Split Weekend: Soccer Hosts Creighton, Travels to Oakland

Soccer vs. Creighton \| at Oakland
Date	Friday, Aug. 31 - 12 p.m. \| Sunday, Sept. 2 - 1 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. - Scicluna Field \| Rochester, Mich. - Oakland Soccer Field
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Live Stats vs. Creighton
Live Stream	vs. Oakland (ESPN+) \| Guide to ESPN+
Twitter	@EMU Soccer \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. & ROCHESTER, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - Closing out a three-game homestand, the Eastern Michigan University soccer team welcomes Creighton University to Scicluna Field Friday, Aug. 31, before making the short drive to Rochester, Mich. for a Sunday, Sept. 2, clash with Oakland University.
Creighton (1-2-0) visits Scicluna Field after outlasting the University of Nebraska-Omaha, 1-0, Monday, Aug. 27. Meanwhile, Oakland (0-3-0) concludes its Mid-American Conference tour when the Eagles make the trek to Oakland's soccer field. OU lost to Bowling Green State University, 3-0, Saturday, Aug. 25, and will play Western Michigan University Friday, Aug. 31, before hosting EMU.
Links for live stats for both matches can be found on the soccer schedule page of EMUEagles.com, while the Eastern Michigan-Oakland game will be streamed on ESPN+. Additionally, the action on the pitch will be live tweeted from the team's account, @EMUSoccer.

DOWN GOES DETROIT: Eastern Michigan defeated Detroit Mercy, 2-1, in its season opener Friday evening, Aug. 24, behind goals by Madeline Olson and Kristin Nason. It marked EMU's first win over UDM since the 2013 season opener when the Eagles knocked off the Titans, 3-1, and tied the all-time series between the in-state rivals at 9-9-4.

10 JOINS THE 20 CLUB: Registering her first points of the season, Sabrina McNeill turned in a solid weekend for the Eagles, Aug. 24-26. The Whitby, Ontario native tallied her first assist of the season on Kristin Nason's game-winner against Detroit Mercy, Aug. 24, before finding the back of the net herself in EMU's loss to Dayton, Aug. 26. The three-point weekend pushed McNeill's career total to 20, making her the first Eagle to reach the mark since Nason did so against Western Michigan, Oct. 19, 2017.

A PERFECT 10: Kristin Nason netted the 10th goal of her career with a game-winning strike against Detroit Mercy Friday, Aug. 24. Nason, the active team leader in goals scored, notched seven as a redshirt freshman in 2015, two last season, and one this season to reach the milestone. She currently ranks tied for 19th all-time in EMU laurels with 10 goals.

SERIES HISTORY: EMU will meet Creighton for the first time in program history Friday, before clashing with Oakland for the 13th time Sunday in Rochester, Mich. The Golden Grizzlies hold a comfortable 9-2-1 lead in the all-time tally, but the Eagles won last season's meeting. Scoreless through regulation, a 96th-minute golden goal from Marla Cobetto gave Eastern its first win over OU since 1996.

BATTLING THE BIG EAST: The Eagles have competed against Big East Conference opponents eight times in EMU's history, with Friday's match against Creighton set to be the ninth. Eastern Michigan is 1-4-3 against members of the New York City-based league. Eastern's most common Big East opponent is Butler, who the Eagles hold a 1-3-3 record against. The Eagles are also 0-1-0 against DePaul, the only other Big East team they have played previously.

EMU VS. THE HORIZON: EMU's non-conference schedule consists of three Horizon League institutions. Eastern boasts a 29-21-7 record against members of the Indianapolis, Ind.-based conference, having played seven of its 10 current members. The Eagles are 1-0 against the conference this season, having topped Detroit Mercy, 2-1, Aug. 24. EMU owns perfect records against Youngstown (5-0-0), Illinois-Chicago (2-0-0), and Green Bay (4-0-0). Eastern also leads in the all-time series with IUPUI (7-3-2). Milwaukee won the lone meeting between the squads, while EMU also trails in the series with Oakland, 2-9-1.

BRAGGING RIGHTS: The Eagles are 41-56-18 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 and Western are even in the series, 12-12-4, while EMU is also tied, 9-9-4, against Detroit Mercy all-time. The Green and White have been most successful against Central Michigan, posting a 12-6-3 mark against the Chippewas. The Eagles trail in series with Michigan (0-8-2), Michigan State (1-12-3), and Oakland (2-9-1).

HOME COOKING: Eastern Michigan has found consistent success when playing at home over the past 23 years, compiling a 110-56-28 overall record, good for a .639 win percentage, at Scicluna Field. This season, EMU is 1-1 on its home pitch.

EMU IN ITS HOME OPENER: The Eagles moved to 13-7-4 all-time in their home openers with their 2-1 win over Detroit Mercy, Aug. 24. With the win, Eastern extended its home-opening unbeaten streak to six years.

EVERYONE, MEET EMMA: Freshman Emma Collins made her Eastern Michigan debut Sunday, Aug. 26, against Dayton. The Windsor, Ontario native is the third freshman to find the field this season, joining Kylie Frantz and Simone Chiodo. Collins came off the bench to play the final 15 minutes on EMU's backline.

KAYLIN'S CLIMB: Senior netminder Kaylin Williams has proven to be one of the top keepers to come through Ypsilanti. Learning from former EMU standout Megan McCabe as a freshman and continuing to benefit from the tutelage of Dan Diac, Williams has created quite a legacy. With 21 saves to her credit this season, the Kansas City, Mo. native has racked up 266 for her career. She currently ranks fifth in EMU laurels, and trails Erin Norton's fourth-ranked mark by 31.

ON THE HORIZON: After a split weekend, the Eagles enjoy an extended break before returning to the pitch Sunday, Sept. 9. EMU hosts Illinois Chicago at 1 p.m., marking its final home non-conference game.

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Players Mentioned

Simone Chiodo

Marla Cobetto

Emma Collins

Kylie Frantz

Kristin Hullibarger

Megan McCabe

Sabrina McNeill

Madeline Olson

Kaylin Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics