Tartans Finish Season with 2-1 Win at Emory

(ATLANTA, Ga.) – The Carnegie Mellon University men's soccer team concluded the 2011 season with a 2-1 win on Saturday, November 5, at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. The Tartans finish with a 7-8-1 overall mark and a 3-4 record in the University Athletic Association. The Eagles finish at 10-8 and 4-3.

Prior to the end of the first half, the Tartans took a 1-0 lead after senior midfielder Carmen Minella (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) scored his sixth goal of the season in the 38th minute. Minella finished off a cross from freshman Mark Nicholas (Metuchen, N.J./Hun School of Princeton).

Minella's shot was the second of the game for the Tartans as freshman Jakob Rohwer (Southborough, Mass./Phillips Academy Andover) had one saved in the 16th minute of play. Freshman forward Daniel Kursman-Neri (Bryn Mawr, Pa./Harriton) had an opportunity to give the Tartans a second goal just minutes afte Minella's score but his shot was stopped by Emory keeper Andrew Goldblum.

Freshman keeper Jacob Rice (Gahanna, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln) entered the game at the half and stopped two early shots by the Eagles before the home team was able to break through to tie the score in the 63rd minute. Andrew Natalino used a header to score his sixth goal of the season after a cross by David Garofalo.

The Eagles mustered off another four shots, none of which were on goal, before the Tartans took a 2-1 lead in the 82nd minute when Rohwer put in a free kick from 25 yards out. The goal was the second off a free kick by Rohwer this season.

The defense helped Rice keep the Tartan lead with a team save in the 86th minute before Rice made a save with 20 seconds to play sending the Tartans to the season-ending victory.