The Emory University men’s soccer team marked the start of University Athletic Association (UAA) play with a 1-1 draw against Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.) on Oct. 5, preserving their undefeated season record. The No. 2-ranked Eagles dominated possession of the ball, outshooting the Tartans 10-5.
Junior forward Lorenzo Avalos made an instant impact following his return from injury, giving the Eagles the lead in the 17th minute. Cutting in from the left side, Avalos beat his defender and slotted the ball into the far right corner for his third goal of the season. Emory maintained their momentum entering halftime, edging the Tartans 7-2 in first-half shots
Early in the second half, the Tartans beat the Eagles’ defense off a corner kick to level the score. Both teams fought hard for the winning goal in the final minutes, but neither could secure the victory, with junior goalkeeper Geoffrey Halpern making a crucial save in the 85th minute to secure the tie. Junior defender Michael Constant noted the Tartan goal as one of the turning points in the game.
“They had a header right around the top of the box, and [Halpern] made a pretty good save on it,” Constant said. “That was a key moment because they had some momentum at that point in the game, and that kind of settled us down.”
Emory’s defense continues to anchor the team, allowing only five goals through 11 games this season. Senior forward Adeyemi Oni emphasized that the squad’s defenders not only limit opponents’ shooting opportunities, but are also the first line of the Eagles’ attack.
“We play out from the back quite a lot,” Oni said. “Constant, [junior midfielder] Logan Steren and [senior defender] Owen Clark, they’re the first point of attack, and that was a strength we could see yesterday.”
Constant attributed the back line’s strong performance in the game to their communication skills and how the team is always looking to cover each other’s mistakes.
“We have this idea that might sound weird, but we’re pessimistic in the back,” Constant said. “My defensive partners, I bank on them making a mistake so that I’m there when they do and they do the same for me, and that’s helped us out this season.”
Constant also noted that Emory’s defense anticipated Carnegie Mellon’s offensive strategy, helping them limit scoring opportunities.
“We knew what they were going to do — they were going to play a lot of long balls, they were gonna be pretty direct at us,” Constant said.
Offensively, Oni emphasized the Eagles’ confidence and determination.
“We’re not afraid to shoot in and around the box,” Oni said. “We definitely get a lot of shots per game … That’s definitely a major strength, the confidence in ourselves, confidence in our abilities.”
Oni said Avalos’ return to the field after being out with an injury for a few weeks was one of the game’s highlights.
“Him coming back and being able to get on the score sheet, I was very happy for him,” Oni said. “We play the same position, so it was good to see other people scoring and everyone contributing to the game.”
The team’s reaction to Avalos’ goal highlighted the chemistry that has fueled the Eagles’ strong start to the season. Despite the good result against the Tartans, Oni admitted that moments of complacency cost them the win.
“We went 1-0 up and kind of capitulated,” Oni said. “We didn’t play the football we know we can play … Something that pulled us through [was] the resilience when we did get scored on. We quickly pulled it back together, and we tried our best to get another goal. It just didn’t come to be, but it’s definitely something to build on for next week.”
With the draw, Emory men’s soccer improved their record to 10-0-1 and plans to carry this momentum into next week’s away game against No. 12 Brandeis University (Mass.) on Oct. 11.
