Last time the Royals met up with Roanoke, their defense let them down in a 4-3 loss.  In the ODAC Quarterfinals rematch Saturday night, the defense stepped up but Eastern Mennonite came out with a similar one-goal loss, although this time a 1-0 defeat to end their year.

In the No. 1/No. 8 matchup, the top-seeded Maroons fired 10 shots over the opening 45 minutes but EMU's defense held firm.  Freshman keeper Ryan Zerkel (Mount Jackson, Va./Stonewall Jackson), who started the season third on the depth chart but started his second straight game because of injuries, made six saves in the frame, including on back-to-back shots with five minutes left.

The men got shots on goal from Juan Luna (Mount Jackson, Va./Stonewall Jackson) and David Hooley (Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton), but both were saved as the contest stayed scoreless.

Roanoke controlled the open minutes of the second half and changed the complexion of the game.  The Maroons got a goal in the 50th minute, adding a sense of urgency for Eastern Mennonite.  The Royals attempted a pair of shots after that, but couldn't get one on goal and suffered the tight loss.

The men were out-shot 17-4 including 8-2 on goal.  Zerkel finished with six stops, while defender Ryan Thomas (Telford, Pa./Christopher Dock) also cleared a ball off the line for EMU.

With their eighth loss by one goal, the Royals end the year at 8-10-2.