EMU Soccer Closes Out Non-Conference Play at Home

ONE LAST TUNE-UP BEFORE DIVING INTO MAC PLAY: A grueling non-conference schedule is a strategy to prepare and test a team before conference play begins. The games allow coaches to fine tune the lineup and their strategy while also giving newcomers and returners a chance to find their fit. With one match to play before opening Mid-American Conference play, the Eagles sit at 2-4-1 on the season. Sunday's tilt allows the Eagles' an opportunity to bounce back from a disappointing 1-nil loss to Detroit before opening the conference season on the road at preseason favorite, Ball State.

LINEUP CONTINUES TO BE A REVOLVING DOOR: Head Coach Scott Hall has sent the same starting 11 to the pitch just two times this season, using six different lineups in seven games. The latest lineup featured senior goalkeeper Megan McCabe (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Prospect) returning to her post in net and sophomore Alex Wilbanks (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln) gracing the starting lineup for the first time in her career. Over the first seven matches, 17 different players have began the match on the pitch compared to 15 over the course of the entire 2014 campaign. Junior Rachel Washburn (Hartland, Mich.-Hartland), senior Hallee Kansman (Farmington Hills, Mich.-North Farmington), freshman Kristin Nason (Brooklin, Ontario-Donald A. Wilson), and senior Megan Trapp (Plymouth, Mich.-Canton) are the only players to start every match for the Eagles this season.

TITANS' LATE TALLY DOWNS EAGLES: A goal off of a free kick in the 81st minute by Detroit downed the Eagles, Thursday, Sept. 10, and ended a three-game unbeaten streak for the Green and White. EMU's best opportunities came in the opening minutes but the Eagles' inability to capitalize held the match scoreless for more than 80 minutes of play before a foul outside the box gave Detroit the upperhand. A late push and an extra striker was not enough as the Green and White dropped the match, 1-0. The loss marks the Eagles' first loss against the Titans' since 2011.

SCOUTING REPORT: GREEN BAY: Following a weekend split with matches against Chicago State University and Eastern Washington, Green Bay opens Horizon League play before Sunday's bout with the Eagles. After a 7-0 pummeling of Chicago State, the Phoenix surrendered a trio of unanswered goals before falling 4-2 to Eastern Washington. On the heels of their fifth loss of the season, the Phoenix will take on University of Detroit-Mercy, Friday, Sept. 18, before visiting Scicluna Field, Sunday, Sept. 20.
For the Phoenix, Heidi Hartmann has been a consistent force on the attack. Leading the team in points, goals, and assists, Hartmann has caused opposing defenses trouble. While Hartmann's statistics are impressive, Green Bay has had seven other players find the back of the net this season to balance out the scoring. Scoring 15 goals on the season, the Phoenix average more than two goals per game and fire off nearly 17 shots per match.
While scoring has been a fairly consistent effort for the Phoenix, Green Bay's opponents have matched them goal for goal on the season. With 15 goals against in seven matches, opponents are averaging 2.12 goals per match. In between the pipes, the Phoenix have utilized the talents of two keepers with Kelly Kent earning a majority of the minutes. Registering a team-best 38 saves in five matches, Kent owns a 2.39 goals against average and .760 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS GREEN BAY: Sunday's match marks the third meeting between Green Bay and Eastern Michigan and second with Head Coach Scott Hall at the helm. The Eagles own an unblemished 2-0-0 mark against the Phoenix, with the last bout taking place during Hall's first season as head coach in 1999.

NASON ADDS MAC SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS TO HER RESUME: One day after being named Mid-American Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week, redshirt freshman Kristin Nason (Brooklin, Ontario-Donald A. Wilson) added another conference honor to her resume. The MAC announced, Wednesday, Sept. 9, that Nason has been named the MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week. The MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honor is presented weekly to a MAC male and female student-athlete who has a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and performs well during the week's competition. Nason becomes the first Eastern Michigan student-athlete to receive the honor this year, and the first women's soccer player to garner the award since Megan McCabe (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Prospect) did so during the 2014 season. Boasting a 4.00 grade-point average as a management major, Nason's four-goal week fueled the Eagles to a 1-0-1 record for the week.

EAGLES' STREAK COMES TO AN END AT HANDS OF DETROIT: The Eagles had not trailed in 270 minutes of play entering a match up with Detroit, Thursday, Sept. 10. EMU extended that streak to 351 minutes before a header on a free kick by the Titans brought the streak to an abrupt hault. Senior Megan McCabe (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Prospect) and freshman Kaylin Williams (Kansas City, Mo.-Winnetonka) combined for 18 saves over the 351-minute span.

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Players Mentioned

Kristin Hullibarger

Hallee Kansman

Megan McCabe

Megan Trapp

Rachel Washburn

Alex Wilbanks

Kaylin Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics