An early goal from Titans of Illinois Wesleyan University was not enough to take down the Eagles of Emory University today in Atlanta, Georgia.
Illinois Wesleyan features two players from Springfield in Tim Griffin (Parkview) and Tom Marlow (Parkview). Marlow’s minutes were limited as he is coming from a pair of injuries that kept him out a week of pre-season. Griffin played for most of the game and looked dangerous with the ball at his feet, especially in transition. The goal from Sam Peniak of Illinois Wesleyan came in the 17th minute after a lovely through ball and a burst of speed to outrace the Emory defender.
Emory got back in the game in the 39th minute with a fabulous goal from Senior defender Adam Waxman. The pace and frequent substitution of Emory’s attackers seemed to take a toll on the Titans towards the end of each half. Despite this, Emory still struggled to put the ball in the back of the net but clearly looked more dangerous than last year’s squad. Set piece goal machine Jake Graetz scored the game winner in the 67th minute off an indirect kick from Zach Samuels. Sophomore defender Andrew Natalino finished the scoring in the final minute of play with a tremendous run from the back and exchange with right side midfielder Chris Howie.
A constant threat when on the field for Emory was Springfield Greenwood product Chris Aiken. The freshmen used his pace and size to his advantage, creating a number of dangerous opportunities for the Eagles. If he can find a way to convert some of the chances he’s creating for himself, he could have a real impact on the success of the team going forward.
The final two games of the tournament are tomorrow.
Oglethorpe University vs Illinois Wesleyan University @ 12pm EST
- Oglethorpe features Tyler Bennett from Kickapoo
Emory University vs Hampden Sydney @ 2:30pm EST
- Live Stats for both games: http://www.go.emory.edu/LiveStats/MSocc/XLIVE.HTM








