COLUMBIA, Mo. – In Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's (Ariz.) return to NAIA National Championship play, the Eagles did what they needed to do by beating Dalton State University, 2-1 in a thrilling opening round match.
The first 20 minutes of play saw a lot of feeling out by both squads. In particular, the Eagles were forced to play out of their backline repeatedly trying to break through the Roadrunner's pressure. Simon Jensen (JR/Boras, Sweden) and Jarred Petersen (JR/Caldicot, England) were the stars tonight constantly breaking up runs and forcing DSU to play their style.
After a terrific play to draw a foul, the Eagles Pedro Mena (SO/Almeria, Spain) delivered a dime-ball from over 35+ yards out to Jacob Baker (JR/Graham, Wash.)'s head to get ERAU the lead. Mena's presence in the middle was solid as he was able to control play with his positioning and terrific skill on the ball. ERAU went to half up 1-0.
Despite controlling most of the possession, the Eagles gave up some good chances to the Roadrunners. This continued into the second half. Luckily, for the Eagles, Chiedu Ikeme (SO/Inverness, Scotland) answered the call. After a terrific ball sent the Scotsman in on goal, he lofted a shot over the keeper, off the post, and in. The Eagles were in control.
The Eagles were reluctant to get forward after their second goal and rightfully so. They pushed forward when they needed to but were content with what they had. Unfortunately, the Eagles gave up a penalty with only 20 minutes left. They would convert and the match was close again.
After a barrage of attacks and a potential game tying header that was called back due to an offside call, the Eagles held on to win their first NAIA postseason match in the programs history. Michal Serdynski (FR/Szczecin, Poland) was huge in the final minutes, he turned away five shots in the half and two in the final 20 minutes.
This season has been historic as they hold the most wins in school history (16), scored the most goals in a season (71), most shutouts (7) and have the most prolific goal scorer in a season in Mason Laaksonen (SR/Austin, Texas) (18).
The Eagles will now take on No. 2 Columbia College (20-0) on Saturday at 4:00 pm MST in a match where the winner advances to the NAIA National Championship final site.
