The No. 20 ranked Emory University men's soccer team's second attempt to crack the win column on the opening weekend was thwarted as a second half comeback by the Oglethorpe University Stormy Petrels, including the game-tying goal in the final minute of play, saw the Sonny Carter Invitational finale end in a 3-3 tie Monday night at the Woodruff PE Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Eagles' night began in grand fashion as junior Josh Grand gave the home team a 1-0 lead in the opening minutes of the contest. A hard tackle of the third-year captain inside the box led to a penalty kick opportunity where he calmly converted the attempt.
Grand's tally was the first of three Emory goals inside the first 23 minutes as the Eagles raced out to a 3-0 lead.
Sophomore Lorenzo Avalos doubled the Eagles' advantage in the 20th minute when he swiftly stole the ball from the Oglethorpe keeper who had ranged too far outside the 18 and slotted it into the empty net.
Three minutes later, graduate transfer Grant McCarty notched his first goal in an Emory uniform when he collected a loose ball inside the box and moved around a pair of Stormy Petrel defenders before firing home a shot to the top right corner.
With five minutes remaining in the first half, Oglethorpe cut into the deficit with its first goal of the night as Adrian Levy scored the first of his two goals of the game at the 40:02 mark.
Levy brought the Stormy Petrels back within one with another goal at the 59:59 mark as he rainbowed a shot to the back corner of the net from the top of the 18.
From there, the match rose in intensity with the teams combining for 18 second half fouls and six cautions out of the 10 on the night.
The Eagles looked as if they were going to hold on for the win until Owen VanMeter's free kick from midfield went inside the box and bounced to the foot of Daniel Amah who knocked in the equalizer with 55 seconds remaining.
Neither team mustered a last-second shot as the first of two games this season featuring the Atlanta-based rivals ended in the draw.
The Eagles will head to Oglethorpe's campus next weekend where they'll opposed two Virginia institutions, Lynchburg and Roanoke, on Friday and Sunday for the John P. Salamone Invitational.
