HARRISONBURG, Va. – The EMU Men's Soccer Royals sought to shake off their first defeat of the season in a Saturday afternoon matchup with Johnson & Wales University (Charlotte). In a frenetic, back-and-forth match, EMU scored early and then rallied late for a 2-2 draw with the Wildcats. It is the Royals' first tie of the season after getting a school record eight of them a season ago.
Records: EMU 2-1-1 | Johnson & Wales (Charlotte) 1-2-1
Highlights
- 4' | After an approximately 30-minute delay due to inclement weather, the Royals wasted no time lighting up the scoreboard. Oliver Rivera put a shot on net that was saved by the Wildcat keeper, but then Hamidullah Tokhi was in the right spot at the right time to boot in the rebound for the second goal of his first season. The 1-0 score would hold up until halftime.
- 62' | Johnson & Wales seized the opportunity to even the score at 1-1 when their captain Niklas Seguin got a shot from close range past Royals goalkeeper Ryan Bousfield.
- 71' | A short while later, the Wildcats took their first lead of the match off of a goal by Allen Ramirez, making the score 2-1 in favor of the visitors.
- 85'| Getting down to the wire, the Royals came up clutch. Yan Cesar approached the attacking third from the right side and then booted a cross into the box that was headed in beautifully by Rivera to knot things up at two. Neither side could muster a last-second game winner.
Statistical Leaders
Goals: Rivera, Tokhi (1)
Assists: Cesar, Rivera (1)
Shots on Goal: Cesar (1)
What's Next
The EMU Men's Soccer team will commence a third-game road trip on Wednesday, Sept. 10, when they travel to Buena Vista, Va., to do battle with the Southern Virginia Knights. Opening whistle against the Knights is scheduled for 7 p.m.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the EMU men's soccer program this year, follow EMU Athletics on Instagram, like EMU Athletics on Facebook or visit our website.
