EMU’s soccer women suffered their first loss of the year on Tuesday, dropping their home opener to Salem College by a final of 1-0.
Despite the loss, the play left little doubt that the Royals are a much improved team from last year. When the two squads met in 2015, the Spirits’ high-flying attack ran away with an 8-2 decision. This time around Eastern Mennonite kept pace with Salem, a team picked to finish third in the USA South West Division.
Both teams had their chances in the first half, each finishing with four shots. The Spirits made the difference early, however, earning a free kick from just outside the left corner of the box. Martha Santos sent a bullet into the upper corner on the par post, leaving keeper Leah Wenger (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) with very little chance to swat away the well-struck ball.
The Royals put together some nice sequences on offense, and ended up putting seven of their eight shots on goal, but they couldn’t find the equalizer.
Sylvia Mast (Broadway, Va./Eastern Mennonite) and Hannah Walker (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) each had two shots on goal.
Wenger charted the first half in goal and made one save. As has been the pattern early this season, fellow freshman Emily Young (Fredericksburg, Va./Massaponax) played the other half, picking out six saves.
Now 1-1-1, Eastern Mennonite heads to Langhorne, Pa., on Thursday, playing a 4:00pm contest at Cairn University.
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