Some teams flounder under the pressure of tournament season — Eagles fly.
Women’s soccer returns to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the third time in four seasons following back-to-back shutout victories in the opening rounds of NCAA Division III tournament, played on home turf as Emory served as a regional host.
The Eagles kicked off their NCAA bid with a 6-0 win over Belhaven University on Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Woodruff PE Center. Emory followed with a 2-0 victory over Rhodes College on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16.
With a current season record of 18-1-1, Emory women’s soccer became the first team in school history to win 18 games — setting the record for the most in a single season. This is the women’s soccer team’s 23rd NCAA tournament appearance in program history and the 15th under head coach Sue Patberg, who earned her 400th career win earlier this season.
The team will face Johns Hopkins University in the next round. The game will take place at Washington & Lee in Lexington, Virginia, on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 11 a.m.
Men’s soccer earned its first berth to the NCAA Sweet 16 since 2017, thanks to a 3-0 win over Hampden-Sydney College on Sunday, Nov. 16, in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia. The victory followed a 3-1 defeat of Maryville College in their opening match on Saturday afternoon.
This will be the team’s fourth overall appearance in the Round of 16 and the second trip for an Eagles team under the leadership of head coach Cory Greiner — the first head coach in team history to do so during their tenure.
With the win, Emory advances in the bracket and is set to oppose Rowan University. The game will take place at the University of Lynchburg in Lynchburg, Virginia, at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22.
The No. 16 women’s cross country team won the NCAA South Region meet on Saturday, Nov. 15, in Salem, Virginia, automatically punching its ticket to the NCAA Division III National Championship next weekend. The team had seven All-Region selections with athletes Madison Tiaffay, Elizabeth Csikai, Davis Johnson, Payton Fleming, Cameron Gupta, Ayla Cooke and Ashley Clyman, all of whom finished in the top 20. Tiaffay, Csikai and Johnson placed in the top 10 at the event.
This marks the 20th consecutive year that the Eagles have earned a bid to the NCAA Championship. Last year, the women’s team took seventh overall, tying the program’s best finish set by the 1997 team. Tiaffay, Johnson, Gupta and Csikai will be returning to the National Championship from last year’s team.
The men’s cross country team took fourth overall in team standings. John Urciuoli and Ryan Van de Berghe are headed to the national championships as individuals after finishing in the top 10. The team had five All-Region selections with Urciuoli, Van de Berghe, Amos Pres, Nikhil Makker and Dalton Lowery placing among the top 30 finishers.
Both cross country teams will now head to Spartanburg, South Carolina, for the National Championship on Saturday, Nov. 22. The meet will be held at the Roger Milliken cross country course, with the men’s team racing at 10 a.m. and the women’s team racing at 11 a.m.
