Emmaus Earns Road Draw, Followed by Comeback Victory in Kansas

The Emmaus University men's soccer team put together a strong weekend on the road, earning a 2–2 draw against Manhattan Christian on Friday before rallying for a 3–2 victory over Barclay College on Saturday. The results push the Eagles to 3-2-1 overall and 1-0-1 in conference play.

Friday: Emmaus 2, Manhattan Christian 2

Emmaus came out firing, creating early pressure that paid off in the first half. Jake Matte buried a penalty kick in the 6th minute to level the score after Manhattan had struck first, and moments later he assisted Evann Kumar, who finished in the 19th minute to give the Eagles the lead.

Despite outshooting the Thunder 24–8 with 17 shots on goal, Emmaus couldn't find a second-half breakthrough. Manhattan equalized just before halftime on a penalty of their own, and the match ended level. Matte (1 goal, 1 assist) and Kumar (1 goal) led the attack, while defenders Asuan Tomlinson, Seth Karl, and Bennett Kreiner helped limit chances on the other end. Goalkeeper Tucker Kapas finished with one save.

Saturday: Emmaus 3, Barclay 2

The Eagles bounced back quickly less than 24 hours later, overcoming a two-goal deficit to secure their first conference win of the season. Barclay scored twice in the opening 14 minutes, but Emmaus responded with three unanswered goals – all from Jake Matte.

Matte struck first in the 18th minute off a feed from Bennett Kreiner, then added a second just 90 seconds later to tie the game. He completed the hat trick in the 33rd minute with a composed penalty finish, his fourth goal of the young season.

Kapas came up big in net, recording six saves, while Tomlinson added a defensive save in the second half to preserve the lead. Emmaus outshot Barclay 10–9 in a physical contest that featured three yellow cards for the Bears.

The Eagles next travel to Ankeny, IA to face off against Faith baptist on Tuesday, September 16 at 3:30 PM.