RICHMOND, Ind. – The Emory & Henry College Men's Soccer Team (1-0-1) battled with Earlham College (0-1-1) for a full 110 minutes Satuday afternoon but with neither team able to come away with a score, the match ended in a 0-0 tie. It is the first time since late in the 2001 season that the Wasps have seen back-to-back matches go into extra time.
Saturday's match was a homecoming of sorts for E&H Head Coach Robert Richardson. Earlham, which won the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season title in 2013, was where Richardson got his start in collegiate coaching.
The match saw several momentum swings with the Quakers setting the tempo in the opening 45 minutes. After the break, both sides had chances to open up the scoring column, but the goalkeepers and defenses held strong, forcing overtime.
Emory & Henry put three shots on goal in the first 10 minutes of extra time; however none were able to make it into the back of the net. The Wasps had two chances halted during the second overtime for being in an offside position while Earlham had one shot on goal.
Sophomore forward Zach Quest (Charlotte, N.C.) and junior forward Pierce Moreland (Bristol, Tenn.) led the attack for E&H with three shots each while senior midfielder Jared Eiriksson (Blackstone, Va.) and Kenny Sterne (Lynchburg, Va.) both added two shots.
Junior Tim Coulter (Mooresville, N.C.) got the start in goal for the Wasps, stopping four shots in 70 minutes of work. Sophomore Didier Grillet (Matthews, N.C.) played the final 40 minutes of the match between the pipes, making two saves to preserve the shutout for Emory & Henry.
Earlham held a 21-11 shot advantage in the match but put only seven shots on frame. The Wasps had six of their 11 shots on target, but each opportunity was saved by Quaker goalkeeper Aaron Falsetto. EC took five corner kicks to E&H's two and the Wasps were flagged offside six times to the Quakers' four violations.
Emory & Henry will return home for a pair of matches next weekend in a three-day, six-team tournament in conjunction with the E&H women's team. The Wasps will face off against Bluefield College on Friday afternoon at 5:00 p.m., at Fred Selfe Stadium.
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-photo courtesy of Kymn Davidson-Hamley