Eagles Move to 2-0 With Region Win

August 30, 2025

The Emmaus University men's soccer team moved to 2-0 on the season, shutting out Midwest Region opponent, Kuyper College with a decisive 4–0 victory on Saturday afternoon.

The Eagles set the tone early, generating consistent pressure in the attacking third. Their persistence paid off in the 29th minute when James Staudinger opened the scoring off an assist from Jake Matte, giving Emmaus a 1–0 advantage. Just ten minutes later, Ben Spangler doubled the lead with a well-placed finish, assisted by Claudius Holzman, sending the Eagles into halftime up 2–0.

Emmaus wasted no time adding to their lead in the second half. In the 49th minute, Holzman found the back of the net on a setup from Staudinger, pushing the score to 3–0. The Eagles capped off the afternoon in the 77th minute when Matte converted from close range following an assist by Bennett Kreiner.

The Eagles' defense stood tall all afternoon, holding Kuyper to just two total shots and none on goal. Goalkeeper Tucker Kapas earned the clean sheet without needing to record a save, thanks to strong backline play led by Asuan Tomlinson, Caleb Hunter, and John David Miller.

"Today was another good step and we saw our attack and possession game improve" Noted Coach McHugh. "Our goalkeeper Tucker and I both told the team at halftime that the ball circulation and rotation...going from one side of the field to the other...were some of the best attacking movements we've produced over the past 2-3 seasons...[W]e would have liked to finish off more of these attacking chances, but our 13 corner kicks shows how well we were attacking and how often we were around their goal."

Offensively, Emmaus fired 22 shots, with nine on target, while also earning 13 corner kicks. Kuyper, meanwhile, managed only two attempts on frame and struggled to maintain possession in the attacking third.

The Eagles are back on the home pitch this weekend, hosting University of Northwestern on Friday at 4:00 PM.