EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry University Men's Soccer Team (7-3-5, 6-1-3 SAC) looked as if it had snatched a last-minute victory over Lincoln Memorial University (6-7-2, 6-2-2 SAC) after scoring with just 26 ticks left on the clock, but the Railsplitters responded with the equalizing goal with just two seconds remaining to force the squads to settle for a 1-1 draw in the South Atlantic Conference regular season finale Wednesday night. With the draw, E&H extends its unbeaten streak to 12 matches and clinches the #2 seed in the SAC Tournament. The Wasps will host the #7 seed Carson-Newman University in the quarterfinals on Sunday, November 9 at 6:30 p.m. inside the Food City Sports Complex. Emory & Henry will make the program's first postseason appearance since the 2001 season when the Wasps fell 2-1 to Virginia Wesleyan University in the quarterfinals of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 1, Lincoln Memorial 1
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Food City Sports Complex
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (7-3-5, 6-1-3 SAC); Lincoln Memorial (6-7-2, 6-2-2 SAC)
How It Happened
- The Wasps tested the LMU defense early in the contest when senior forward Matheus Ulrich Da Silva (Balneario Camboriu, BRAZIL) fired a shot that was saved by LMU keeper Daniel Benedek Miklosi. Lincoln Memorial had a chance to open the scoring in the 17th minute, but Botond Skulka's shot hit the crossbar to keep the match scoreless. Freshman forward Jean-Charles Eyidi (Briollay, FRANCE) had the Wasps' best scoring opportunity of the half in the 43rd minute, but his shot was stopped by Benedek Miklosi to send the teams into the locker rooms still tied at 0-0.
- Freshman forward Samuel Ulrich (Balneario Camboriu, BRAZIL) had a golden chance to get the Wasps on the board in the 56th minute when he rounded the keeper, but his shot rang off of the goalpost and the match still remained without a goal. LMU had a pair of shots in the 70th and 77th minute, but junior goalkeeper Baptiste Berthozat (Saint-Martin-de-Crau, FRANCE) was up to the task as he made a pair of saves to deny the Railsplitters. Eyidi finally broke through in the 90th minute when he took a pass from junior midfielder Lander Barrio Gonzalez (Otanes, SPAIN) and streaked past the LMU defense. Eyidi slotted a shot through the outstretched legs of Benedek Miklosi to put E&H on top 1-0 and send the capacity crowd inside the Food City Sports Complex into a frenzy. Lincoln Memorial would not be denied on the evening, as the Railsplitters struck back with just two seconds left on a goal by Antonio Talavera assisted by Thomas Chao to silence the E&H fans and send the squads home with a share of the spoils.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Eyidi recorded his team-leading fifth goal of the season on four attempts, two of which found their target. Ulrich tallied four shots of his own while Ulrich Da Silva had the other attempt.
- Berthozat finished with four saves in goal for the Wasps.
Lincoln Memorial Individual Leaders
- Talavera was the lone goal scorer for LMU as he had two shots at the target. Chao registered a team-high three shots en route to collecting the assist.
- Benedek Miklosi made a pair of stops in net for the visiting Railsplitters.
Up Next
- The Wasps will enter postseason play on Sunday, November 9 when they host the Eagles of Carson-Newman in a SAC Tournament quarterfinal rematch of a regular season contest that saw E&H take a 1-0 road victory. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. from the Food City Sports Complex.
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