MAC West Title Hopes at Stake for EMU Soccer at Bowling Green

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University soccer team will close out the 2014 regular season with a trip south, crossing the state border to battle the Bowling Green State University Falcons on Thursday, Oct 30. The Mid-American Conference cross-divisional matchup is set to begin at 3 p.m. A win over the Falcons would give EMU at least a share of the MAC West Division title as well as the No. 3 seed for a MAC Tournament quarterfinal game on Sunday, Nov. 2, that would take place at Scicluna Field.
   The EMU attack is led by senior forward Angela Vultaggio. The reigning MAC Offensive Player of the Year has recorded team highs in goals (7) and points (16) with both numbers ranking fourth and fifth, respectively, among conference leaders. Fellow senior Bianca Rossi follows closely behind Vultaggio with six goals and a trio of assists, totaling 13 points. Madison Hirsch, Marisa Kozikowski and Chelsie Oddan are all tied with Rossi in with the team high in assists with three apiece. In goal for Eastern, junior keeper Megan McCabe (9-5-1) holds down the defensive side of the pitch. In 14 starts this season, McCabe has posted seven shutouts to go along with a 0.98 goals against average. She has made 66 saves for an .815 save percentage.

ANOTHER WEEKEND CHOP: Just like the previous weekend, the Eagles split a pair of MAC contests, falling on Friday before bouncing back with a victory on Sunday. EMU dropped a 3-1 decision to Northern Illinois, Oct. 24, while using stellar defense to sneak past rival Western Michigan, 1-0, Oct. 26. The Sunday victory kept Eastern's destiny in its own hands as the Green and White try to claim the MAC West crown.
   The Eagles caught the Huskies of Northern Illinois on a bad night as NIU used a high-powered attack and found the back of the net one three occasions. Bianca Rossi scored the Eagles' lone goal for her sixth of the season and 24th of her career, moving her in a tie for fourth with Katie Lewis on EMU's all-time list. EMU out-shot Northern Illinois, 14-9, including 8-4 in shots on goal, but the Green and White struggled to locate any openings in the NIU defense.
   In the win at Western, a goal by redshirt sophomore Ellie Tillar in the 39th minute was all the Eastern Michigan University soccer team needed to soar past the in-state foe at the WMU Soccer Complex. Tillar scored her third goal of the season on a back post finish as Emily Dzik picked up the assist on the smooth pass to her teammate. Megan McCabe made three saves to earn her seventh shutout of the season and 12th of her career, moving her into a tie for fourth on the EMU all-time shutouts list with former keeper Erin Norton. The junior Eagle was assisted by the back quartet of Dzik, Hallee Kansman, Marisa Kozikowski and Rachel Washburn, who all played 90 minutes apiece to pitch in the clean sheet.

HOW THE WEST CAN BE WON: With a victory over Bowling Green to close out the 2014 regular season, Oct. 30, the Eagles would clinch at least a share of the top spot in the MAC West. The win would mark back-to-back division titles for the Green and White as well as its second since the conference split the soccer standings into two divisions beginning in 2010. EMU is currently tied for first in the MAC West with the Ball State Cardinals. Therefore, a BSU loss to Miami on Thursday would also give Eastern at least a share of the division crown. As long as the Eagles come away with a same-or-better outcome than Ball State in the regular season finale, they will find themselves at the very top of the MAC West.

SEEDING SCENARIOS: With just one game remaining, Eastern Michigan is 6-4-0 in MAC play, totaling 18 points that is tied for the third-most in the conference. Wins in conference games count as three points, while a draw is worth one point and losses are not worth any points. Therefore, the highest point total EMU can finish with is 21 points if the Eagles defeat Bowling Green on Thursday, Oct. 30. That mark will secure the No. 3 seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament due to EMU being unable to catch Buffalo and Miami. Even if Ball State wins over the RedHawks on Thursday and have 21 points as well, the Eagles will remain in the third slot due to the head-to-head victory over the Cardinals earlier this season. The worst possible place for EMU to finish is fifth, which means the Eagles will have to hit the road for the upcoming MAC Tournament. Should Eastern earn the No. 3 or No. 4 seed, the squad will host a MAC Tournament quarterfinal contest at Scicluna Field Sunday, Nov. 2.

FOCUS ON THE FALCONS: Bowling Green will close out its regular season by hosting the Eagles on its home pitch. The Falcons are 4-12-1 in 2014, including a 3-6-1 record in conference action. The Orange and Brown has built some momentum as of late, going 2-1-1 over its last four games after posting a 2-11-0 mark through the first 13 games of the campaign. BGSU's attack is led by a pair of freshmen in Skylar Fleak, who has recorded five goals this season, and classmate Leah Runkle, pacing the Falcons with four assists. Guarding the goal is redshirt-sophomore Lauren Cadel with a MAC-best 139 saves throughout the 2014 campaign.
   EMU leads the all-time series between the two programs, 12-8-1, including victories in five of the last six contests. In last year's matchup, the Eagles pounced on BGSU miscues with a 2-1 win under the lights of Cochrane Field, Oct. 4, 2013. Stephanie Clarke scored the game-winning goal for EMU, converting her third penalty kick of the season in as many tries after a BGSU handball in the box. The Eagles scored their first goal of the contest on an own goal early in the second half. Eastern sent 14 of its 27 shots on goal, but Cadel stopped 12 of them.

CLIMBING THE CAREER CHARTS: A pair of Eagles continued to climb the EMU all-time career charts over the weekend. Senior Bianca Rossi scored a goal against Northern Illinois for the 24th of her career, which ties Katie Lewis for fourth in Eastern laurels. One more goal by Rossi will slide her into sole possession of fourth in the record books, trailing teammate Angela Vultaggio, who sits in third with 32 career goals. Meanwhile, junior goalkeeper Megan McCabe secured her 12th career shutout in a 1-0 win over rival Western Michigan to move into a tie with former Eagle goalie Erin Norton for fourth on the EMU shutout list. With one more year of eligibility remaining, McCabe will be in pursuit of Maggie Manville's mark of 17 clean sheets, third in program history.

DOUBLE DIGIT W's: The latest victory over Western Michigan gave the EMU soccer team its 10th win of the season as the Eagles shut down the Broncos, 1-0. Reaching double digits in the win column for 2014 marks the first time the program has tallied 10-or-more victories in at least three consecutive seasons since the Green and White posted six straight double-digit win seasons from 1996-2001. With 12 victories in 2013 and 11 in 2012, the Eagles recorded back-to-back double-digit win seasons for the first time since the 2008 and 2009 campaigns where EMU rattled off records of 13-5-5 and 11-4-6, respectively.

FINDING THE NET FIRST: Scoring first can be an important aspect of any game when it comes to momentum, confidence and strategy. In 2013, Head Coach Scott Hall's squad was extremely successful when posting the first number on the scoreboard, managing games efficiently when they are the first to find the net and holding a record of 9-1-1 in those contests. This year is nothing different as the Eagles have scored first in 10 games, compiling a 9-1-1 mark in those contests. EMU also has one come-from-behind win to its credit. Despite Ball State scoring in the seventh minute of the MAC West battle, Sept. 28, the Green and White scored late in the first half as well as early in overtime to complete the comeback victory.

ROSSI LIKES #MACTION: Mid-American Conference games seem to bring the best out of Bianca Rossi. Throughout her four-year career, the senior forward has recorded 17 of her 24 goals in MAC contests. As a freshman, she tied for a team-high four goals against conference opponents before adding five more as a sophomore. During her junior season, Rossi recorded three goals and found scoring opportunities for her teammates with an additional four assists. In her final season donning the Green and White, the Mississauga, Ontario native has recorded six goals, including five in MAC play. Rossi recorded an assist in the 2-0 win over Miami, Sept. 26, before scoring both goals in the Eagles' 2-1 overtime victory against Ball State, Sept. 28. In the victory versus the Cardinals, Rossi's scoring performance was the second multi-goal game of her career as she also scored twice against Oakland during the 2012 season. Most recently, Rossi found the back of the net with less than four minutes to go to help the Eagles soar past the Toledo Rockets, 1-0, Oct. 10, before scoring a goal in the Senior Day victory over Ohio, Oct. 19, as well as in a road contest against Northern Illinois, Oct. 26.

MAC West Title Hopes at Stake for EMU Soccer at Bowling Green

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Players Mentioned

Stephanie Clarke

Emily Dzik

Madison Hirsch

Hallee Kansman

Marisa Kozikowski

Megan McCabe

Chelsie Oddan

Bianca Rossi

Ellie Tillar

Angela Vultaggio

Rachel Washburn

Eastern Michigan Athletics