In his first game as an Eagle, junior Nao Masuda scored
the game-winning goal in the second half, and junior Trenton
Spindler recorded a shutout in goal, as the Emory
University men's soccer team earned a season-opening 2-0 win over
Covenant College.
After a scoreless first half, Masuda struck in the 75th
minute, scoring off a pass from freshman Chris Aiken. Aiken's pass went up-field towards the
Covenant goalkeeper, but Masuda was able to beat him to the ball,
sliding forward to drive it into the back of the net and giving
Emory a 1-0 lead.
Junior Kamron
Zia added to the lead in the 83rd minute,
making a nice move inside the box and placing a shot from the left
side of the goal into the back of the net. Zia was also
playing in his first game as an Eagle.
Meanwhile, a familiar face held his own in goal, as Spindler earned
his sixth-career shutout, making four saves in his 90 minutes
between the pipes.
Emory defenders held Covenant to eight shots in the game, only four
of which were on goal. On the other side of the field, the
Eagles showed a strong attack, taking 25 total shots, 10 of which
were on goal. The Eagles held an 11-1 advantage in shots in
the first half.
Emory is 1-0-0 in 2010, while Covenant dropped to 0-1-0. The
Eagles are now 20-8-1 all time in season-opening games.
Next up for Emory will be the Sonny Carter Invitational, as the
Eagles will welcome in Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday at
1:00 PM, and Hampden-Sydney College at 2:30 PM on Sunday.
