Eagles Continue MAC Play Against Bowling Green and Toledo

Soccer at Bowling Green \| vs. Toledo
Date	Thursday, Oct. 6 - 7 p.m. \| Sunday, Oct. 9 - 1 p.m.
Location	Bowling Green, Ohio - Cochrane Field \| Ypsilanti, Mich. - Scicluna Field
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	at Bowling Green \| vs. Toledo
Live Stream	Not Available
Twitter	@EMUSoccer \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - Looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss and snap a six-game losing skid, the Eastern Michigan University women's soccer team continues Mid-American Conference play with a pair of matches this weekend, Oct. 6-9. First up for the Eagles is a quick trip to the Buckeye State for a Thrusday night bout against Bowling Green State University, Oct. 6. EMU then returns home, Oct. 9, in a MAC West Division tilt verus the University of Toledo.
   Fans can follow live stats for the matches through the links on EMUEagles.com, or tune in for in-game updates on the team's Twitter, @EMUSoccer.

TILLAR'S 20TH: Senior midfielder Ellie Tillar registered the 20th point of her career in EMU's, 3-2, double overtime loss to Miami, Oct. 2. Dropping a pass to the top of the 18 on a corner kick, Tillar earned her third assist of the season and 20th point of her tenure on Stef Barcelos' go-ahead goal in the 74th minute.

VANI'S VAULT INTO THE STARTING XI: Working her way back from an offseason injury, junior Chanel Vani has moved her way into the starting XI as of late. Garnering a start at outside back in each of EMU's last three games, Vani has recorded a pair of assists for the Eagles. Her season total now sits at three helpers, tying for the team-lead.

AND YOU GET A GOAL: Eight players have scored goals for the Eagles so far this season. Of the eight goal scorers, four have found the back of the net for the first time in their careers (Sabrina McNeill, Nicole Remedios, Peyton Davis, Alex Wilbanks). Junior Alex Wilbanks is the most recent to net her first goal, doing so in EMU's 3-2 double overtime loss to Miami, Oct. 2. Collecting a cross inside the 18, Wilbanks fired it past the keeper to tie the match at one early in the second half.

ALL-TIME SERIES: The Eagles are 25-20-2 all-time against this weekend's opponents, having met Bowling Green and Toledo 23 and 24 times, respectively, and leads each series.
   EMU holds a 13-9-1 edge against Bowling Green despite dropping last year's regular season finale, 2-1, at Scicluna Field. The Falcons scored the first goal of the match on a strike by Skylar Fleak in the 20th minute. BGSU held the 1-nil edge until the 61st minute when Michelle Rollins netted the equalizer, but the Falcons responded with the game-winner in the 64th minute to end Eastern's postseason hopes. The loss marked the first time the Eagles had fallen to the Falcons since 2011, when BGSU came away with a 2-1 win in overtime in Bowling Green, Ohio.
   The Eagles own a slight lead over the Rockets all-time, coming into this weekend's match with a 12-11-1 record in the series. Toledo secured last season's match with a 70th minute goal by Kiersten Johnson, as UT used a 15-6 lead in shots to clip the Green and White, 1-nil. Like the loss to the Falcons, the setback marked EMU's first loss to the Rockets since 2011.

FACING THE FALCONS: The Falcons come into Thursday night's clash with a 7-5-0 overall record and 2-2-0 mark in conference play after defeating Akron, 2-1, Oct. 2.
   Offensively, BGSU has done most of its damage in the second half, scoring 11 of the team's 15 goals in the second period this season. The Falcons average 1.25 goals per game and are led by a two-headed attack. Skylar Fleak leads BG with six goals this season, while Erica Hubert is just behind her with four tallies. Together, the duo has combined to produce 66.7 percent of the team's offense while taking 45.1 percent of BGSU's shots.
   In between the posts, the Falcons have split time between Lauren Cadel and Kathleen Duwve. Cadel owns a team-best 0.97 goals against average with a 4-3-0 record and three shutouts to her credit, while Duwve has recorded 34 saves and an .810 save percetange and holds a 3-2-0 record in net.

DEFUSING THE ROCKETS: Toledo sits at 6-5-1 on the season and 1-2-1 in the MAC ahead of this weekend's clash at Scicluna Field. Before making the trip north, the Rockets will play host to Central Michigan, Oct. 6, looking to bounce back from a 1-nil loss to Buffalo, Oct. 2.
   As a team, UT averages 1.33 goals and 11.8 shots per match and have outscored opponents 16-14 this season. Eight different players have found the back of the net for the Rockets in 2016, paced by Kiersten Johnson's team-leading five goals.
   The Rockets have relied on Katie Wilson in goal in 2016. Playing every minute this season, Wilson has made holds a 1.15 goals against average and has blanked opponents four times this season.

EMU FALLS SHORT IN WEEK TWO OF MAC PLAY: Eastern Michigan dropped a pair of tight matches over the weekend, falling to 0-4-0 in Mid-American Conference play. EMU first fell victim to a second half surge by Ball State, Sept. 30, before losing a heartbreaker to Miami in double overtime.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: After leading the Eagles with five assists a season ago, Rachel Washburn became the 18th player in program history to record double-digit assists with a helper in EMU's 1-1 draw, Sept. 4. With her team trailing 1-nil, Washburn sent a free kick into the box where senior Ellie Tillar put it away to tie the score. The Green and White are 7-3-2 all-time when Washburn tallies an assist. Additionally, the Hartland, Mich. product has assisted on goals by eight different players. Washburn's career assist total currently sits at 12 and ranks tied for 11th all-time in EMU laurels.

LOOKING AHEAD: EMU continues league play at home next weekend, Oct. 14-16, when it tackles a pair of Mid-American Conference East Division opponents. The Eagles open play against Ohio, Oct. 14, at 4 p.m. before wrapping up the weekend against MAC East leader Kent State, Oct. 16, at 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Stef Barcelos

Peyton Davis

Sabrina McNeill

Nicole Remedios

Michelle Rollins

Ellie Tillar

Chanel Vani

Rachel Washburn

Alex Wilbanks

Eastern Michigan Athletics