COLLEGE SOCCER: Wasps fall to Maroons in ODAC opener

EMORY, Va. - When that first shot goes through, Emory & Henry goalkeeper Daniel Mills takes a simple approach.

“Put the stupid mistakes behind you and keep playing like the game just started,” the Abingdon graduate said.

On Wednesday, he didn’t have to turn the clock back too far as Roanoke’s Michael Stark scored less than 30 seconds into the match and the Maroons rolled to a 5-0 men’s soccer win over the Wasps in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

“We always play our hardest,” Mills said. “We do what we can and it didn’t go our way tonight.”

Instead, it went the way of the ODAC’s preseason No. 1 team very quickly. Stark’s first of two goals on the night came off a Jason Ryan assist from eight yards out. The junior from Newport News, Va., would add another marker 21 minutes later, this time corralling a loose ball in front of the net, swiveling his body and twisting the shot past Mills.

His second tally came on the tail end of a relentless Maroon attack that had Mills on his toes all night.

“Roanoke is always good,” said E&H coach Travis Fravel. “They always have good players.”

While Stark’s match-opening pair was all the Maroons (4-1-2, 1-0 ODAC) needed, they were far from done. Chris Collins ended the first half with a laser-shot goal from just outside the penalty area but Mills sandwiched six saves between the three goals – four of which came off acrobatic dives to the keeper’s right. The junior also stopped a pair of point-blank tries from Cameron Travalini and came out of the goal box to end a one-on-one threat from Kayvon Sarmadi.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Wasps (2-4, 0-1 ODAC) could get very little started, spending most of the first half on defense and unable to put back-to-back attacks together for most of the match. The Wasps could only muster seven shots on goal – six off the foot of last week’s ODAC Player of the Week P.J. Hinson.

Hinson’s best chance at a goal came 23 minutes into the match when he sent an open shot high over the net from 20 yards out.

“Our guys fought until the end,” Fravel said.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Wasps with a trip to Hampden-Sydney coming Saturday. Fravel said his team expects more of the same.

“They’re very similar to Roanoke,” he said. “The important thing is we’re getting better with each game.”

NOTES: Each team was booked twice with yellow cards. ... Roanoke’s Taylor Johnston tallied the longest goal of the night, a cannon shot from 22 yards out. ... Four of the Maroons’ five goals were unassisted. ... Emory & Henry did not have a single corner kick, Roanoke had 10.