness saw Emmaus preserve their lead. When the final whistle blew Emmaus had earned its first shutout of the season and first berth into the conference championship in school history.

The game marked another intense matchup between the two schools with the final shot count recorded at 11-10 in favor of Emmaus with the Eagles also holding an advantage in corner kicks 10-6. Eagle keeper Salinas recorded 9 saves on the day.

"This was a big win for our program today," said Coach Brown. "Faith is a great team with a lot of firepower, but our guys really stepped up their defense and scrapped out a win. I told the guys after the game that while we may have deserved the win, Faith certainly did NOT deserve to lose after playing so hard. We have had a great rivalry with Faith in recent years, and I look forward to more quality games and fellowship with them in years to come. I can't wait to see how the guys match up with Manhattan tomorrow. Today's win was great, but now it is time to focus on the next match."

Emmaus is scheduled to play the #1 seeded Thunder of Manhattan Christian College on Saturday with kickoff set for 2:00.

Shots: Emmaus 4/14 – 6/7 (10 v. 11)

Corner kicks

Goal Time: 78th minute