EMORY, Va. - It was a historical season for the Emory & Henry College Men's Soccer Team. E&H posted a 10-8-1 record the most victories since 1995, which was also its last winning season. The 51 goals scored and 145 points were the most in program history. The team found the back of the net five or more times on five different occasions this year. In addition to the team accomplishments, there were several major individual accolades as well.
Junior Jordan Couch (Abingdon, Va.) had one of the best individual seasons in E&H men's soccer history. Couch broke the school record for goals in a season with 21, a total which was good for sixth in NCAA Division III nationally while his 47 points were ninth in the country. Couch scored four goals on two separate occasions and added a hat trick during the year. With 27 career goals, he is now tied for the most in program history. For his efforts, Couch was named to the All-ODAC Second Team and to the VaSID All-State College Division First Team.
This season was a highlight for the team's three seniors, who doubled their career win total in 2016 alone. Zach Quest (Charlotte, N.C.) started all 19 matches and finished seventh in the nation in assists with 13 and also scored four goals on the season. Didier Grillet (Matthews, N.C.) started 17 matches in goal for the Wasps and tallied 85 saves and a career-high seven wins, including four shutouts. Grillet finished his career with the most wins (15) and shutouts (six) in school history. Ian Smith (Waynesville, N.C.) netted the program's fastest hat trick (three goals) against Hiwassee College on September 26, finding the back of the net three times in the span of 5:43. The leadership of these three seniors will certainly be missed as the program moves forward.
Sophomore Tyequis Stallins (Chesapeake, Va.) was named to the All-ODAC Third Team for the second year in a row after netting six goals and five assists. He finished second on the team in both categories. Sophomore Joel Tidman (Milford, Va.), a defender, finished third on the team with five goals, the most for any defender in the conference. Junior Keith Norris (Marion, Va.) and freshman Austin Hylton (Chester, Va.) also had a pair of goals on the year. Team captain Chandler Copeland (Newport News, Va.) picked up his first career goal for the Wasps, while sophomores Trey Tumblin (Moneta, Va.) and Nickolas Taylor (Portsmouth, Va.) each scored a goal on the season.
In the midfield, the Wasps have several veterans who were impact players this year. Sophomore Colin Foley (Chesapeake, Va.) started all 19 matches for the while junior Edgar Rivas (Brentwood, N.Y.) made 13 starts putting up three shots. Juniors Randal Colquitt (Las Vegas, Nev.) and David Jackson (Newport News, Va.) played in 14 and 10 matches, respectively.
Defensively, freshman Massimo Tager (Asheville, N.C.) started all 19 matches and assisted on eight goals, and found the back of the net once as well. Sophomore Nathan Neisius (Powhatan, Va.) also started all 19 matches and tacked on a goal.
In addition to Grillet's performance in goal, freshman Cole Schreiner (Atlanta, Ga.) earned a pair of victories after playing 170:31 minutes and stopping four shots. Junior Daniel Scharisch (Newport News, Va.) made three saves on the season, earning the win at the University of Valley Forge.
Emory & Henry's future is on the rise after a successful 2016 campaign. With experienced young players in all positions, the Wasps will look to continue their winning ways next fall and continue their move up the ranks of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
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Team Leaders
Goals – 21 – Jordan Couch
Assists – 13 – Zach Quest
Points – 47 – Jordan Couch
Shots – 89 – Jordan Couch
Saves – 85 – Didier Grillet