ATLANTA, Ga. - A nice and cool 7:00 p.m. kickoff in Atlanta warranted an intense and entertaining clash between the Berry Vikings and No. 24 Emory Eagles. The Vikings were looking to give the Eagles a game after their dominant display against the LaGrange Panthers. In true underdog fashion, they managed to muster up a draw, providing them with a huge amount of momentum.
The match started and had an instant impact. Within the first 40 seconds, the Eagles were able to score a shot outside of the box off of a corner, giving them a 1-0 lead. The Vikings were forced to play catch-up for the entire rest of the half, being out at a disadvantage early on getting outshot 9-3. The final 20 minutes of the first half is where the tides started to shift in favor of the Vikings, as they were winning more duels and finding themselves putting the pressure on against the Eagles. However, they still trailed 1-0 going into the locker room.
The second half was very intense and close with the Vikings still were applying the pressure to the Eagles, and when they put them on the ropes, they made it count. Joey Captain stepped up and scored a well placed free kick to make the score level 1-1 at 59:24.
The games significant events would not end there, as a minute after Captain scored, the Eagles won a penalty kick. As the taker stepped up to the ball, goalkeeper Cooper Cherry dove to his left and made the save keeping the Vikings tied with the Eagles.
Again in the 81st minute, the Vikings would concede another penalty to the Eagles. When the moment mattered, the Eagles were not able to handle the pressure. They left the shot outside of the frame, missing the goal all together and leaving another crucial chance of victory on the table.
The rest of the game would play out through intense battles and clashes between players, but it would ultimately end up being a 1-1 final score for the Vikings on the road.
The Vikings next play at home at Bob Pearson Field on Wednesday, September 30 at 7:30 p.m. They will play against the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels for their opening SAA conference game.
