Soccer Opens MAC Tournament on the Road Against Kent State

Soccer vs. Kent State
Date	Sunday, Oct. 30 - 1 p.m.
Location	Kent, Ohio - Dix Stadium
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	vs. Kent State
Live Stream	vs. Kent State
Twitter	@EMUSoccer \| @EMUAthletics

KENT, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - With the regular season wrapped up, the Eastern Michigan University women's soccer team turns its focus to the Mid-American Conference Tournament and a first round match up with Kent State University. Looking to claim the program's second-ever MAC Tournament title, the Eagles kick off post season play in Kent, Ohio, Sunday, Oct. 30, against the Golden Flashes.
   Fans can follow live stats for the match through the link on EMUEagles.com, via stream on KentStateSports.com, or tune in for in-game updates on the team's Twitter, @EMUSoccer. Additionally, a full schedule for the tournament can be found here.

TOURNAMENT BOUND: With a 1-0 win over Akron Sunday, Oct. 23, the Eagles secured a spot in the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the first time since 2014 and the 17th time in program history. More information, including a full 2016 MAC Tournament bracket can be found on page four of these notes.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Eastern Michigan holds a 12-9-1 record versus Kent State all-time, including a scoreless draw earlier this season, in 22 meetings. The Golden Flashes traveled to Ypsilanti back on Oct. 16, where the Eagles' defense stymied the KSU strikers en route to a 0-0 draw. Sophomore Kaylin Williams made six saves in the match.

EMU IN THE POSTSEASON: The Green and White have participated in the Mid-American Conference Tournament 16 times, missing the tournament on just five occasions during the program's 21-year span. Overall, the Eagles boast an 8-13-3 record in the conference's postseason tournament, and have squared off against eight different conference foes. The Eagles have battled Western Michigan fives times in the MAC Tournament, the most frequent of any opponent, while EMU has faced Ohio, Miami, and Bowling Green four times apiece.
   Having lost their past two MAC Tournament matches, the Eagles are in search of their first postseason win since the opening round of the 2013 tournament when they blanked Ohio, 3-nil.

AGAINST KENT STATE IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT: The Eagles have met Kent State in the Mid-American Conference Tournament twice previously, with the most recent meeting coming back during the 2009 campaign. EMU is 2-0 against the Golden Flashes all-time in the postseason, and has outscored KSU 8-0 in the two matches, both of which took place in Ypsilanti.
   In the team's first postseason meeting, Nov. 2, 1999, the Eagles topped KSU, 5-0, in the first round of the tournament en route to the program's first-ever MAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. EMU's Kate Lewis netted a hat trick and an assist to help the Eagles overpower Kent State at home.
   Three different players scored for the Green and White in the second postseason meeting between the two teams, as the Eagles bested Kent State, 3-0, to advance to the second round of the tournament.

THERE'S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Sunday's first round showdown against Kent State will mark the first time the Eagles have traveled to Kent, Ohio for the postseason. Despite meeting in the MAC Tournament twice before, both meetings took place in Ypsilanti. Furthermore, it is just the fourth time EMU will play a MAC Tournament game in the state of Ohio.

GAUGING GOLDEN FLASHES: Kent State enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed after winning the Mid-American Conference East Division outright. The Golden Flashes boast an overall record of 12-2-2 and knocked off Ohio, 3-2, in overtime in their regular season finale, Oct. 27.
   A large part of the Golden Flashes' success can be attributed to their high octane offense. KSU has the top offense in the MAC and the 58th-best in the nation with an average of 2.00 goals per match. Leading the way for the Golden Flashes is Jenna Hellstrom, the team-leader in goals (13), assists (8), and points (34) this season. Meanwhile, four other players have found the back of the net multiple times for Kent State.
The Golden Flashes have used two different goal keepers this season, with Ashleah McDonald garnering a majority of the minutes. Together, the duo has combined to post six shutouts with an impressive 0.77 goals against average and .814 save percentage.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: Eastern Michigan is headed to the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the 17th time in program history and is going to have to rely on contributions from the youngest roster in the field. Coming into the season with a combined 21,156 career minutes played, the Eagles are the least experienced team in the tournament. In fact, the last time the Green and White won a postseason game, the current senior class were freshmen.

WIN AND ADVANCE: The winner of Sunday's showdown will move onto the MAC Semifinals and play the winner of the No. 3 Central Michigan - No. 6 Buffalo matchup, Nov. 4. That quarterfinals match is set for 1 p.m. in Mount Pleasant, Mich. Sunday, Oct. 30.

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Players Mentioned

Kaylin Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics