Nov. 13, 2008

When Emory University head men's soccer coach Sonny Travis landed his dream job, he probably never imagined it would be this close to perfect.

In just two seasons at the helm of the Eagles' program, Travis has combined for a 32-4-0 record and a pair of trips to the NCAA Division III Championship. This season, the Eagles were undefeated until falling to Carnegie Mellon in the regular season finale, and captured a share of the University Athletic Association title for the first time since 1998.

Travis previously spent 18 years at Virginia Wesleyan where he guided the Marlins to 13 NCAA appearances and eight Old Dominion Athletic Conference titles. Then, he heard about the vacancy at Emory in Atlanta, Ga., and he knew he had to apply.

"When the job came open at Emory, this was my dream job," said Travis. "I like everything about Emory - the academics, the size, the character of the kids. I thought coming here I could make an impact. I think Emory has a lot of things in place to win." While he was researching the position two years ago, Travis noticed there were several returning juniors on the roster.

"I thought it was a good situation to come in with some experience and try to mold these guys into thinking they could be successful," said Travis. "They already had those things bred in them with the quality of the student-athlete here. I just pushed them very hard, and they've reached new heights and hopefully they're not done yet." Those juniors are now seniors - a class of 11 strong, nine of which are in the starting lineup.

"There's great chemistry and good leadership," said Travis. "This class wants to leave a mark on Emory soccer history." Offensively, All-American forward Patrick Carver heads the class with 13 goals and seven assists for a team-leading 33 points, but it is the team's defense that Travis says has been their key to success.

"I think our defense has been what has carried us -- four senior defenders and a senior goalkeeper," said Travis. "That's been the heart of the team." Seniors Jordan Edelman, Jacob Roche, Erik Laney and Andre Jakubowski anchor the defense, while goalkeeper Jonathan Laycock ranks third in the nation in goals against average (0.338) in his first season as the Eagles' starter. Laycock was sidelined with an injury in the team's lone loss off the year, and the Eagles gave up four goals, but he will return to the field as they enter the NCAA Championship this weekend.

"They have developed this chemistry where they know where the others are going to be at all times," said Travis. "You can see there is a great understanding among our defenders. Our goalkeeper, Jonathan Laycock, was our backup last year, and has really stepped up."

The senior class is so strong that even freshman forward Ben Schlang, who ranks second on the team with nine goals and 23 points and is a leading candidate for UAA Rookie of the Year, has not been able to break into starting lineup.

"I think (the younger players are) learning the work ethic that these seniors have," said Travis. "That's the seniors' greatest attribute - their work ethic is unparalleled to any group of players I've ever coached. Our younger players are definitely identifying with that."

Emory will host North Carolina Wesleyan, winners of a first-round 4-3 overtime contest against Virginia Wesleyan, on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. The Eagles have posted a school-record 10-0-0 mark on their home field this season.