The EMU soccer men suffered a tough loss Saturday, falling 4-0 at Virginia Wesleyan.  The two teams entered the day tied in a group of four teams grouped in fourth place in the ODAC standings.  After the loss, the Royals are tied for seventh with Bridgewater and Hampden-Sydney heading into the final game of the year.

The Marlins defended their home turf well, scoring on a quick strike just 21 seconds in.  Eastern Mennonite nearly got an equalizer in the 4th minute when Mark Mast (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) ripped a shot off the crossbar and had the rebounded shot saved.  But by the 27th minute, VWC was in control and led 3-0.

Virginia Wesleyan scored again early in the second half to seal the decision.

The Royals were out-shot 16-7, including 9-5 on goal.  Andrew Yoder (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) started and collected five saves.  Isaac Driver (Harrisonburg, VA/Eastern Mennonite) finished the game in goal.

Mast had three shots, including two on goal.  No other EMU player had more than one shot.

Eastern Mennonite, 8-9-1 overall and 5-5 in the conference, wraps up the regular season at home on Tuesday, taking on Washington and Lee at 7:00pm.  The Generals had been first in the ODAC standings the last couple of weeks before losing 3-0 at Roanoke on Saturday.

A win would clinch an ODAC Tournament berth for EMU, and while a tie might be enough to get the men in, a loss would likely put them into a complicated tie-breaking system.