A second half scoring barrage powered the Emory University men's soccer team to its fourth consecutive win as the Eagles defeated Wisconsin Lutheran College, 6-0, on the final day of the John P. Salamone Invitational at Oglethorpe University in Brookhaven, Georgia.
Emory scored five of its six goals across an absolute scoring blitzkrieg that spanned 6:28 minutes of game action in the early stages of the second half. Four different players netted scoring tallies in the flurry while senior captain Josh Grand assisted on four of the five goals to become the first men's soccer player in Emory history to register four assists in a single game in program history.
The game was one-sided in favor of the Eagles from the opening whistle as Emory won the final shot count by a margin of 42-1 and had a 19-0 edge in shots on goal. The 42 shots represented the most in a contest by the Eagles since 2003 and were the third-most in team history.
Despite the final ledger, Emory was locked in a scoreless battle through the first 45 minutes. The Eagles had numerous opportunities out of their 19 first half shot attempts including four stellar chances within the opening 10 minutes but could not find any to fall.
The floodgates opened in the second half however as sophomore Adeyemi Oni put the Eagles on the scoreboard in the 54th minute on the team's 24th shot of the contest. Grand sent a corner kick to the far post where Oni leaped over the crowd to head it into the top right corner for his first career goal.
The 55th minute belonged to junior Julian Hee as he picked up a brace by scoring less than 30 seconds apart. Hee's first marker came from straight on from the top of the 18 after Grand found him in the middle. Moments later, the Eagles pierced through the WLC defense with precision passing, leading to another Hee goal following the double assist from Grand and graduate student Ignacio Cubeddu.
In the 58th minute, Cubeddu found the scoring column with a rocket to the upper shelf on the left side with Grand and Oni finding him on the right side of the field. Cubeddu helped conclude the scoring onslaught as he earned another assist in the 60th minute with a looping pass inside the box where junior Nick Carrano was there to head in the pass.
Sophomore Phillip Head put the final touches on the Warriors in the 89th minute with another header from the Eagles as he knocked in a corner kick from classmate Mateo Rouhbakhsh.
The Eagles look to continue their win streak next weekend when they travel Rome, Georgia to face Maryville and Berry on Friday and Saturday.
