EMU knew it was entering a tough stretch in its schedule, and that belief is certainly showing true. EMU’s soccer men dropped their ODAC opener Tuesday afternoon at preseason favorite Washington and Lee by a final of 4-0, suddenly pushing their losing skid to three straight.
The men had a recent four-game winning streak broken by losses to Bridgewater, Lebanon Valley and now W&L. Both LVC and the Generals are ranked in their respective regions, while Washington and Lee (7-1-0) is also No. 13 in this week’s national poll.
The road doesn’t get much easier for Eastern Mennonite (5-4-2), although both of the men’s next games are in Harrisonburg. The Royals host Randolph this Saturday night at 7:00pm, followed by a date with Lynchburg next Tuesday evening. The WildCats are ranked ninth in the South Atlantic Region, while LC is third in the region and entered the national poll this week at No. 22.
EMU nearly hit the net early, earning a pair of corner kicks in the second minute, but W&L’s back line held. In the fifth minute, the game quickly turned as the Generals drew a foul in the box and converted a penalty kick to go ahead.
Washington and Lee carried the momentum from there, adding goals in the 24th and 38th minutes to take a 3-0 margin into halftime.
The Royals settled down in the second, but still couldn’t crack the defense. W&L added a final goal in the 59th minute.
Shots were heavily in favor of the Generals at 20-5, including 10-1 on goal. Eastern Mennonite drew even in corners at 6-6, but the men didn’t manage a single shot attempt off the set pieces.
Dominic Powers (Culpeper, Va./Fresta Valley Christian) had EMU’s lone shot on goal, coming midway through the second. Keeper Matthew Overacker (Mount Crawford, Va./Turner Ashby) finished with six saves.
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