Men tie both CMU, Emory in double OT

Men’s soccer failed to gain any ground this week in the University Athletic Association division as they tied against Carnegie Mellon University and Emory University. Despite going into double overtime twice, the Yellowjackets were unable to resolve either stalemate. The Yellowjackets first faced off against Carnegie Mellon. The team trailed behind CMU at the end of the first half, 1-0. The Yellowjackets managed to tie the score at one in the second half. Junior Nate Micklos found Take Five Scholar Ben Cross, who netted the only goal for the Yellowjackets. Cross’ goal put him at five for the season which moved him up to second overall on the teams scoring list. Micklos leads the team with 11 goals. Micklos’ assist, his fifth of the season, ties him for first with Cross. The defensive line played an integral role in maintaining the tie during this game. The team benefited specifically from freshman Jack Burgasser playing in goal. Burgasser saved four balls while clearing two off the line.The Yellowjackets encountered a similar scenario against Emory University, after again being down 1-0 early in the game. However, Emory relinquished the lead early. In fact, they gave it up 50 seconds after scoring their lone goal. Cross and junior Damien Hallatt combined their skills to assist junior Colin Fernie in his tying goal. Both teams attempted to break the tie and both sides had quite a few opportunities. The Yellowjackets amassed 11 shots on goal and their opponent followed up with 12. A lot of credit belongs to the goalies, specifically Burgasser, who saved five of the 12 shots made against him. So far this season, Burgasser has saved 25 of 36 shots. This gives him a save percentage of .766. To date, he has started in 13 of the team’s 14 games, which indicates Head Coach Chris Apple has a lot of confidence in his young goaltender. This season, the Yellowjackets have built themselves a respectable record of 9-2-3. They are currently 1-0-3 in conference play, which still leaves the team in contention for division championship. The Yellowjackets hope to improve their record in conference play next week when they host Washington University, St. Louis on Oct. 29. Following that game, the team is scheduled to play two more teams in their division, University of Chicago and Case Western University. On Saturday, the Yellowjackets will square off against Elmira College, a team not in their division. They currently sport a record of 2-10-0 on the season. Serafini can be reached at jserafini@campustimes.org.