The Royals picked up a much-needed win Friday night, and did it in impressive fashion, upsetting ODAC preseason favorite Roanoke College on the road, 1-0.  EMU's soccer men, picked ninth in the same poll, grabbed some crucial points in the league standings and gained some momentum as they end the season with eight ODAC games.

The win also exacted an amount of payback from last year, when Eastern Mennonite lost 4-3 at home to Roanoke during the season and 1-0 in Salem in the ODAC Tournament.  This year, Juan Luna's (Mount Jackson, Va./Stonewall Jackson) goal in the 40th minute provided the difference as the Royals weathered the storm, literally and figuratively, to get the win.

The men dealt the Maroons their first ODAC loss since 2013.

Shortly before halftime, Luna scored for the second straight game, one-timing a pass from freshman Dominic Powers (Culpeper, Va./Fiesta Valley).  It was the first collegiate point for Powers.

The game got increasingly ugly after that.  The Maroons picked up two yellow cards in the final three minutes of the half, and added four more in the second.  Roanoke also kept putting up shots, firing 22 in the game while earning 18 corners.

But EMU's defense held firm in the rain.  It looked like the home team would get their equalizer on a breakaway in the 73rd minute, but keeper Daniel Nyce (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) made a fantastic kick save of Rob Lentine's weak side shot.

Nyce then made back-to-back saves five minutes later, and again in the 83rd minute, to earn the shutout in his first collegiate start.  The transfer sophomore made seven saves in the win, taking the place of starter Matthew Overacker (Mount Crawford, Va./Turner Ashby), who was hurt in last Saturday's loss to Lebanon Valley.

The Royals needed just five shots to do the needed damage.  Luna, Emmanuel Boamah (Alexandria, Va./West Potomac) and David Nester (Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) each put one shot on goal.

Now 3-8 overall and 1-2 in the ODAC, EMU heads to Shenandoah on Wednesday.  Game time in Winchester is 7:00pm.