Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, August 23
Scicluna Field
5 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
Detroit
Photo by: EMU Athletics/Randy Mascharka
2013 EMU Soccer Season Set to Get Underway at Scicluna Field
8/21/2013 1:10:00 PM | Soccer
Eagles host Detroit, Aug. 23, before traveling to Ohio State, Aug. 25
Weekly Notes
Important Parking Information
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's soccer team will kickoff its 2013 campaign with a pair of non-conference matches against teams expected to finish at the top of their respective conferences. The Green and White lift the lid on the 2013 season with a home match against the University of Detroit Mercy Friday, Aug. 23, at 5 p.m. Following the season opener at Scicluna Field, the Eagles hit the road, traveling south to face Ohio State University. The battle against the No. 23-ranked Buckeyes is set for 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25.
Clash Against the Titans: After a one-year hiatus, EMU and Detroit clash once again on the pitch in the season opener for both teams. Picked to win the Horizon League in the conference's preseason coaches' poll, the Titans will prove to be a tough test for the Eagles. The Titans wrapped up the preseason with a 1-1-0 record, falling to IPFW, 1-0, Aug. 12 before defeating Toledo, 2-1, Aug. 16.
Kaitlyn Quarrell is back for her senior season to lead UDM after leading the team in points (11) and goals (4) last season. While the top offensive threat returns for the Titans, Detroit lost one of the best goalkeepers in the nation, Nora Abolins. Last season, Abolins was ninth-best nationally with a 0.554 goals-against average due in large part to recording nine shutouts during the season. As a team, the Titans only allowed 12 goals in 17 games a season ago.
Last Time We Met: EMU leads the all-time series against Detroit, 7-6-4. The last time these two in-state foes met was exactly two years ago, Aug. 23, 2011, with the Green and White suffering a 4-0 setback in Detroit. Despite an early offensive rush, the Green and White spent a good portion of the first half on the defensive as Detroit struck for a pair of goals in a 14-minute span. The second half featured a similar storyline as the Titans added two more goals along with eight total shots on target. The Eagles managed just three shots on goal in the loss.
Ending the Skid: EMU will look to snap a three match winless streak in season openers, attempting to notch a 'W' to begin the season for the first time since 2009. Since a 1-0 victory over Eastern Illinois, Aug. 28, 2009, the Green and White have gone 0-1-2 in lid lifters. Last season, Eastern fell to Pittsburgh, 2-1, to open 2012 play. In the two years prior, the Eagles played Pittsburgh (2011) and Michigan (2010) to draws.
Battling the Buckeyes: The Eagles and Buckeyes will meet on the soccer field for the first time, Sunday, Aug. 25, at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Before Eastern goes to Columbus, Ohio State hosts Morehead State, Aug. 23, to start its season. The Buckeyes will begin the season as the No. 23 ranked team in the country according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America preseason poll.
Last year's Ohio State women's soccer team finished 16-4-2, winning the third Big Ten Conference Championship in school history. However, the season ended abruptly for the Scarlet and Gray as they were bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the first round, tying Oakland, 1-1, before losing on penalty kicks, 3-1.
This season, the Buckeyes will be without the nation's leading goal scorer from a season ago. Tiffany Cameron tallied 21 goals throughout 2012, including nine game-winning goals, topping the country in both statistical categories. Although OSU lost its NSCAA All-American Second Team honoree, the Buckeyes do have their starting goalkeeper back between the posts. Sophomore Jillian McVicker turned heads during her freshman season, ranking 10th in the nation in goals-against average (0.615). Her 0.87 save percentage also found the national ranks, 12th overall.
Rigorous Non-Conference Slate: Nothing will come easy for the Green and White this season as Coach Scott Hall hopes a grueling non-conference schedule will prepare the Eagles for MAC play. Eastern faces nationally-ranked foes No. 23 Ohio State (Aug. 25) and No. 19 Michigan (Aug. 30) in back-to-back contests with both matches taking place away from the friendly confines of Scicluna Field.
The four-game road trip concludes with a pair of matches in Indiana against Indiana University (Sept. 6) and Butler University (Sept. 8). EMU comes back to Ypsilanti for a five-game homestand that completes the non-conference campaign and begins the conference slate. Michigan State University comes to town for a Sunday matinee, Sept. 15, while the Eagles host Stetson University and Indiana State University the following weekend, Sept. 20-22.
Eagles Picked to Finish Second in MAC West: The 2013 Eagles have been picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference West Division as the conference released its preseason coaches' poll, Wednesday, Aug. 21. The University of Toledo topped the standings as the favorite to win the West with 58 total votes and four first place votes while EMU received 52 votes along with four votes to win the division. In the East, the coaches overall felt that defending MAC champion Miami University would reclaim the top spot in the division.
The RedHawks have also been tabbed as the favorites to claim the MAC Tournament Championship and earn an NCAA Tournament berth, receiving eight votes for a predicted repeat title. However, the Eagles, Ball State, Central Michigan and Kent State each received one vote to stand atop of the conference.
Last year, the presason poll predicted the Green and White to finish fifth in the West, but the Eagles exceeded those expectations by placing runner-up in the division with an 8-3 record in MAC play and an 11-6-2 record overall. With nearly the entire 2012 team back, Coach Scott Hall will have one of the most experienced squads in the conference this season.
Important Parking Information
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's soccer team will kickoff its 2013 campaign with a pair of non-conference matches against teams expected to finish at the top of their respective conferences. The Green and White lift the lid on the 2013 season with a home match against the University of Detroit Mercy Friday, Aug. 23, at 5 p.m. Following the season opener at Scicluna Field, the Eagles hit the road, traveling south to face Ohio State University. The battle against the No. 23-ranked Buckeyes is set for 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25.
Clash Against the Titans: After a one-year hiatus, EMU and Detroit clash once again on the pitch in the season opener for both teams. Picked to win the Horizon League in the conference's preseason coaches' poll, the Titans will prove to be a tough test for the Eagles. The Titans wrapped up the preseason with a 1-1-0 record, falling to IPFW, 1-0, Aug. 12 before defeating Toledo, 2-1, Aug. 16.
Kaitlyn Quarrell is back for her senior season to lead UDM after leading the team in points (11) and goals (4) last season. While the top offensive threat returns for the Titans, Detroit lost one of the best goalkeepers in the nation, Nora Abolins. Last season, Abolins was ninth-best nationally with a 0.554 goals-against average due in large part to recording nine shutouts during the season. As a team, the Titans only allowed 12 goals in 17 games a season ago.
Last Time We Met: EMU leads the all-time series against Detroit, 7-6-4. The last time these two in-state foes met was exactly two years ago, Aug. 23, 2011, with the Green and White suffering a 4-0 setback in Detroit. Despite an early offensive rush, the Green and White spent a good portion of the first half on the defensive as Detroit struck for a pair of goals in a 14-minute span. The second half featured a similar storyline as the Titans added two more goals along with eight total shots on target. The Eagles managed just three shots on goal in the loss.
Ending the Skid: EMU will look to snap a three match winless streak in season openers, attempting to notch a 'W' to begin the season for the first time since 2009. Since a 1-0 victory over Eastern Illinois, Aug. 28, 2009, the Green and White have gone 0-1-2 in lid lifters. Last season, Eastern fell to Pittsburgh, 2-1, to open 2012 play. In the two years prior, the Eagles played Pittsburgh (2011) and Michigan (2010) to draws.
Battling the Buckeyes: The Eagles and Buckeyes will meet on the soccer field for the first time, Sunday, Aug. 25, at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Before Eastern goes to Columbus, Ohio State hosts Morehead State, Aug. 23, to start its season. The Buckeyes will begin the season as the No. 23 ranked team in the country according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America preseason poll.
Last year's Ohio State women's soccer team finished 16-4-2, winning the third Big Ten Conference Championship in school history. However, the season ended abruptly for the Scarlet and Gray as they were bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the first round, tying Oakland, 1-1, before losing on penalty kicks, 3-1.
This season, the Buckeyes will be without the nation's leading goal scorer from a season ago. Tiffany Cameron tallied 21 goals throughout 2012, including nine game-winning goals, topping the country in both statistical categories. Although OSU lost its NSCAA All-American Second Team honoree, the Buckeyes do have their starting goalkeeper back between the posts. Sophomore Jillian McVicker turned heads during her freshman season, ranking 10th in the nation in goals-against average (0.615). Her 0.87 save percentage also found the national ranks, 12th overall.
Rigorous Non-Conference Slate: Nothing will come easy for the Green and White this season as Coach Scott Hall hopes a grueling non-conference schedule will prepare the Eagles for MAC play. Eastern faces nationally-ranked foes No. 23 Ohio State (Aug. 25) and No. 19 Michigan (Aug. 30) in back-to-back contests with both matches taking place away from the friendly confines of Scicluna Field.
The four-game road trip concludes with a pair of matches in Indiana against Indiana University (Sept. 6) and Butler University (Sept. 8). EMU comes back to Ypsilanti for a five-game homestand that completes the non-conference campaign and begins the conference slate. Michigan State University comes to town for a Sunday matinee, Sept. 15, while the Eagles host Stetson University and Indiana State University the following weekend, Sept. 20-22.
Eagles Picked to Finish Second in MAC West: The 2013 Eagles have been picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference West Division as the conference released its preseason coaches' poll, Wednesday, Aug. 21. The University of Toledo topped the standings as the favorite to win the West with 58 total votes and four first place votes while EMU received 52 votes along with four votes to win the division. In the East, the coaches overall felt that defending MAC champion Miami University would reclaim the top spot in the division.
The RedHawks have also been tabbed as the favorites to claim the MAC Tournament Championship and earn an NCAA Tournament berth, receiving eight votes for a predicted repeat title. However, the Eagles, Ball State, Central Michigan and Kent State each received one vote to stand atop of the conference.
Last year, the presason poll predicted the Green and White to finish fifth in the West, but the Eagles exceeded those expectations by placing runner-up in the division with an 8-3 record in MAC play and an 11-6-2 record overall. With nearly the entire 2012 team back, Coach Scott Hall will have one of the most experienced squads in the conference this season.
2013 MAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll (First-Place votes in parentheses)
MAC West Division MAC East Division
1.Toledo - 58 (4) 1. Miami - 66 (10)
2. Eastern Michigan - 52 (4) 2. Kent State - 62 (2)
3. Central Michigan - 50 (3) 3. Ohio - 40
4. Ball State - 40 (1) 4. Akron - 34
5. Western Michigan - 29 5. Buffalo - 33
6. Northern Illinois - 23 6. Bowling Green -16
MAC Tournament Champion (Votes in parentheses)
Miami (8), Eastern MIchigan (1), Ball State(1), Central Michigan (1), Kent State (1)
Hat Trick for Vultaggio: Forward Angela Vultaggio paced the Eagles with a hat trick, scoring goals in the 23rd, 41st and 53rd minute as EMU fell, 5-4, to Illinois State University in its lone exhibition match of the 2013 campaign, Aug. 14. The Redbirds' Anna Stinson matched Vultaggio's hat trick with one of her own, and teammate Hannah Leinert scored a pair of goals. Illinois State outshot EMU 21-16, including 12-8 in shots on goal.
If the match against ISU was a regular season match counting towards season statistics, Vultaggio would have become the sixth player in EMU history to record a hat trick, and the first Eagle to do so since Carissa Wilson in 2009. Wilson accomplished the famed stat against Loyola-Maryland, Sept. 13.
Everyone Returns (Almost): The Eagles return a solid nucleus from the 2012 team with everyone returning minus Jessica Thomas, who was lost to graduation. With 20 letterman back for action, including 10 starters, Coach Scott Hall will have one of the most experienced teams in the Mid-American Conference with its sights set on a MAC Championship.
Cara Cutaia and Bianca Rossi are back as the top-scorers from the 2012 season. Cutaia led the Eagles in points (22) as Rossi followed closely behind with 21. Rossi, a 2012 All-MAC First Team selection, paced the Green and White in goals with eight while Cutaia tallied seven of her own.
On the defensive side of the field, All-MAC First Team honoree Emily Dzik returns for her junior season to lead a defense that finished fifth in the MAC in goals allowed, giving up 1.21 goals per game. EMU also welcomes back its two goalkeepers in Jenna O'Dell and Megan McCabe, two freshmen who played as veterans out on the field as both finished the season with winning records.
Leading the Way: With nearly the entire 2012 team back for the 2013 season, two Eagles were selected to lead the team on and off the field as captains: Cara Cutaia and Megan Pedro. The two EMU student-athletes make up 40 percent of the senior class that also includes Stephanie Clarke, Allison Kaim and Emily Kowalzyk.
Cutaia was awarded with an All-MAC Second Team nod for the first time in her career after a breakout 2012 campaign in which she lead the team with 22 points to shatter her previous career high of eight (2011). The EMU midfielder scored the second-most goals on the team (seven) and registered the most assists (eight) while tying for fifth in the MAC in total points during the regular season. Her 34-career points are already good for the 14th-most in EMU laurels. The Burlington, Ontario native had a trio of games last season in which she scored three-or-more points including a five-point effort against Toledo, Sept. 23, 2012.
Last season, Pedro appeared in 10 matches, starting eight of them and racking up 302 minutes of play. The EMU midfielder recorded an assist in a 3-0 victory over the University of Toledo, Sept. 23, 2012. When Pedro took the field, the Eagles posted a record of 6-2-2.
As seniors and team captains this year, both Cutaia and Pedro will look to provide leadership to the veteran squad of Eagles.
Six Freshmen Add to Veteran Squad: Stef Barcelos, Madi Criner, Madison Hirsch, Gabriella Mancini, Michelle Rollins, and Rachel Washburn comprise the 2013 freshmen class and will all don the Green and White when the Eagles kickoff the regular season against Detroit. Newcomers Criner, Mancini and Washburn will add depth to the defense while Hirsch and Rollins will be added to an already talented midfield. Meanwhile, Barcelos will look to contribute at the foward position.
1.Toledo - 58 (4) 1. Miami - 66 (10)
2. Eastern Michigan - 52 (4) 2. Kent State - 62 (2)
3. Central Michigan - 50 (3) 3. Ohio - 40
4. Ball State - 40 (1) 4. Akron - 34
5. Western Michigan - 29 5. Buffalo - 33
6. Northern Illinois - 23 6. Bowling Green -16
MAC Tournament Champion (Votes in parentheses)
Miami (8), Eastern MIchigan (1), Ball State(1), Central Michigan (1), Kent State (1)
Hat Trick for Vultaggio: Forward Angela Vultaggio paced the Eagles with a hat trick, scoring goals in the 23rd, 41st and 53rd minute as EMU fell, 5-4, to Illinois State University in its lone exhibition match of the 2013 campaign, Aug. 14. The Redbirds' Anna Stinson matched Vultaggio's hat trick with one of her own, and teammate Hannah Leinert scored a pair of goals. Illinois State outshot EMU 21-16, including 12-8 in shots on goal.
If the match against ISU was a regular season match counting towards season statistics, Vultaggio would have become the sixth player in EMU history to record a hat trick, and the first Eagle to do so since Carissa Wilson in 2009. Wilson accomplished the famed stat against Loyola-Maryland, Sept. 13.
Everyone Returns (Almost): The Eagles return a solid nucleus from the 2012 team with everyone returning minus Jessica Thomas, who was lost to graduation. With 20 letterman back for action, including 10 starters, Coach Scott Hall will have one of the most experienced teams in the Mid-American Conference with its sights set on a MAC Championship.
Cara Cutaia and Bianca Rossi are back as the top-scorers from the 2012 season. Cutaia led the Eagles in points (22) as Rossi followed closely behind with 21. Rossi, a 2012 All-MAC First Team selection, paced the Green and White in goals with eight while Cutaia tallied seven of her own.
On the defensive side of the field, All-MAC First Team honoree Emily Dzik returns for her junior season to lead a defense that finished fifth in the MAC in goals allowed, giving up 1.21 goals per game. EMU also welcomes back its two goalkeepers in Jenna O'Dell and Megan McCabe, two freshmen who played as veterans out on the field as both finished the season with winning records.
Leading the Way: With nearly the entire 2012 team back for the 2013 season, two Eagles were selected to lead the team on and off the field as captains: Cara Cutaia and Megan Pedro. The two EMU student-athletes make up 40 percent of the senior class that also includes Stephanie Clarke, Allison Kaim and Emily Kowalzyk.
Cutaia was awarded with an All-MAC Second Team nod for the first time in her career after a breakout 2012 campaign in which she lead the team with 22 points to shatter her previous career high of eight (2011). The EMU midfielder scored the second-most goals on the team (seven) and registered the most assists (eight) while tying for fifth in the MAC in total points during the regular season. Her 34-career points are already good for the 14th-most in EMU laurels. The Burlington, Ontario native had a trio of games last season in which she scored three-or-more points including a five-point effort against Toledo, Sept. 23, 2012.
Last season, Pedro appeared in 10 matches, starting eight of them and racking up 302 minutes of play. The EMU midfielder recorded an assist in a 3-0 victory over the University of Toledo, Sept. 23, 2012. When Pedro took the field, the Eagles posted a record of 6-2-2.
As seniors and team captains this year, both Cutaia and Pedro will look to provide leadership to the veteran squad of Eagles.
Six Freshmen Add to Veteran Squad: Stef Barcelos, Madi Criner, Madison Hirsch, Gabriella Mancini, Michelle Rollins, and Rachel Washburn comprise the 2013 freshmen class and will all don the Green and White when the Eagles kickoff the regular season against Detroit. Newcomers Criner, Mancini and Washburn will add depth to the defense while Hirsch and Rollins will be added to an already talented midfield. Meanwhile, Barcelos will look to contribute at the foward position.
Cinematic Highlights: Eastern Soccer vs. Kent State
Monday, October 28
Cinematic Highlights: Soccer vs. Western Michigan
Monday, October 14
Cinematic Highlights: Eastern Soccer vs. Miami
Monday, October 07
Cinematic Highlights: Eastern Soccer vs. Toledo
Friday, September 27