Back-to-Back Goals and Solid Defense Power EMU Soccer Over Indiana, 2-0

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Senior Angela Vultaggio scored twice in a span of 53 seconds, while junior Megan McCabe made five saves to help the Eastern Michigan University soccer team knock off the Indiana University Hoosiers, 2-0, Sunday afternoon, Aug. 24, at Scicluna Field. The win marks the second straight 2-0 decision for the Green and White to begin the 2014 season.

After falling to the Hoosiers (1-1-0) in the first meeting between the two programs last season, the Eagles (2-0-0) evened up the all-time series with revenge in this year's contest. The victory over IU is the program's first win over a Big Ten Conference opponent since EMU knocked off Michigan State, 1-0, Sept. 3, 1999.

Vultaggio, known for having a knack of finding the back of the net, struck all three of her shots on goal within three minutes of one another, and her final two were successful in getting past the keeper in the 24th and 25th minutes. The two-goal performance was the fourth multi-goal game of her storied career. Chelsie Oddan and Megan Trapp dished out the assists on the pair of goals.

McCabe (2-0-0) made five fantastic saves to secure back-to-back shutouts to start the year. She turned away shot after shot as Indiana fired 24 in her direction throughout the 90 minutes. On the other side of the pitch, IU keeper Sarah Stone (1-1-0) stopped 2-of-4 shots on goal, while she faced a total of eight attempts in the match.

While Indiana held a 24-8 advantage on shots as well as 9-1 on corner kicks, the disparity was in large part due to the Eagles holding a two-goal lead at the break. The pressure of the IU attack was strong throughout the 45-minute second half as the visitors tried to mount a comeback; nonetheless, McCabe and the EMU backline defended well to keep the Hoosiers off the scoreboard.

Indiana began the game on the offensive, taking shots in the first eight minutes of the contest. During that frame, the Hoosiers' Abby Smith found the back of the net; however, the goal was negated due to an offside by her teammate, keeping the game at nil-nil.

Despite the Hoosiers taking the first six shots, it was the Eagles who landed the first shot on goal in the 22nd minute. Vultaggio deflected an IU pass and was able to get ahead of the defender for a prime scoring opportunity. She tried to sneak the ball into the right side of the net, but the shot was saved by Stone. However, the counter proved to be a momentum swing for the Green and White.

Two minutes after her first look at the net, Vultaggio found the upper-90 opening to give Eastern the 1-0 lead. Seeing her teammate with space in the middle of the box, Oddan delivered a pass to Vultaggio, and the Chesterfield, Mich. native rifled a strike in the upper left-hand corner of the net for the goal. Just 53 seconds later, the Eagles weren't finished with their attack. On the defensive side off the pitch, Trapp blasted a strong lead to Vultaggio on a 30 yard run down the middle of the field. The senior did not miss her one-on-one opportunity this time around, making a shifty move to stymie the keeper and put the ball away for the two-goal advantage.

EMU had one more scoring chance in the opening half with sophomore Gabriella Mancini firing a shot on goal that was saved by Stone. The Green and White continued to maintain possession for most of the waning minutes of the first half to lead by a 2-0 margin after 45 minutes.

Indiana out-shot Eastern 9-5 in the first half, but it was the home team who found the back of the net twice and held the shots on goal statistic, 4-1. Corner kicks were also in favor of the Hoosiers, 3-1, but the EMU back line defended from any goals on the set pieces.

Starting the second half with a two-goal lead, Eastern was prepared for the offensive onslaught brought by Indiana. For 45 minutes, the EMU defense faced countless attacks as the Hoosiers took 15 shots in the second half, including four on goal. Twice, McCabe denied headers from IU's Jessie Bujouves, who scored two goals in Indiana's season-opening victory on Friday. One of the saves was a dive at the left post, where the junior keeper sacrificed her entire body to make the stop.

Facing multiple corners as well, the starting backline of Emily Dzik, Hallee Kansman, Julia Lombardi and Chanel Vani used their heads to deflect the ball away on the set pieces, and their quick feet kicked any potential danger away. The quartet of Eagles alongside McCabe nailed down the second shutout in as many games in the young 2014 season.

Following the victorious opening weekend at home, the Eagles will have 35 days until they play another match at Scicluna Field. Coach Hall and his team hit the road for six games over the five-week span, starting with the short drive to East Lansing, Aug. 29, to face the Spartans of Michigan State. After the in-state battle, EMU flocks south to South Bend, Ind. for a contest against nationally-ranked Texas Tech, Aug. 31. The Sunday morning game, set to begin at 11 a.m., will take place at Alumni Stadium on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

Back-to-Back Goals and Solid Defense Power EMU Soccer Over Indiana, 2-0

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Team Stats

Angela Vultaggio

Megan Trapp

Chelsie Oddan

Martha Stevens

Eastern Michigan Athletics