The Royals got the win they needed on a chilly Wednesday night, also leaving them in the driver's seat in their late drive for an ODAC playoff spot.  Jake Lind (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) scored a goal in each half of the 2-0 victory over visiting Shenandoah, pushing Eastern Mennonite into a three-way tie for seventh place in the conference.

With two games left in the season, the men are tied with Randolph and Bridgewater.  They play each of those teams to end the season and a win over either would give EMU a head-to-head tie-breaker with a likely ODAC bid.  If the three teams remain tied in the final standings there does exist the possibility of a more complicated tie-breaker system deciding the seeding.  But the Royals are able to control their own destiny as a pair of wins would certainly put them in.

EMU got off to a quick start against Shenandoah.  On the first shot of the game, Lind found the net just 1:34 in.  He got an interior pass from senior Mark Mast (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) to five the Royals the early lead.

Joao Downs (Limon, Costa Rica/Colegio de Limon Diurno) nearly scored on a free kick just outside the box in the 12th minute, but his beautiful attempt knocked down and out off the crossbar.

The Hornets settled down as the half wore on, but the Royals extended the lead early in the second.  On a fast break in the 54th minute, David Hooley (Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) left off a pass to Lind who ripped a goal from the top of the box for the 2-0 cushion.

The cards started to get waived over the final 24 minutes, and any thoughts of a SU comeback were snuffed out when a red card left them a man down in the 85th minute.

Shot attempts for the game were even at 18-18.  The Royals had a 5-3 edge in shots on goal.  Andrew Yoder (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) made three saves to complete the shutout.  Lind tied for the game high with five shots, including his two goals.  Viktor Kaltenstein (Kirkwood, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) added a pair of shots on goal.

Now 7-8-2 on the year, including 4-5 in the ODAC, Eastern Mennonite heads to Lynchburg Saturday night to take on Randolph College.  Game time with the WildCats is 7:00pm with live stats and video available for the key road date.  The men close the season by hosting Bridgewater next Tuesday.

Coach Roger Mast talked about the important win his men earned: