Sports contests do not get much more emotional than the women?s soccer game against Emory University Saturday, Sept. 29.
Senior stopper Jen Seferiadis scored with one minute left to play to give head coach Terry Gurnett his 300th career win and move the Yellowjackets to 2-0 in the University Athletic Association.
Playing in front of their most supportive home crowd of the season, the Yellow-jackets completely outplayed the eighth ranked Eagles in the first half.
?I think there was just a lot of energy surrounding the entire game,? Seferiadis said.
?The men?s soccer team was great. They were pretty vocal in the stands,? she said.
The inspired play of senior goalkeeper Andrea Pawliczek was all that kept Emory, which had not lost in its last 24 UAA matches, in the game.
Pawliczek played as though she knew where each shot was headed and she did not give any rebounds.
?[Pawliczek] doesn?t get tested very often because they?re so strong, but she never gives up bad goals,? Gurnett said.
The second half was a much tighter affair, but UR still put plenty of pressure on the net.
The Yellowjackets sent balls flying past the goal on all sides, but had trouble turning good opportunities into scores.
?If you apply intense amounts of pressure in their defensive end, good things happen,? Gurnett said.
That good thing finally happened with just over a minute remaining, when UR forced its fifth corner kick.
The crowd fell expectantly silent as Seferiadis sent the ball flying towards the top of the net.
Pawliczek leaped and got her hands on the ball, but it popped out of her grasp and fell into the left side of the net.
?We had been playing so well the entire game and we knew sooner or later we were going to get the goal to finish it,? Seferiadis said. ?It?s one of the best games I?ve ever seen our team play, we ran circles around them.?
The win earned the Yellowjackets, who outshot Emory 18-5, their first appearance in the top 25 rankings this season at No. 16, but that will not make them overconfident.
?We started off 0-2 and that?s a constant reminder that we can?t take anything for granted,? Gurnett said. ?We will not be sitting back and getting fat and happy.?
Jacobs can be reached at bjacobs@campustimes.org.
