200th Home Game and Senior Day on Tap for Soccer

Soccer vs. Miami \| vs. Ball State
Date	Thursday, Oct. 18 - 4 p.m. \| Sunday, Oct. 21 - 1 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. - Scicluna Field
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Live Stats
Twitter	@EMU Soccer \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Eastern Michigan University's soccer team looks to make a postseason push Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 18-21, as it begins a three-game homestand. EMU hosts Miami University Thursday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m. in the Eagles' 200th home game, before welcoming Ball State University to Scicluna Field Sunday, Oct. 21, for Senior Day. The EMU-BSU tilt is slated for 1 p.m.
Coming off a 1-1 weekend, Eastern Michigan enters the final stretch of the regular season with an 8-9-0 record, including a 3-5-0 mark in league play. Miami is 3-11-1 on the year and 1-7-0 in the MAC after dropping a pair of home matches to the University at Buffalo, 1-0, and the University of Akron, 2-1. Meanwhile, Ball State (9-3-2, 5-2-1 MAC) is riding a four-game win streak after a pair of 1-nil shutouts over Akron and Buffalo.
Links for live stats can be found on the soccer schedule page of EMUEagles.com. Additionally, the action will be live tweeted from the team's account, @EMUSoccer.

200TH HOME GAME: Eastern Michigan's clash with Miami Thursday, Oct. 18, will be the 200th home game in program history for EMU. The Eagles have compiled a 113-58-28 overall record, good for a .641 win percentage, at Scicluna Field. This season, EMU is 4-3 on its home pitch. In celebration of EMU's 200th home match the first 200 fans in attendance will receive a pair of Eastern Michigan sunglasses.

EMU IN THE HUSKIES' HOME: EMU's 1-nil shutout over Northern Illinois, Oct. 12, was Eastern's first win in DeKalb since 2012. That season, the Eagles used a penalty kick from Bianca Rossi to outlast the Huskies, 1-nil, Sept. 21.

FRANTZ'S FIRST: Freshman Kylie Frantz picked one heck of a time to net the first goal of her collegiate career. The Erie, Pa. native blasted a shot from 25-yards out in the 81st minute at Northern Illinois to lead Eastern to a 1-0 victory. Frantz is the ninth Eagle to score a goal this season.

BLANKING THE HUSKIES: Junior Mabel Dunn turned in the first shutout of her career at Northern Illinois Friday, Oct. 14. Dunn posted six saves en route to a 1-nil win for the Eagles. It was EMU's first win over NIU since 2012, and marked the fifth clean sheet of the season for the Eagles.

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 3-5-0. EMU currently ranks ninth with nine points, putting them three points outside of the top-eight.

SLIM MARGINS: The Eagles have suffered some heartbreaking setbacks since conference play began last month, leaving EMU with a 3-5-0 league record with three matches to go. Eastern Michigan has lost its five league games by a combined five goals as each match has been of the one-goal variety. Only one other league opponent has had such slim margins, as Akron's five losses have also come by one goal each.

UP IT TO EIGHT: EMU's eight wins are the most for the Eagles since winning 11 in 2014. Eastern won five games in 2015, six in 2016, and seven in 2017, after winning the MAC West Division in 2014.

SHARING THE SPOTLIGHT: Redshirt sophomore Sabrina McNeill and redshirt junior Kristin Nason have caused opposing defenses plenty of trouble over the course of the season, as the duo has combined for 11 goals, eight assists, and 30 points. In fact, McNeill and Nason are the first EMU teammates to rack up 15-or-more points each since 2014. That year, Angela Vultaggio and Bianca Rossi notched 19 and 15 points, respectively.

SENIOR DAY SHOUTOUTS: Sunday's match versus Ball State marks one of the final home game for seniors Kaylin Williams, Mikayla Cupp, Mia Colavito, and Mackenzie Etienne.
   #1 Kaylin Williams - Williams has put together one of the best careers in goal of any Eagle. A Second Team All-MAC selection in 2016 and three-time Academic All-MAC selection, Williams will finish her career as the program record holder in shots faced and minutes played, fourth in saves, fifth in shutouts, and eighth in goals against average.
   #8 Mikayla Cupp - Cupp has been a staple in the Eagles' midfield since stepping foot in Ypsi in 2015. Playing in 57 career matches, Cupp has started 49. In addition to notching an assist, Cupp has recorded three yellow cards and 642 tackles, while being an aggressive presence on the field for the Green and White.
   #13 Mia Colavito - Colavito has played in 48 matches for the Green and White, earning a majority of her minutes in the midfield. Colavito has been honored consistently for her work in the classroom, as a two-time Academic All-MAC honoree.
   #18 Mackenzie Etienne - Etienne as appeared in 27 games for the Eagles, making 10 starts between the midfield and defense. An Academic All-MAC selection in 2017, Etienne scored a goal against Florida Atlantic, Aug. 27, 2017.

SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Michigan has compiled a 18-23-3 record against this weekend's competition, trailing in each of the series with Miami and Ball State.
   EMU is 7-10-2 against BSU in 29 all-time meetings, and has lost three straight versus the Cardinals. Eastern's last win over Ball State came, Sept. 28, 2014, when the Eagles bested the Cardinals, 2-1, in overtime at Scicluna Field. Since that win, EMU has been outscored by BSU by an 8-2 tally.
   Like their series with the Cardinals, the Eagles' last win over the RedHawks came during the 2014 campaign. EMU opened MAC play with a 2-0 shutout over Miami, Sept. 26, in Oxford, Ohio. Eastern has dropped its last three matches against Miami, including a heartbreaking 3-2 double OT setback at MU last season.

MAKIN' MOVES: Redshirt junior Kristin Nason and redshirt sophomore Sabrina McNeill continued to climb EMU's career points ladder with assists at Western Michigan, Oct. 14. Nason sits in 18th-place with 35 points, while McNeill currently ranks 20th in EMU history with 32 points and trails Rachel Schmidt by one point.

3...2...1...#MACTION: Eastern Michigan is in its 21st season competing as a member of the Mid-American Conference. The Eagles have compiled a 114-75-25 record in league play and are looking to claim their fourth MAC title, and first since 2013. Eastern was the 1999, 2003, and 2013 MAC Regular Season Champion.

ON THE HORIZON: EMU wraps up the regular season at home Thursday, Oct. 25, against in-state foe Central Michigan. Game time is slated for 3 p.m. at Scicluna Field.

Players Mentioned

Mia Colavito

Mikayla Cupp

Mabel Dunn

Mackenzie Etienne

Kylie Frantz

Kristin Hullibarger

Sabrina McNeill

Bianca Rossi

Angela Vultaggio

Kaylin Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics