The No. 13 ranked Emory women's soccer team (6-2-1, 0-1 UAA) opened UAA-play at home on Saturday morning, going toe-to-toe with the nation's No. 1 ranked WashU Bears. Despite a flurry of chances late in the second half, the Eagles couldn't overcome a two-goal deficit, as they fell, 2-1.
 
Both offenses came out fast in their first UAA match of the year, with both sides having several chances in the early going. Each team found the back of the net in the opening 10 minutes but saw them both wiped away by offsides penalties. The two teams continued to trade blows for much of the first half, neither being able to sneak one past the goalkeepers.
 
However, the Bears struck first in the 37^th minute when WashU's Olivia Clemons collected a deflected ball near midfield and took it herself to get one past Emory's junior keeper Sophia Garcia and give WashU a 1-0 lead. The Bears had a few more looks in the half, but Garcia was able to fend off the WashU attack to keep the score at 1-0 going into the half.
 
It was much of the same in the second half, with the two teams remaining relatively stagnant for a majority of the frame. Yet, in the 76^th minute the Bears struck again. WashU's Gaelen Clayton swung in a cross that bounced around in the box before Madison Foley cleaned it up to give WashU a 2-0 lead with less than 15 minutes remaining.
 
Needing at least two goals to salvage a draw, the Eagles dialed up the pressure with the offense moving with urgency. Less than seven minutes later, the Eagles broke through. Senior Chayse Corfman dumped off a pass to sophomore Kaitlyn Nimmer at the top of the box and she did the rest, sending a screamer in just under the crossbar and past the leaping goalkeeper to give the Eagles their first goal of the game.
 
The Eagles had momentum on their side and continued to have some chances offensively, taking three more shots in the final five minutes. Sophomore Madison Teng had the most threatening look, rattling the crossbar with a shot from outside the box in the 85^th minute. Yet, the Bears were able to sit on the ball for the waning minutes to preserve their undefeated record and secure their first UAA win of the year.
 
With the loss, the Eagles drop to 6-2-1 and 0-1 in UAA play. They'll look to get back on track with a road game against cross-town foe Oglethorpe on Tuesday before resuming their UAA slate on Sunday at home against #12 Case Western Reserve. The match against Oglethorpe will start at 7:00 Pm on Tuesday with the match against the Spartans getting started at 11:00 AM.