By Nick Morgan, Sports Editor
Soccer
Women’s (12-4-1): In a match to determine who would take the lead in the River States Conference standings, the Eagles fell to West Virginia Tech 2-0 on Oct. 26. After the teams played a scoreless half, the Golden Bears netted goals in the 67th and 72nd minutes. Tech finished the game with a 14-5 shot advantage, including 10-4 in shots on goal.
The women were able to rebound by shutting out University of Rio Grande 1-0 in overtime on Oct. 29. Brooke Perkins recorded six saves and Emily Hubbuch scored the goal that sealed the victory and ensured the Eagles a first round bye in the RSC Tournament.
Men’s (11-5-1): The Eagles defeated West Virginia Tech 4-3 in a thrilling double overtime bout on Oct. 26. The Golden Bears held a 22-9 advantage in shots but only an 8-7 edge in shots on goal. Ryan Metcalf scored the game’s first goal off an assist by Isaac Amaya in the ninth minute. Tech responded with the final two goals of the first half to take a 2-1 lead into halftime.
Sam Henderson tied the match with a goal in the 74th minute and Owen Sigey gave AU a 3-2 lead in the 83nd minute. The lead was short-lived as the Golden Bears scored the equalizer five minutes later and the teams finished regulation tied 3-3. After a scoreless first overtime, Henderson netted the golden goal in the second minute of the extra frame off an assist from Austin Baker.
In a match to determine the River States Conference Regular Season champion, the Eagles fell to Rio Grande 6-1 on Oct. 28. Noah Welch scored the Eagles’ lone goal in the 77th minute. Despite not winning the regular season title, Asbury still earned the right to host a tournament game.
The Eagles finished the regular season with a 2-1 win over Georgetown College on Oct. 30. Georgetown jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but Ryan Metcalf netted the equalizer off of an assist from Fionn McCartan in the 38th minute. Asbury played stellar defense in the second half and Isaiah Okesson nailed a game-winning goal in the 82nd minute.
Basketball
Women’s (0-1): The Eagles dropped their season opener to Mount Vernon Nazarene University by a score of 78-57 on Oct. 28. The Eagles led 19-12 after the first quarter and 35-31 at halftime, but the Cougars then outscored the Eagles 31-10 in the third quarter to take a 62-45 lead to the fourth quarter. Kelsey Johnson led AU in scoring with 17 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the floor. Bailey Brown also scored in double figures, rattling home 13 points. Shelby McDonald and Autumn Herriford grabbed nine rebounds each.
Men’s (0-1): The Eagle’s season opened in dramatic fashion. The men lost a heartbreaker 94-91 to Point University. The Eagles led by as many as 13 points in the second half and never trailed in the period until under a minute left in the game as Point tallied the final six points of the contest. After a remarkable shooting 59 percent (20-for-24) from the floor in the first half, the Eagles cooled off a bit with a 36 percent (12-for-33) performance in the second half. Trenton Thompson scored a game-high 32 points for the Eagles, Jeron Boykins came off the bench to tally 16 points and Clif Conley had 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Will Henderson came close to a double-double with 10 points and nine assists.
Volleyball (17-6)
Asbury defeated Shawnee State 3-1 (18-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-20) and honored seniors Emily Flaget, Jade Kong, Miller, Alyssa Molden, Kayla Morlan, Madeline Morris, Ashlee Rose and Bailee Settle on Oct. 26. Morris led the offensive attack with 15 kills, followed Morlan with 14. Miller and Laura Bird had 26 and 25 assists, respectively and Settle collected 24 digs on defense.
Dominated three straight River State Conference matches against Rio Grande 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-19), West Virginia Tech 3-0 (27-25, 25-22, 25-17) and Midway 3-0 (25-15, 25-8, 25-18) from Oct. 28- Oct. 31.
Swim
Women’s: Defeated Campbellsville 161-41 on Oct. 27 and cruised past Transylvania 141-60 on Oct. 28. Hope Clark qualified for NAIA Nationals in the 100 Butterfly and broke the Asbury pool record in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 1:58.05.
Men’s: Claimed a 123-74 win over Campbellsville on Oct. 27 and defeated Transy 133-50 on Oct. 28. Colt Rasmussen swam a nice 500 Freestyle, finishing in first place with a time of 5:11.14.
Information Courtesy of Asbury’s athletic website, www.asburyeagles.com