HARRISONBURG, Va. - The Guilford College men's soccer team wrapped up its season with a narrow 2-1 loss to Eastern Mennonite University on Saturday afternoon at the EMU Turf Field in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) matchup.
The Quakers finished the season with an overall record of 3-11-1 and 0-9-1 in ODAC play with the loss, while the Royals, currently ninth in the conference, improved to 6-5-7 overall and 2-3-4 in ODAC competition.
Chris Kelley (Lexington, N.C.) got the nod in goal for Guilford securing three saves against five shots on goal and concluding the season at 2-10-1. Eastern Mennonite's keeper, Andrew Arledge, finished with one save out of two shots faced, moving to 6-5-7 for the Royals.
Riley Copeland (West End, N.C.) led the Quakers, scoring Guilford's lone goal off three shot attempts.
Chris Hercules (Greensboro, N.C.) logged three shots, while
Dani Santos (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) placed his only attempt on frame.
Cameron Robinson (Garner, N.C.),
Elijah McGowen (Chesterfield, Va.), and
Ken Vasquez (Pittsboro, N.C.) each recorded a shot attempt.
The game began with both teams pressing for early control, as Guilford advanced quickly into EMU's defensive third. Copeland fired the first shot but pushed it wide left, yielding a goal kick for the Royals.
After both teams traded possessions and tried to break the deadlock, the Royals struck in the 20th minute. A drive down the right wing by Chris Santisteban ended with a cross into the box. Guilford's defense tried to clear, but the ball found King, who slotted it into the bottom left to give EMU the lead.
Just two minutes later, EMU capitalized again. Schrock navigated through the Quaker defense, connecting with a pass from Arteaga before finishing decisively into the bottom right, extending the Royals' lead to 2-0.
Guilford entered the second half with energy, and in the 55th minute, they broke through. A strong build-up in midfield found Copeland, who cut past the defense and launched a well-placed strike from outside the box into the bottom left corner to make it 2-1.
Eight minutes later, Guilford looked to equalize as Santos maneuvered skillfully past defenders and released a shot, but it missed wide left, giving the Royals a reprieve.
The final minutes saw both teams exchange set pieces, fouls, and shots, but neither was able to alter the score, finalizing the game at 2-1 in favor of EMU.
This concludes the Quakers 2024-2025 season.
#GoQuakes
