#9 Emory Men’s Soccer to Open its 2009 Season on Wednesday

After reaching the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament and winning a University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship in 2008, the Emory University men's soccer team will look for similar successes in 2009, starting with its season-opening match against Southern Wesleyan University on Wednesday, September 2^nd.

The Eagles, ranked ninth in Division III to open the season, will open their campaign at home against the NAIA's Warriors at 6:00 PM on Wednesday night.  The match will be the opening contest of the Sonny Carter Invitational.

Southern Wesleyan went 10-8-2 last season, and opened its 2009 season with a 5-1 win over Brevard College on Thursday, August 27^th.  The Warriors are led by head coach Camilo Rodriguez.

Coming off its first UAA Championship since the 1998 season and a 16-2-1 overall record, the Eagles will have to overcome the loss of 11 seniors, including NSCAA All-Americans Patrick Carver and Marc Del Marmol, and all-South Region goalkeeper Jonathan Laycock. 

Leading the group of returnees for Emory will be sophomore forward Ben Schlang, last season's UAA Rookie of the Year.  Schlang led the UAA with three game-winning goals in conference play, and finished second on the squad with nine goals and 23 points.  Juniors Christopher Howie, Michael Scannapieco, and Jake Graetz each played in every game last season, and will look to make an impact again in 2009.

For the most part, however, the Emory squad will consist of new faces.  The Eagles have added 12 freshman and three upperclassmen to their roster for the 2009 campaign.

Leader of last year's UAA Coaching Staff of the Year, head coach Sonny Travis, returns for his third year with the team after guiding the Eagles to back-to-back 16 win seasons for the first time in the program's history.  Travis will be helped by first-year assistants Ben Buerger and Glen Fox.

Emory enters the season ranked ninth in the NSCAA National Pre-Season Division III Poll, the highest-ranking of any UAA team.  The Eagles were picked to finish third in the University Athletic Association by the conference's head coaches, receiving two first-place votes.

Following its season-opening match on Wednesday, Emory will conclude the Sonny Carter Invitational on Saturday, September 5^th at 1:00 PM against the University of the Ozarks.  The Eagles will play their first preseason ranked opponent on September 26^th, when eighth-ranked Christopher Newport University comes to the WoodPEC to for a rematch of last year's NCAA Tournament round of 16 contest.

The Eagles will begin their always-competitive UAA schedule on October 4^th at home against Washington University (Mo.).  Emory will face the 18^th-ranked and UAA-favorite University of Rochester on the road on October 30^th, and 21^st-ranked Carnegie Mellon University at home on November 7^th.