Soccer Set to Open 2018 Season on the Road

Soccer at Purdue \| at Illinois State
Date	Friday, Aug. 17 - 7 p.m. \| Sunday, Aug. 19 - 1 p.m. CT
Venue	West Lafayette, Ind. - Folk Field \| Normal, Ill. - Adelaide Street Field
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Stats vs. Purdue \| Stats vs. Illinois State
Watch	vs. Purdue \| vs. Illinois State
Twitter	@EMU Soccer \| @EMUAthletics

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. & NORMAL, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University soccer team begins the 2018 campaign on the road this weekend, Aug. 17-19. EMU opens the season under the lights against Purdue University Friday, at 7 p.m., before taking on Illinois State University at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday.
   Both of this weekend's matches can be viewed via live stream. The EMU-Purdue match will be available on BTN To Go, while Sunday's tilt between Eastern and Illinois State will be on ESPN+. Links for video streams and live stats can be 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.

SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Michigan owns a 2-4-3 record against this weekend's opponents. EMU is 0-0-1 against Purdue all-time, while the Eagles trail the all-time series against the Redbirds by a 2-4-2 tally.
   Friday night's match is just the second between EMU and Purdue in the history of the two program's. The only previous clash ended in a 2-2 draw, Aug. 31, 2003, in West Lafayette. Meanwhile, Eastern and Illinois State have gotten rather familiar with one another as of late, having squared off in each of the past three seasons. ISU holds the upperhand all-time, 2-4-2. The Eagles are in search of their first win versus the Redbirds since 2010.

LID LIFTERS: Since the program was established in 1995, the Green and White have posted an 11-6-5 record in season openers. EMU's most recent season-opening victory came in 2014 when Eastern blanked Fordham, 2-0, at Scicluna Field behind goals from Angela Vultaggio and Emily Dzik.

BATTLING THE B1G'S: Big Ten Conference opponents are no stranger to Eastern Michigan, as the Eagles have met institutions from the Chicago-based conference 34 times. Overall, EMU holds a 2-27-5 ledger against the league, with wins over Indiana and Michigan State. The Eagles' most recent B1G victory came in 2014, when Eastern topped Indiana, 2-0, in Ypsilanti behind the brace of Angela Vultaggio.
   The last time EMU defeated a Big Ten opponent away from home came back in 1999 when the Green and White topped Michigan State, 1-0, in East Lansing on a goal by Amanda Kulikowski in the 53rd minute.

GETTING ROLLING ON THE ROAD: The Eagles open the season on the road for the first time since 2015, when they were overpowered by Michigan, 8-1. Friday night's match marks just the sixth time EMU has started the year on the road since 2005. Eastern owns a 1-1-3 record in the previous five matches, with its last season-opening road win coming at Purdue Fort Wayne, 2-1, Aug. 26, 2005.

MAEDER MATCH PART II: When Eastern travels to Illinois State this weekend, the Redbirds will see a familar face on the Eagle sideline as EMU's second-year athletic trainer, Marissa Maeder, links the two schools together. Prior to beginning her post at Eastern, Maeder earned her undergraduate degree from ISU and spent her last semester as the student athletic trainer for the Illinois State women's soccer team.

ALL THE LEAGUES: EMU's 2018 schedule features opponents from seven different conferences. In addition to 11 games in the Mid-American Conference, the Green and White will take on teams from the American, Atlantic-10, Big Ten, Big East, Horizon League, and Missouri Valley. Eastern's most common non-conference opponents hail from the Horizon League in the form of Detroit Mercy, Oakland, and Illinois-Chicago.

IRONMAN OF THE MAC: Entering his 20th season at the helm of the Eagles, Head Coach Scott Hall is the longest tenured women's soccer coach in the Mid-American Conference. Since taking over, Hall has compiled a record of 180-153-57. Addiotnally, his three MAC Regular Season titles are tied atop the most in conference history.

FIREPOWER UP FRONT: EMU returns some of its top goal scorers in 2018, including 2016 MAC Freshman of the Year Sabrina McNeill. After a season that was cut short due to injury, McNeill is back alongside Kristin Nason and 2017 MAC All-Freshmen honoree Madeline Olson. Nason scored two goals and added two helpers last year, after netting seven goals the season before. Olson is back for her second season with the Green and White after racking up nine points on three goals and three assists in 2017. Together, the trio has combined for 18 goals and 10 assists for the Eagles.

MILESTONE WATCH: Senior keeper Kaylin Williams has etched her name into the EMU record book over the past three seasons, and is on the verge of adding a few more milestones to her name. The Kansas City, Mo. native sits eight shots faced away from the program record, while she is 791 minutes shy of the all-time mark. Additionally, she is currently slotted sixth with 245 career saves, putting her 142 off of Monique Budani's program record of 387.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan returns home next weekend, Aug. 24-26, for games against the University of Detroit Mercy and the University of Dayton. EMU kicks off the home portion of the schedule Friday, Aug. 24, at 5 p.m., before wrapping up the weekend with a 1 p.m. tilt versus Dayton.

FOLLOW THE ACTION ALL SEASON LONG: Stay connected with the Eagles all season long by following @EMUSoccer and @EMUAthletics on Twitter for all of the latest EMU soccer updates. Be sure to use the hashtag #EMUEagles.

FREDERICK'S FANTASTIC UWS SEASON: Sophomore Alia Frederick reeled in First Team All-Midwest Conference honors for her play for the Michigan Legends this summer, United Women's Soccer announced, Aug. 1.
   Frederick tied for the team lead with 12 points, netting three goals and adding six assists in eight games. A UWS Midwest Conference Player of the Week selection earlier in the summer, Frederick also led the team in assists and tied for the lead in goals. Her six helpers were slotted tied for third among all United Women's Soccer players.

FRESH FACES: The Green and White bolstered its roster with the addition of six newcomers, five recent high school graduates and a transfer, ahead of the 2018 campaign. Freshmen Simone Chiodo, Emma Collins, and Kylie Frantz will compete for playing time in the midfield, while Sarah Ash and Lara Wheeler look to earn minutes on the backline along with sophomore transfer Haley Tausend.

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Players Mentioned

Sarah Ash

Simone Chiodo

Emma Collins

Emily Dzik

Kylie Frantz

Alia Frederick

Kristin Hullibarger

Sabrina McNeill

Madeline Olson

Haley Tausend

Angela Vultaggio

Lara Wheeler

Kaylin Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics