The No. 21 Washington University men’s soccer team fell 1-0 to No. 9 Emory University on Sunday at Francis Field, snapping the Red and Green’s winning streak at seven games. The loss dropped Wash. U. to 8-3 (1-1 UAA) while Emory improved to 11-0 (2-0 UAA).

The Bears had not surrendered a goal in 738 minutes, or seven games, before Emory reserve Ben Schlang scored the game’s lone goal in the 73rd minute off a deflection. The goal was the freshman’s seventh of the year.

“[Schlang’s] definitely going to be a driving force for us for the next four years,” Emory senior Jack Eisen-Markowitz said. “On any other team in D-III soccer…he’d be starting as a freshman.”

Emory dominated play in the first half, outshooting the Bears 9-2 in total shots and 5-0 in shots on goal. The Eagles nearly took the lead in the first half when co-captain Patrick Carver hit the crossbar on a shot from 12 yards out off a long throw-in. Then, with three minutes to play in the half, Wash. U. goalkeeper John Smelcer dove to his left to prevent a Schlang shot from giving Emory the lead just before the half.

Wash. U.’s only quality scoring chance in the first half came with less than one minute to play. Junior Nat Zenner took a free kick from 15 yards out that found sophomore Harry Beddo inside the Emory box. Beddo’s header went wide right to keep the game tied at 0-0 at halftime.

“We did not create enough on [the offensive] end in the first half,” Wash. U. Head Coach Joe Clarke said. “We really only had one legitimate chance, and it was a very good chance to score, on the free kick that Harry headed wide.”

Wash. U.’s play improved in the second half, but the Red and Green still could not muster a shot on net. The team’s best opportunity came in the 70th minute, when leading scorer John Hengel found his way through the Emory defense only to miss wide left after Eagles goalkeeper Jonathan Laycock came out to take away the angle.

“In the second half, I thought our team played much better on the attacking end and started trying to make runs that would get them behind the Emory defense,” Clarke said. “We got the ball into great positions probably four or five times, and Emory’s centerbacks did a fantastic job cutting players off or stopping guys that were right at the edge of the box to break free.”

Schlang scored just more than three minutes later, and the Bears were unable to tie the game in the closing minutes. The Eagles finished with a 17-3 advantage in total shots and 9-0 in shots on net.

“I felt like we were dominating, but I didn’t realize it was 17-3,” Eisen-Markowitz said. “It was a much a larger discrepancy than I originally thought. I felt like we didn’t create as many chances as we have in other games because the Wash. U. defense was better than what we’re used to seeing.”

Despite the Bears’ first loss since Sept. 6 at Westminster College, Coach Clarke saw reasons to be optimistic about the game’s outcome.

“I thought it was a good game. Our team played hard, and we didn’t really give many chances to score until late,” Clarke said. “We’re continuing to improve; they’re all working their tails off and playing very good defense. The next step is we have to be able to also control the ball in the other team’s end for longer periods and have longer periods where the ball is just in their end and we’re dominating the game.”

Wash. U. returns to action on Friday, Oct. 17 against UAA foe New York University on Francis Field at 7:30 p.m.