Nov. 16, 2008

From Emory Athletics

Box Score

In a thrilling NCAA Division III Tournament match at the Woodruff Physical Education Center, the fourth-ranked Emory Eagles advanced to the round of 16, after a 1-1 tie with North Carolina Wesleyan College was decided by a shootout.  Emory’s Jordan Edelman kicked the game-deciding penalty kick, giving the Eagles a 3-2 advantage, and the right to move on in the tournament.

Emory’s crowd of 315 fans was treated to just the second shootout-deciding match in the history of the program, and the first since the 1988 postseason, when the Eagles defeated Bethany College 4-2 on penalty kicks in the first round of the tournament.  The Eagles have advanced in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1988 season, when Emory went all the way to the NCAA Quarterfinals.  The Eagles are now 1-11-2 all time in NCAA Tournament play, breaking a nine-match losing streak.

“I told the team today before the game that what has happened in the past is in the past.  This is a new team, and we hope, a new era for Emory soccer,” said Emory Head Coach Sonny Travis (click here to hear the entirety of Travis’ postgame interview).

The Eagles struck first in the match, as Joey Howie notched his fourth goal of the season in the 11th minute.  Sophomore Jake Graetz handled Howie’s corner kick, passing to Jordan Edelman, who headed the ball across the box to Howie, to finish for the score. 

Emory would carry the 1-0 advantage into halftime, in addition to a 6-3 advantage in shots.

It would not be long into the second frame, however, until the Battling Bishops would even the match at a goal apiece.  Freshman forward Owen White found the ball inside the box, following an Emory team save on a shot by Danny Persson, and was able to convert for his 12th goal of the season to tie the match.

The game would remain tied at one throughout the rest of regulation and the two overtime periods.  Emory would take the only two shots of the overtime frame, one in each period.  The Eagles finished the match with a 15-9 advantage in shots, despite both teams ending even with five shots on goal apiece.

In the shootout, Emory goalkeeper Jonathan Laycock got the Eagles off to a strong start, diving to his left to make saves on the Bishops’ first two shots, taken by Benjamin Schmedes and Arkadiusz Trochowski.  After Emory senior Marc Del Marmol missed his first shot wide left, the Eagles’ Patrick Carver gave Emory an advantage, converting on a shot to the left as the Bishops’ goalkeeper, Alberto Faisca dove right.

“Before the [first] kick was even taken, I had an idea I was going to go right,” said Laycock.  “I made the save with my legs, and once you make the first save… they are a lot more likely to miss (click here to hear the entirety of Laycock’s postgame interview).”

North Carolina Wesleyan’s Oliver Madejski would even the count with a shot to the high left that sent Laycock to the right on the Bishops’ third kick.  The shootout would remain at one apiece, after Andre Jakubowski’s kick up the middle was fielded cleanly by Faisca.

Both team would convert on their fourth kicks, as the Bishops’ Nicolai Laudrup scored on a shot to the right, while the Eagles’ Joey Howie evened the score with a shot to the left that sent Faisca to the right.

Ousman Sarr took the final kick for the Bishops, hitting the crossbar with his shot.  With the game at his feet, Emory’s Jordan Edelman took a perfect shot to the upper left corner of the goal, just past the outstretched hands of Faisca to write Emory’s ticket to the next round.

“It was incredible that Jon[Laycock] made that last save, so there really wasn’t that much pressure on me,” said Edelman.  “Everybody was behind me, all the fans and everybody, so once I went up for the ball and just took it… there really wasn’t that much pressure (click here to hear the entirety of Edelman’s postgame interview).”

With the tie, Emory’s record moved to 16-1-1 on the season, while North Carolina Wesleyan ends their year with a 16-3-2 mark.  Next up for the Eagles will be the NCAA Sectionals, where the Eagles will face Christopher Newport University (16-4-3).  Stay tuned to www.go.emory.edu for the day, time and location of the match, as soon as it is released.