In its first conference game of the season, the Washington University men’s soccer team was two long throw-ins away from stealing an upset victory against No. 5 Emory University, but the Bears lost 2-1 in overtime on Sunday at Francis Field.

Junior Jack West’s penalty kick gave Wash. U. a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute, but the Bears failed to hold on against their University Athletic Association rival. The Red and Green conceded two headed goals off Emory midfielder Jeffrey Cochran’s throw-ins deep into the penalty box, which tied the game in the 63rd minute and won it in the 93rd.

Junior midfielder Jack West fights for the ball in the Bears’ game against Emory University on Sunday. Although West scored in the second half, the Bears fell in overtime 2-1.

Wash. U. left the game with a 5-3-1 record after its first game of conference play, while Emory improved its unbeaten record to 11-0-1 on the season.

“Emory is very direct. They’re very big,” head coach Joe Clarke said. “They do pass the ball, but their game is based on head balls, long balls, crosses and throw-ins, and they’re really good at it and they run the game on that.”

Despite Emory’s apparent advantage on balls in the air, the game was quite even throughout the first half as each team sent five shots toward goal.

One Emory chance just six minutes into the game seemed destined to give the Eagles an early lead. An Emory forward powerfully headed a cross toward the front of the net, but sophomore goalkeeper Daniel Geanon dove to his right to prevent the potential goal with a one-handed effort.

Ten minutes into the second half of the deadlocked game, West made an aggressive move down the left side of the field and into the box, forcing an Emory defender to trip him and drawing a whistle from the referee. West knocked the ensuing penalty kick into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season—his third on a penalty kick—giving the Bears a 1-0 lead with over a half-hour to play.

Brian Benton | Student Life

Junior midfielder Jack West dribbles the ball against Emory University this Sunday. West scored a goal, but the Bears lost the game 2-1 in overtime after Emory scored in the 93rd minute.

Emory’s quick reaction to being behind was apparent, and it began attacking Wash. U. with more and more aggression. Fewer than two minutes after coming onto the field as a substitute, Emory’s Cochran flung a deep throw-in that found Carl Credle’s head and deflected into the goal to tie the game at one apiece.

Geanon stayed steady, however, and prevented Emory from taking the lead on a headed attempt off a corner kick in the 78th minute, this time lunging to his left to stop the shot.

“[Geanon’s] doing a great job for us, and all of that was on head balls,” Clarke said.

The Bears were able to force overtime, but the tie didn’t last long. Just three minutes into the first overtime period, Cochran lined up beautiful throw-in toward the box, and the ball was met by the head of Emory’s Matt Sherr, who powered it into the left side of the net to give Emory the 2-1 victory.

“You do the best you can with those throw-ins, but they’re hard to deal with at all levels,” Clarke said. “If you have big center backs and a big goalkeeper, that stuff is pretty ineffective, but it was effective today.”

While the Bears were unable to defeat an unbeaten rival, Clarke took solace in the fact that the Bears were strong throughout the game, with lapses coming on just a few of Emory’s bread-and-butter headers in the box.

“The guys played a good game, a solid game, and we’ll continue to get better,” Clarke said.

The Red and Green will try to rebound when they hit the road—albeit not far—to face Fontbonne University on Wednesday evening.