MARYVILLE – Maquel Besson's goal in the 79th minute spoiled Emory's bid for a shutout as the visiting Eagles posted a 5-1 decision over Maryville.
Hannah Smoot delivered a nifty pass to Besson at the top of the penalty box. Besson then turned right and fired right to beat Emory goalkeeper Emma Miller for her second goal of the season.
The Eagles (5-2-0) arrived with a No. 4 ranking in Region VI by UnitedSoccerCoaches.com. They fired 28 shots at Scots goalkeeper
Sophie Turner, including 16 on goal. Turner made 11 saves to keep Maryville in the match and set a career high for saves in the process, topping her previous best of 10 from last season against Swarthmore and Emory.
It was 2-0 at halftime when Emory poured three into the net over a 4:06 stretch. The first and third of those tallies completed a hat trick for Mara Rodriguez – her first three goals of the season. The flurry of goals came in the 47th minute for Rodriguez, the 48th minute for Aubrey Blanchard, and then again in the 51st minute for Rodriguez. A graduate transfer, Rodriguez played three seasons at Division I Providence and is a member of the El Salvadoran Women's National Team, Senior Level.
Besson's goal closed out the scoring.
Rodriguez scored her first goal of the evening in the game's 17th minute, and Mia Han followed in the 24th minute for Emory's 2-0 lead. The Eagles controlled possession for nearly 60 percent of match time.
Corner kicks were 9-0 for the visitors, who won their fourth match in a row.
Maryville shots were taken by Besson, Smoot and
Macy Lindsey. The Smoot assist was her third of the season to tie Lindsey for the team lead.
The first-place Scots (5-3-1) return to CCS play Sunday at Agnes Scott (1-4-0), which was scheduled to play Friday night at Huntingdon. That match was postponed and rescheduled for next month. Start time Sunday in Decatur is set for 2 p.m.
