Eagles Tame Bobcats with 3-0 Shutout Victory

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ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team bounced back from a pair of tough 1-0 losses, powering past the Ohio University Bobcats, 3-0, Friday evening at Chessa Field. The Eagles (8-6-1, 5-2-0 MAC) recorded their third shutout of the 2013 campaign as the Bobcats (6-5-4, 2-3-1 MAC) were held scoreless for just the second time this season.

Team co-captain Cara Cutaia (Burlington, Ontario-Notre Dame Catholic) scored a pair of goals to lead the Green and White as she has done all season, finding the net in the ninth and 79th minutes. Junior forward Angela Vultaggio (Chesterfield, Mich.-L'Anse Creuse North) tallied a goal in the 11th minute while Megan McCabe (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Prospect) (8-6-1) clamped down defensively, notching seven saves in her second individual shutout of the year.

EMU made OU goalkeeper Mattie Liston (6-4-4) work for the entire 90 minutes, taking 23 shots and landing 18 of them on target for an on-goal clip of 0.783. Individually, Vultaggio and Bianca Rossi (Mississauga, Ontario-St. Marcellinus) both fired five shots apiece on goal, while Cutaia sent four shots on target, capitalizing on two of them. Liston stopped 15-of-18 shots on goal, including 9-of-10 in the second half.

After going nearly 230 minutes without scoring a goal, the Eagles struck early in the first half as Cutaia blasted a shot from the top of the box and into the back of the net. Less than two minutes later, Vultaggio doubled the EMU lead, rebounding her own shot to put the Eagles up, 2-0, with 34:47 remaining in the first half. McCabe recorded two saves in the first 45 minutes without allowing an OU goal, helping EMU take its two-goal advantage into the halftime break.

Ohio has proven to be a second half team all season longing, outscoring its opponents 16-4 in the final 45 minutes of regulation. However, McCabe and the rest of the EMU backline were ready for the OU attack. The Bobcats sent five of its six second half shots on goal, but McCabe denied each one of them to keep the shutout intact. With 11:38 left in the contest, Cutaia added an insurance goal to complete the scoring as EMU earned its fifth Mid-American Conference victory, 3-0.

With the combination of a victory and other results around the MAC, the Eagles now control their own destiny in a chase for the program's first conference regular season title since 2003. The Green and White's quest continues Sunday, Oct. 20, against the Golden Flashes of Kent State. The contest from Zoeller Field is set to kick off at 1 p.m.

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Team Stats

Cara Cutaia

Angela Vultaggio

Bianca Rossi

Stephanie Clarke

Eastern Michigan Athletics