#21 Eagles to Put Perfect Record to the Test against Bridgewater & Rowan

Fresh off rising to their first appearance of the season in the NSCAA Division III poll, the 21^st-ranked Emory University women’s soccer team will look to remain undefeated as they will face Bridgewater College and Rowan University at the University of Mary Washington Soccer Classic in Fredericksburg, VA.

The Eagles will take on Bridgewater at 3:30 PM on Saturday, September 11^th.  On Sunday, September 12^th, Emory will face its third nationally-ranked opponent of the season, taking on 12^th-ranked Rowan University at 1:00 PM.  All games this weekend will be hosted by the University of Mary Washington, which will be the fourth school at the tournament.

Coverage
There will be live statistics available for both of Emory’s games this weekend, available here: http://www.sidearmstats.com/umw/$wsoc$1.2%20(91)/index.htm

Emory University Eagles
Emory currently stands at 3-0-0 on the season, including wins over Lee University, the top-ranked team in the NAIA, and Lynchburg College, then ranked fourth among all Division III squads.  The Eagles are 2-0-0 in matches away from the Woodruff P.E. Center this season, after going 5-4-1 in road and neutral matches in 2009.  Emory’s quick start to the season has been fueled by late-game heroics, as the Eagles have scored a pair of ‘golden goals’ to win two of their first three games.  Emory is led by sixth-year head coach Sue Patberg, who is 65-19-12 with the Eagles.

Bridgewater College Eagles
Bridgewater will enter the weekend with a 1-2-0 record, including a 0-2-0 mark in road and neutral matches, after going 13-6-1 in 2009.  After winning their first game of the campaign against Stevenson, the Eagles dropped back-to-back games, losing 7-0 to the College of New Jersey and 4-2 to Elizabethtown.  Bridgewater is coached by third-year leader Mike Van Horn, who has a record of 20-20-2 with the Eagles.

Rowan College Profs
Rowan has also opened its year with a 3-0-0 record (including a 2-0-0 record in neutral games), climbing to the 12^th spot in the latest NSCAA national rankings, and second in the regional poll.  The Profs are yet to allow a goal this season, outscoring its opponents Arcadia University, New York University and Wilkes University by a combined score of 12-0.  Senior forward Jess Babice has led all Rowan scorers with five goals and two assists for 12 points this season.  Last year, the Profs advanced to the NCAA Tournament with a 17-3-1 overall record.  Rowan is led by head coach Scott Leacott, who has a record of 153-44-18 during his 13 seasons with the team.

Matchup Histories
The Eagles have a very short history with both of the squads they will be facing this weekend.  Saturday’s match will be the first ever meeting between Emory and Bridgewater, while the Eagles played Rowan once, hosting the Profs and winning 1-0 on August 30, 1997.

Emory Notes
Emory sophomore goalkeeper Kaele Leonard was named the University Athletic Association’s (UAA) Defensive Athlete of the Week for women’s soccer, after playing over 142 shutout minutes in goal and earning wins in all three Emory matches… Just over a week into the season, the Eagles are the only remaining UAA team to still be undefeated and untied, and are one of just two teams without a loss, along with Chicago (1-0-1)… Emory’s leading scorer is senior Melanie Levy, who has scored two goals this season, both game-winners… Levy has now scored the game-winner for Emory in five of the teams last six games (dating back to last season), scoring six total goals during the stretch… Emory’s last three goals have all come off corner kicks, including a pair from Lee  Bachouros… Bachouros, Emily Rubin and Sara Belsole have each recorded game-winning assists for Emory this season.