Host Eagles To Meet Broncos In MAC Tournament Semifinals

Weekly Notes

Coach Hall Interview

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- As the top seed in the tournament, the 2013 Mid-American Conference regular season champion Eastern Michigan University soccer team will host the remainder of the MAC Women's Soccer Championships at Scicluna Field, Nov. 8-10. The Friday, Nov. 8, semifinal doubleheader begins at 11 a.m. with the Eagles taking on No. 4 seed Western Michigan University in a rematch from the Halloween regular season finale in which Eastern clinched its first conference crown since 2003 with a 2-1 victory. The Green and White will look to grasp two wins this weekend to not only win the conference tournament, but also make its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since the 1999 campaign. Eastern is currently riding its second six-game unbeaten streak of the season, going 5-0-1 in its latest contests.

Junior Angela Vultaggio paces the EMU high-octane offense with 13 goals and a MAC-best 34 points while senior Cara Cutaia follows closely behind with marks of 11 and 29, respectively, making the Eagles the 27th best scoring offense in the nation. Vultaggio also leads the team and conference in assists with eight as teammate Stephanie Clarke has seven on the season. Cutaia and Marisa Kozikowski's six assists apiece round out the distribution leaders as EMU ranks 12th in the nation with 47 assists on the year.

EMU goalkeeper Megan McCabe holds down the defensive side of the pitch, stopping 90 shots in 20 games between the posts, leading to four individual shutouts. Overall, the sophomore boasts a 1.06 goals against average and an 80.4 save percentage while helping pitch five EMU shutouts this season. In 2013, she has already set an EMU single-season record facing 293 shots thus far, passing Maggie Manville's previous school record of 277, set back in 2011. McCabe has earned three MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors due to her success throughout the 2013 campaign.

#MACtion at Scicluna Field: As the top seed in the 2013 MAC Tournament, EMU will host the remainder of the championship at Scicluna Field. The Eagles will kick things off Friday, Nov. 8, at 11 a.m. against in-state rival Western Michigan. In the second half of the doubleheader, the No. 2 seed Miami will take on No. 6 seeded Ball State. Winners of the two semifinal games will advance to the championship game Sunday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m. with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line.

MAC Regular Season Champs: On a rainy Halloween afternoon, WMU used a pair of second half goals to come back and down Western Michigan University, 2-1, at the WMU Soccer Complex, Oct. 31. With the victory over the Broncos, the Eagles claimed the outright Mid-American Conference regular season championship for the third time in program history and first since 2003.

It was a tale of two halves as the Eagles outshot Western 10-1 in the second half after WMU held the advantage in shots throughout the first half, 12-5. Although EMU had a two-shot advantage during the 90 minutes of play, 15-13, each team fired five shots on goal.

Starting the second half down one goal, the Eagles kept the ball on the offensive side of the field, finally finding the open net in the 61st minute. After WMU controlled the ball on the other side of the field, Cara Cutaia made a run down the center of the field. The team co-captain found Angela Vultaggio on the right side of the box, and the junior forward curled the ball past the WMU goalkeeper to tie the game, 1-1. Five minutes later, Cutaia struck again, this time finding the net herself. Martha Stevens would pass to the senior midfielder, and Cutaia rifled a shot over the keeper from 20 yards out, handing her team a one-goal advantage, 2-1, with just 24:08 remaining in regulation.

As they have done a superb job of all year, the Eagles held onto the lead, controlling ball possession and playing solid defense. The Broncos would not pose a threat for the rest of the game, as Megan McCabe and the back line held strong. As the clock ticked down, the EMU faithful who made the trip began to get loud and on their feet. When the horn sounded to complete the Eagles' quest for the conference title, the EMU bench stormed the field to celebrate with their teammates.

Eagles Advance in MAC Tournament: Coming off clinching the Mid-American Conference regular season crown, the No. 1 seeded Eastern Michigan University soccer team opened up MAC Tournament play with a 3-0 shutout victory over the No. 8 seeded Ohio University Bobcats Sunday afternoon, Nov. 3, at Scicluna Field. After scoring all three of her goals on penalty kicks during the regular season, senior Stephanie Clarke did not need the penalties to score EMU's first two goals of the contest against the Bobcats. Angela Vultaggio recorded the assist on Clarke's second goal before scoring one of her own in the second half to put the game out of reach. Junior Marisa Kozikowski helped her teammates find the open net, tallying two assists on the afternoon. In net for the Green and White, Megan McCabe stopped all six OU shots on goal to record her fourth individual shutout of the season.

WMU, We Meet Again: Having just met on the pitch on Halloween, Oct. 31, the Eagles and Broncos will square off with a spot in the MAC Championship game on the line. Western Michigan enters the semifinal matchup with a record of 9-5-5, including 7-2-2 in MAC play for the fourth seed in the tournament. WMU booked its trip to Ypsilanti after needing penalty kicks to down the fifth seeded Kent State Golden Flashes. With the game tied at one apiece following 110 minutes of play, Western out-scored KSU, 3-2, in the penalty kick session.

The Broncos, like the Eagles, are a high scoring team, placing third in the conference in numerous offensive categories behind EMU and Miami. Western is led in scoring by midfielder Rachel Chaney with 18 points and eight goals. Michelle Watson has started every game in net for WMU. The senior goalkeeper posts a 0.92 goals against average to go along with 69 saves for a 79.3 save percentage.

The two teams will be meeting for the 23nd time in history. Eastern holds a slight edge in the all-time series, 10-8-4, having just one setback in the previous eight contests between the in-state rivals.

Kozkikowski and Vultaggio Named MAC Players of the Week: For the second time this season the Eagles swept both MAC Women's Soccer Player of the Week honors for the period ending, Nov. 3. EMU forward Angela Vultaggio earned the MAC Offensive Player of the Week distinction for the second time this season while defender Marisa Kozikowski was named MAC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career. The two Eagles collected the accolades by leading the team to its third MAC regular season championship in program history and first since 2003 following a 2-1 victory over Western Michigan University, Oct. 31. Three days later, the duo put on a masterful performance in EMU's 3-0 shutout win against Ohio University, Nov. 3, in a MAC Tournament quarterfinal contest at Scicluna Field.

Vultaggio recorded five points in two games over the weekend, scoring two goals to go along with an assist. The forward scored the game-tying goal against the Broncos in the regular season finale. Trailing by one midway through the second half, Cara Cutaia made a run down the center of the field. The team co-captain found Vultaggio on the right side of the box, and the junior forward curled the ball past the WMU goalkeeper to tie the game, 1-1. Against Ohio University in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals, Vultaggio found teammate Stephanie Clarke open at the top of the box where the senior blasted a shot to the back of the net. In the second half, she used some sweet footwork to score an insurance goal. After receiving a lead pass from Kozikowski, the crafty junior sprinted on a run to reach the ball before it arrived to an Ohio defender. The Chesterfield, Mich. native then sneaked past the defender where the OU goalie came out to challenge the shot. A couple of swift moves with her feet caused the keeper to race after the ball, but Vultaggio chipped it over her head and into the net for her team-leading 13th goal of the season.

Kozikowski was a vital part of the back line that helped the Eagles capture their first MAC regular season title since 2003 as well as a victory in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals. In Eastern's Halloween matchup at Western Michigan, Kozikowski led the EMU defense that allowed just one shot on-goal in the final 45 minutes of the contest. Eastern took the lead in the 66th minute, and WMU did not threaten to tie the game due to the solid EMU back line. In EMU's 3-0 MAC Tournament victory over the Bobcats, the Troy, Mich. native contributed on both sides of the pitch. The junior defender added a pair of assists to EMU offensive leaders Clarke and Vultaggio, while helping pitch the Eagles' fifth shutout of the season on the defensive side of the field. Kozikowski played all 180 minutes for her team this weekend, preventing opponents from scoring in the last 135 minutes of play.

Revenge In Sight: If Eastern were to defeat Western in the semifinal matchup, the Eagles would face one of the only two opponents that beat them during conference play this season. Ball State and Miami came to town on the same weekend and both left Ypsilanti with 1-0 victories over the Green and White. The Cardinals broke EMU's six-game win streak with the shutout win, Oct. 11, before the RedHawks scored in the final minute of double overtime to top the Eagles, Oct. 13. A win against the Broncos would bring a chance for redemption for Coach Scott Hall and his squad against the two conference foes that defeated them during the regular season championship run.

A Season to Remember: It certainly has turned into a memorable 2013 campaign for Angela Vultaggio, one that will go down in the EMU record books. The junior forward has been on a complete tear as of late, collecting 18 points and leading EMU to a 5-0-1 mark in the last six games after recording 16 points in EMU's first 14 games of the season. With 13 goals this season, the Chesterfield, Mich. native boasts the second-most goals scored in one season at EMU, trailing only Jessica Hupe, who scored 17 in 2002. Vultaggio's 34 points in 2013 are also the second-most for one Eagle in a season, trailing Hupe's 39 points in her historic 2002 slate. Leading the team in assists with eight, Vultaggio is tied with Stephanie Janssens, Cyndi Mullins and teammate Cara Cutaia for the third highest total in one year.

Hall Reaches 150: In his 15th season at the helm of the EMU soccer program, Head Coach Scott Hall recently reached milestones in his career win column. With the MAC title-clincher at Western Michigan, Oct. 31, Hall won his 150th game as the head man of the Green and White. The EMU alum now holds a head coaching record of 151-113-42.

Offensively Charged: Due to an offensive output in which the Green and White has scored 37 goals in the past 14 games, 11-2-1 during that stretch, EMU leads the conference in several offensive categories including goals (45), assists (47) and points (137); moreover, the Eagles pace the conference in each of those sections when looked at a per-game ratio. In total goals, MAC East Division champion Miami is second in the MAC with 36 while Western Michigan's 34 goals are the third-best in the conference. Similarly, EMU holds a strong lead in points with 122 while the RedHawks and Broncos have 104 and 97 points, respectively. Not only does EMU stand at the top of the conference in assists, but that mark also ranks 12th in the nation. Overall, the Eagles boast the country's 27th-best scoring offense.

Clarke and Dzik Earn Academic All-District Accolades: On the same day the EMU soccer team captured its first MAC regular season championship since 2003, Oct. 31, two Eagles were recognized for their success on the pitch and in the classroom. Senior midfielder Stephanie Clarke was named to the 2013-14 Capital One Academic All-District Five First Team, while junior defender Emily Dzik earned Capital One Academic All-District Five Second Team honors as the teams were selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). District Five in Division I is the geographical region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio from which 25 student-athletes comprise the two academic teams.

Clarke, a biology major with a 3.90 grade point average, earns the award for the first time in her career. As a senior, Clarke has started every game this season, to go along with the seven assists, the London, Ontario native has scored five goals, converting all three of her penalty kick attempts as well as two goals in the MAC Tournament quarterfinal contest versus Ohio. This is the second award of the season for Clarke as she was named MAC Offensive Player of the Week, Oct. 7, after recording four points in the Eagles' weekend sweep over Bowling Green and Akron.

Dzik boasts a 3.98 GPA as a nursing major, and she has been a solid foundation to the EMU backline all season long. Starting all 20 games in the regular season, the junior defender has assisted in pitching five shutouts throughout the season, holding the opposition scoreless through 90 minutes of play. Not only has Dzik been a major factor on defense, but she has also contributed on the offensive side of the field, scoring three goals. Coming into the box for Clarke's corner kicks, her headers have found the back of the net in three games, most recently against Akron, Oct. 27.

The Academic All-District teams are divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada. This is the second year of the expanded Academic All-America program as CoSIDA moved from recognizing a University Division (Division I) and a College Division (all non-Division I) and has double the number of scholar-athletes honored. The expanded teams include NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division III participants, while the College Division team combines NAIA, Canadian, and two-year schools.

Finding the Net First: Scoring first can be an important aspect of any game when it comes to momentum, confidence and strategy. Head Coach Scott Hall's squad has been extremely successful when posting the first number on the scoreboard. The Eagles have managed games efficiently when they are the first to find the net, holding a record of 9-1-1 in those contests.

Cutaia Climbing the Career Charts: In her final season donning the Green and White, senior Cara Cutaia has been a leader in scoring while also climbing up the all-time career scoring categories here at Eastern. After her game-tying second half goal at Western Michigan, the Burlington, Ontario native moved past Ashley Rodrigues for fifth on the all-time career goals list with 22. After collecting three points versus the Broncos for 63 in her career, she is just two away from Katie Lewis who sits third in EMU laurels. With seven assists in 2013, Cutaia's 19 career assists are tied with Courtney Sindelar for fifth in EMU history.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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