Box Score BOSTON, Mass. – The 2011 Emerson Men's Soccer Team saw their season come to a halt Sunday afternoon after a chippy match-up with Emmanuel College in the GNAC Tournament Quarterfinals. The Saints were able to pull off a 3-2 win over the Lions as they improve to a program-best 11-5-4 on the year as well as the GNAC Quarterfinals while Emerson finishes their season at 9-9.
The first half proved to be incredibly offensive as both teams kept the throttle at full blast with the Saints putting up nine shots to Emerson's seven, with two for each team finding it's home in the back of the net. The Lions struck first and early as Jacob Lawrence saw and amazing pass from Ken Nikravesh long down the middle of the field for a breakaway goal that gave Emerson the 1-0 lead.
It wasn't to last though as the Saints saw Danny Richman put up a battle to get the ball across the box in the 12th minute who Jeremy Scanlon picked up to blast into the left corner of the box to make it 1-1. The Saints then pushed ahead in the 16th minute with the same tandem pairing up with a direct kick finding Scanlon's head to pocket it and make it 2-1. The Lions were voracious though as they came back to tie it in the end of the first with Jacob Lawrence striking again with a foul resulting in an indirect kick that Lawrence blasted towards the goal which went off the goalie and in to knot it.
The second half proved to be a lot more physical with the Lions doing the brunt of the battering with 19 fouls in the half. It seemed to come down to the wire and overtime looked promising until the 81st minute when Kevin Esposito shot a one-touch point blank shot off an Emerson defensive deflection to put it in the air toward the top right corner where the wind did the rest as it found nylon and put the nail in the coffin.
The loss ends the Emerson Men's Soccer Team's season where they saw their highest seed in the GNAC tournament yet as well as the first GNAC tournament match ever hosted at Rotch Field by the program.
