#10 Emory Ends Season in Double OT Loss to #6 Wheaton
Emory University's 2013 campaign came to a close in
heartbreaking fashion in the round of 16 of the NCAA Division III
Women's Soccer Championships on Friday night, as junior Alexa
Sharkey scored the contest's lone goal in the 102nd
minute of play for fourth-ranked Wheaton College, sending the
Eagles to a season-ending 1-0 double-overtime loss in San Antonio,
Texas.
Sharkey launched a shot from approximately 20 yards out that hit
off the far post and into the Eagles' net for the 'golden
goal.' The score was the second of the season for the
junior.
While the two defenses shined throughout the game, each team also
had their chances during the evening. Emory sophomore
goalkeeper Liz Arnold made a career-high seven
saves in the game, including a diving stop on a shot in the
31st minute, and back-to-back saves in the
48th minute. Meanwhile, the Eagles finished the
game with 13 shots and three shots on goal, including a chance late
in the first overtime for junior Emily Feldman
that went just wide of frame.
Freshman Emily Matis came off the bench to take a
team-high four shots, including one on goal for the Eagles.
The Thunder totaled 23 shots in the game, including eight on
goal.
Wheaton, now 20-1-2 for the season, will advance to face
host and nationally second-ranked Trinity University in the
quarterfinals on Saturday, November 23rd at 6:00 PM
ET. The Tigers (23-0-2) became the first team to earn a spot
in the final eight earlier in the day with a 2-1 win over
fifth-ranked Montclair State University.
Emory finished the campaign with a 16-4-1 overall record, one
short of the school record for wins in a single season. The
game also marked the end of the careers of the seven seniors on the
Eagles' squad – Samantha Bleiweis,
Caitlin Clark, Kelly Costopoulos,
Lauren Drosick, Lauren
Gorodetsky, Clare Mullins and
Veronica Romero – who comprised the
most-successful class in the program's history, going 64-9-14 with
an Emory record-tying four-consecutive NCAA Tournament berths.
