Oxford, GA - In a rematch that ended in a 2-1 victory for the Eagles last Friday (Sept. 20), the Emory Oxford men's soccer team faced off against Meridian Community College. This game ended in a 3-3 tie in regulation. The Eagles are now 6-0-1 while Meridian goes to 4-5-1. With this tie, Oxford clinches a spot in the Appalachian District Playoffs.
In a thrilling game, Meridian struck first in the 16th minute to go up 1-0. Oxford was able to answer back 6 minutes later when freshman Ryan Rohling found sophomore Eduardo Barquet to tie the game 1-1. After that early start, much of the game was a back-and-forth contest with no team able to gain the advantage.
In the final 11 minutes of the game, a total of four goals were scored starting with Meridian finding the back of the net to gain the advantage. However, within 4 minutes, freshman Parker Morford crossed the ball into Rohling who was fouled by a Meridian defender, which resulted in a penalty kick for Oxford. Freshman Luke Sims stepped up and put the ball past the goalie's fingertips to tie the game back up.
With four minutes left in the game, Meridian was able to find their way pass the Oxford's defense and score their third goal of the game. However, the Eagles kept their head high and continued to attack. This lead to a ball being crossed in the box where one of the Meridian players touched it with their hand leading to another Oxford penalty kick. Sims confidently stepped up and put the ball in the upper left corner to tie the game 3-3.
"This was not the result we wanted overall, but to tie against a tough team and clinch a spot in the playoffs is not a bad result for us," commented Greg Moss-Brown, Head Coach. "Our team did not stop fighting."
The Eagles will be back in action on Saturday (Oct. 5) at USC Union. Kickoff is set for 3:00PM.