EMU Soccer's Postseason Hinge on Regular Season Finale Against CMU

Soccer at Central Michigan
Date	Thursday, Oct. 26 - 3 p.m.
Location	CMU Soccer Complex - Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Game Notes	EMU Notes \| CMU Notes
Live Stats	vs. CMU
Live Stream	vs. CMU
Twitter	@EMUSoccer \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - With its playoff hopes hinging on the outcome, the Eastern Michigan University soccer team travels to Mount Pleasant, Mich. Thursday, Oct. 26, to close out the regular season against in-state foe Central Michigan University. Kickoff between the Eagles and Chippewas is scheduled for 3 p.m.
   Fans can follow the game via live stats through the links found on the soccer schedule page of EMUEagles.com, while CMU will also offer a live stream of the MAC West showdown. Additionally, the action on the pitch will be live tweeted from the team's account, @EMUSoccer.

WIN AND WE'RE IN!: With a win over Central Michigan, Oct. 26, Eastern Michigan would lock up a spot in the 2017 Mid-American Conference Tournament for the second straight season and the 13th time under Scott Hall.
   The Eagles can also qualify for the postseason with a draw, but would need help from around the league. If EMU ties and Western Michigan loses, the Eagles will claim the No. 8 seed based on the tiebreaker.

EMU VERSUS CMU: Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan have squared off on the pitch 20 times, with EMU holding a 12-5-3 lead in the all-time series. The Eagles are looking for their first win over the Chippewas since 2014 after dropping a 1-nil decision in the 2016 regular season finale and playing to a scoreless draw in 2015.
   EMU's last win over CMU took place Oct. 12, 2014 in Ypsilanti. Eastern rode first-half goals by Chelsie Oddan (21') and Megan Trapp (38') to come away victorious, 2-nil.

CLOSING IT OUT WITH THE CHIPS: Eastern Michigan has finished up the regular season against Central Michigan nine times since the program began back in 1995. In those contests, the Eagles are 2-5-2 overall, while EMU is 1-2-1 in regular season finales played in Mount Pleasant. The last time Eastern won a regular season finale in Mount Pleasant was back in 1999, when the Green and White came away with 1-nil victory thanks to a 44th-minute goal by Robyn Maples.

SCICLUNA SUCCESS: With a pair of shutout wins, the Eagles finished the season with a 6-2-1 record on its home pitch. It marks the first time since 2014 that EMU has posted a winning record at Scicluna Field.

FINISHING UP ON THE ROAD: Since the program began in 1995, the Eagles have closed out the regular season on the road just 10 times, compiling a 5-4-1 record in those matches. The last time the Green and White wrapped up the regular season away from Scicluna Field was 2014. EMU overpowered Bowling Green 3-0 at Cochrane Stadium as Chelsie Oddan, Angela Vultaggio, and Megan Trapp all found the back of the net.

WILLIAMS REELS IN MAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR: Kaylin Williams was incredible for the Eagles in week five of MAC play, Oct. 19-22, leading the Green and White to a pair of shutout victories to keep its postseason hopes alive. She totaled 12 saves on 36 shots faced and did not yield a goal in 180 minutes of action.
   It is the third time Williams has garnered the weekly award in her career, including the second time this season. The conference's announcement marks the first time EMU has won the award multiple times in a season since 2014 when Angela Vultaggio and Megan McCabe were honored by the MAC. Additionally, Williams is the first Eagle to garner the distinction multiple times in a season since Vultaggio and McCabe were each three-time MAC Player of the Week selections in 2013.

BACK-TO-BACK AGAIN!: Posting back-to-back shutouts for the second time this season, Kaylin Williams accomplished the feat for the third time in her career. The Kansas City, Mo. native is one of just four goalkeepers in EMU history to posted consecutive clean sheets three-or-more times.

IMPACT FRESHMEN: Eastern Michigan entered the season with the fifth-largest incoming class in the nation. Collectively, EMU's freshmen class has combined for nine goals and eight assists for a total of 26 points, accounting for more than 44 percent of the Eagles' points on the season.

NASON JOINS THE 20-POINT CLUB: Redshirt junior Kristin Nason became the latest Eagle to join the 20-point club, Oct. 19, as the Brooklin, Ontario native registered a goal and an assist in EMU's 3-0 win over WMU. Nason is the first player to total 20 points during their career since Ellie Tillar did so last season.

KAYLIN'S CAREER DAY: Kaylin Williams was phenomenal in between the posts for the Eagles, Oct. 19. Facing a career-high 29 shots, Williams turned in a 10-save performance, tying her career high, en route to the ninth shutout of her career.

POURING IT ON: Eastern Michigan hung three goals on in-state rival Western Michigan, Oct. 26, en route to a 3-0 win. The three-tally performance by the Eagles were the most goals EMU has scored in a game since 2015. That season, Eastern topped Ohio, 3-1, behind goals by Madison Hirsch, Michelle Rollins, and Kristin Nason.

CLIMBING THE CHART: With 10 saves against Western Michigan, Oct. 19, Kaylin Williams pushed her career total to 234 stops and continued her climb up the record book. Her double digit effort moved her past Megan McCabe for sixth on the all-time list.

BEATING THE BRONCOS: The Eagles' 3-0 win over the Broncos marked Eastern's first win over Western since the 2014 season. The only players on the current roster that had beaten the Broncos previously are Chanel Vani and Alex Wilbanks, as the duo were freshmen.

CORNERS FOR DAYS: The Eagles have garnered 99 corners this season, the most of any team in the conference. With one game left in the regular season, Eastern Michigan has already surpassed its 2016 total of 90 corner kicks. In fact, EMU's 99 corners are the most since the 2009 season when the Green and White racked up 107.

BALANCING THE BOX SCORE: Through 19 games this season, the Eagles have kept the offense fairly balanced. In fact, 14 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.

EASTERN MICHIGAN MIDWEEK: Since the 2007 season, Eastern Michigan has played 20 midweek contests, compiling a 7-10-4 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, before knocking off Western Michigan 3-0, Oct. 19.

EASTERN VS. THE MITTEN: The Eagles are 40-55-18 against teams hailing from the state of Michigan all-time. EMU's most common opponent is Western Michigan, having squared off against the Broncos 28 times since 1995. Eastern evened the series at 12-12-4 Thursday, Oct. 19. 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).

EMU Soccer's Postseason Hinge on Regular Season Finale Against CMU

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Madison Hirsch

Kristin Hullibarger

Michelle Rollins

Ellie Tillar

Chanel Vani

Alex Wilbanks

Kaylin Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics