Senior Day Highlights Week Five of MAC Play for EMU Soccer

Soccer vs. Western Michigan \| vs. Northern Illinois
Date	Thursday, Oct. 19 - 4 p.m. \| Sunday, Oct. 22 - 1 p.m.
Location	Scicluna Field - Ypsilanti, Mich.
Game Notes	EMU Notes \| WMU Notes \| NIU Notes
Live Stats	vs. WMU \| vs. NIU
Twitter	@EMUSoccer \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University soccer team closes out the home portion of its schedule this week, Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 19-22, at Scicluna Field with matches against Western Michigan University and Northern Illinois University. EMU kicks off week five of Mid-American Conference play against WMU Thursday, Oct. 19, at 4 p.m. The Eagles then host the Huskies Sunday, Oct. 22, for Senior Day. Kickoff between EMU and NIU is scheduled for 1 p.m.
   Fans can follow the game via live stats through the links found on the soccer schedule page of EMUEagles.com. Additionally, the action on the pitch will be live tweeted from the team's account, @EMUSoccer.

EMU VERSUS THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS: Eastern Michigan holds a 25-17-7 all-time record against this week's competition in 49 total meetings.
   EMU and WMU have met on the pitch 27 times, with the Eagles trailing in the all-time series by a slim 11-12-4 tally. Eastern is looking for its first win over its in-state foe since Oct. 26, 2014 when the Green and White knocked off the Broncos 1-0 behind Ellie Tillar's first half goal.
   The Eagles hold a 14-5-3 lead against the Huskies all-time, while NIU has gone 2-0-1 in the last three meetings. EMU's last win over Northern Illinois came back during the 2013 campaign. Eastern cruised to a 4-1 victory over Northern in that match as four different players recorded goals.

HOME COOKING: Eastern Michigan has found consistent success when playing at home over the past 22 years, compiling a 107-55-28 overall record, good for a .637 win percentage, at Scicluna Field. This season, the Green and White are 4-2-1 on its home pitch.

THANK YOU, SENIORS!: Sunday's match versus Northern Illinois marks the final home game for seniors Chanel Vani and Alex Wilbanks. Together, the duo has combined for four assists and a goal, while playing a majority of their minutes on the defensive end of the pitch.
   #15 Chanel Vani - Vani has appeared in 55 matches for the Green and White, making 33 starts. In 2016, Vani recorded the first points of her career, racking up a career-best three assists. This season, Vani is one of just four players to start every game. For her career, Vani's stout defense has helped the Eagles to 10 shutouts. An Academic All-MAC selection, Vani will graduate with a degree in exercise science in the spring.
   #21 Alex Wilbanks - A captain on this year's squad, Wilbanks has appeared in 33 matches    for the Green and White. She notched the first points of her career last season. She tallied the first assist of her career on the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over Oregon State. Wilbanks also registered the first goal of her career later that season, finding the back of the net against Miami. An Academic All-MAC selection, Wilbanks will graduate with a degree in exercise science.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: With three games remaining in the regular season, the Eagles find themselves in the hunt for a spot in the MAC Tournament. Heading into week five of conference play, the Green and White are currently in the outside looking in with a league record of 2-6-0. EMU currently ranks 10th with six points, putting them three points out of the playoff picture.

CORNERS FOR DAYS: The Eagles have garnered 94 corners this season, the most of any team in the conference. With three games left to play in the regular season, Eastern Michigan has already surpassed its 2016 total of 90 corner kicks. In fact, EMU's 94 corners are the most since the 2009 season when the Green and White racked up 107.

SCICLUNA SUCCESS: Eastern Michigan looks to secure its first winning record at home since the 2014 season. That year, the Green and White went 6-2-0 at home. EMU currently boasts a 4-2-1 mark at Scicluna and needs just one win this weekend to wrap up a winning record on its home pitch for the season.

EASTERN MICHIGAN MIDWEEK: Since the 2007 season, Eastern Michigan has played 20 midweek contests, compiling a 6-10-4 record in matches played Monday-Thursday. The Eagles won their first midweek contest since Oct. 30, 2014, with a 2-1 double OT win over Bowling Green, Oct. 5, at Scicluna Field.

EASTERN VS. THE MITTEN: The Eagles are 39-55-18 against teams hailing from the state of Michigan all-time. EMU's most common opponent is Western Michigan, having squared off against the Broncos 27 times since 1995. Eastern trails in the all-time series by a slim 11-12-4 margin. The Green and White have been most successful against Central Michigan, posting a 12-5-3 mark against the Chippewas. EMU sits at 8-9-4 against Detroit Mercy in 21 total meetings, while the Eagles trail in series with Michigan (0-8-2), Michigan State (1-12-3), and Oakland (2-9-1).

OVERTIME HEARTBREAK: Eastern Michigan dropped a double overtime match to Miami, 3-2, Sunday, Oct. 15. The match marked EMU's fifth OT game of the season and 92nd in program history. Since its first season back in 1995, EMU has compiled a 15-32-45 record in extra time.

BALANCING THE BOX SCORE: Through 17 games this season, the Eagles have kept the offense fairly balanced. In fact, 12 players have recorded a point, while eight different Eagles have notched both a goal and an assist this season. In all of 2016, EMU had 11 players register points and six tally both a goal and an assist.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan closes out the regular season next week, Oct. 26, on the road against in-state rival Central Michigan. Kickoff between the Eagles and Chippewas is set for 3 p.m. in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

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Players Mentioned

Ellie Tillar

Chanel Vani

Alex Wilbanks

Eastern Michigan Athletics