Emory Men’s Soccer to Host the Sonny Carter Invitational
The Emory University men's soccer team will welcome in three
other schools this weekend, as the Eagles will play host for the
annual Sonny Carter Invitational at the Woodruff P.E. Center on
Saturday and Sunday.
Emory will play Illinois Wesleyan University at 1:00 PM on
Saturday, and face Hampden-Sydney College at 2:30 PM on
Sunday. There will also be neutral matches between Oglethorpe
University and Hampden-Sydney at 3:30 PM on Saturday, and between
Oglethorpe University and Illinois Wesleyan at noon on Sunday.
Coverage
Live statistics will be available at no cost for all of the
games of the Sonny Carter Invitational. Go to http://emoryathletics.com/information/LiveStats
and click on the 'Men's Soccer' link to gain access.
About Sonny Carter
The most distinguished Emory soccer alumnus is the late Sonny
Carter, who went on to play professional soccer, became a doctor
and then an astronaut. Carter, a 1969 graduate of the college, was
drafted in the first round by the Atlanta Chiefs of the North
American Soccer League for whom he played three seasons. He was
among the inaugural inductees into the Emory Athletic Hall of Fame
in 1989 and received the school's highest alumni honor the
following year when he was accorded the Emory Medal. He was a
member of the NASA Discovery crew that spent 120 hours in space in
November 1989. Carter was in training for a second space flight
when he died tragically in an April 1991 plane crash.
This weekend's games are played in memory of the late Sonny
Carter. Through his enduring versatility and character,
Carter reminds us always to reach for the stars.
Emory University Eagles
After finishing their 2009 campaign with a 12-4-2 record, the
Eagles kicked off their 2010 season with a 2-0 win over Covenant
College at the Woodruff P.E. Center on Wednesday. Junior
newcomers Nao
Masuda and Kamron Zia each scored
a goal for Emory, while freshman Chris Aiken notched
his first career assist. In addition, the Eagles' defense
helped the squad outshoot Covenant 25-8 during the game, and junior
Trenton
Spindler made four saves to record the shutout in
goal. Emory is led by head coach Sonny Travis, who has
compiled a 45-9-3 record during his three-plus seasons as the
Eagles' helm.
Illinois Wesleyan University Titans
Illinois Wesleyan went 5-9-3 in 2009, including a 2-4-2
record on the road. The Titans opened up their 2010 campaign
on Wednesday, with a 3-0 loss at the University of Wisconsin
– Whitewater. Returning from last year's squad for the
Titans are sophomore midfielder Kyle Gorgol, who scored six goals
and an assist in 2009, and senior goalkeeper Frank Gorg.
Illinois Wesleyan is led by head coach Ryan Lakin, who has a record
of 33-46-11 during his five-plus seasons with the team.
Hampden-Sydney College Tigers
The Tigers are coming off a record-setting season, going a
program-best 16-4-0 with 11 shutouts, and winning their first-ever
Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship in 2009.
Hampden-Sydney opened its 2010 campaign with a victory, coming from
behind to defeat Averett University 5-3 on Wednesday. Among
the returners for the Tigers is Nick DeProspero, a sophomore who
scored a goal and an assist against Averett, and Bryan Wharton, an
all-region forward who notched 14 goals in both 2008 and
2009. Hampden-Sydney Josh Laux, who has a record of 62-40-11
during his six-plus seasons with the team.
Matchup Histories
This will be the first-ever meeting between Emory and Illinois
Wesleyan. The Eagles have faced Hampden-Sydney eight times
previously, with the Eagles holding a 7-0-1 advantage in the
all-time series. The last meeting between the two squads was
on September 11, 2004, resulting in a 2-0 Emory win.
Emory Notes
With their season-opening win on Wednesday, the Eagles are
now 20-8-1 all time in their first game of the season, and 21-4-0
in home openers since 1986… It was also Emory's
14th shutout win in a home opener, and the Eagles have
now recorded shutout wins in seven of their last eight home-opening
games at the Woodruff P.E. Center… The Eagles have not lost
at home in their last five contests at the WoodPEC, going 3-0-2
during the stretch, and are now 46-8-6 at home since 2003…
Emory improved to 150-37-7 in September games since 1985, and are
57-2-0 in September since 2003.
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