The Oglethorpe men's soccer team downed No. 15 Emory, 2-1, Thursday afternoon at Salamone Field. The victory marked the second consecutive year that Oglethorpe has defeated Emory.

The Petrels came out the agressors in the first 10 minutes of the game and were rewarded for their efforts. Sophomore forward Nick Muntean scored his first goal of the season in the third minute off a cross from senior midfielder Sean King and the Petrels had their 1-0 lead. 

They continued to play their aggressive game and had a couple of chances to expand the lead. However, both shots caromed off the post, one of them after a defender blocked it initially. The Petrels would hold their 1-0 lead through to halftime, but Emory started to gain some momentum in the latter part of the first half.

That continued for the first 15 minutes of the second half, but the Petrels continued to counterattack very effectively, leading to numerous chances on goal. Muntean was thwarted by the Emory goalkeeper in a couple of one-on-one situations and Emory stayed in the game.

This changed in the 61st minute, when Oglethorpe sprung another counterattack. Freshman midfielder Gustavo Martinez broke down the right side of the field and delivered a perfect low cross to Muntean at the top of the penalty area. Muntean calmly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to give Oglethorpe a 2-0 lead and tally his second goal of the game.

The Petrels held Emory off from that point until the final 10 minutes. The visiting Eagles scored in the 82nd minute to make things a little too interesting for the Petrels down the stretch. Oglethorpe defended wave after wave of Emory attack and senior forward Nick Williamson had to clear a ball off the Oglethorpe goal line with around a minute left in the game. But the Petrels defense held firm and the squad hung on for the 2-1 victory.

Muntean has recorded seven points in his last two matches with three assists in Sunday's 6-0 victory at Averett to go with a pair of goals this afternoon. The assists in today's game marked the first of the year for both Martinez and King, and the first of Martinez's career. 

The Eagles actually outshot the Petrels, 16-14, as they spent much of the game searching for an equalizing goal. They also took seven corner kicks to Oglethorpe's four. However, the Petrels held a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal. 

This crosstown rivalry against perenniel nationally-ranked Emory has become much more competitive in recent times, with Oglethorpe winning the last two meetings and taking the Eagles down to the wire in the one before that.

The 2-2 Petrels now look to push above .500 going into conference play in a couple weeks. They will take on Maryville on Sunday at approximately 4:15 p.m. on Salamone Field before games against Piedmont and Covenant round out the non-conference schedule.