Eagles Continue MAC Slate, Battle Buffalo and Akron

Soccer vs. Buffalo \| Soccer vs. Akron
Date	Thursday, Oct. 7 - 4 p.m. \| Sunday, Oct. 10 - 1 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. - Scicluna Field \| Akron, Ohio - FirstEnergy Stadium
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| EMU Program (Buffalo)
Live Stats	Live Stats
Twitter	@EMUSoccer \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team will continue its third week of Mid-American Conference play with a home match against Buffalo Thursday, Oct. 7, and a road contest at Akron Sunday, Oct. 10.
   The contest against the Bulls is set to begin at 4 p.m. at Scicluna Field, while kickoff versus the Zips will begin at 1 p.m. inside FirstEnergy Stadium. Fans can follow the match against Buffalo and Akron via live stats. Additionally, updates will be posted from the team's Twitter account, @EMUSoccer, for both matches.

LEADING THE EAGLES: The Eagles' attack has been diverse to start the season as eight individuals lead the squad in goals (1); senior Lindsey Shira, redshirt juniors Chloe Chatzis and Madeline Olson, junior Sarah Ash, sophomores Amanda Cripps and Tiffanie Hollingsworth, and freshmen Jamie Lefebvre and Maddie O'Farrell. Shira leads the Eagles with two assists on the season and four points on the year (one goal and two assists). Shira also paces EMU in shots (17) and shots on goal (8).
   In net, senior Chelsea Abbotts leads the Eagles in saves (49) and owns both wins for Eastern in the 2021 campaign.

VIEWS FROM 2021: Eastern Michigan has begun Mid-American Conference play with a 1-2-1 record. The Eagles finished non-conference play with an overall record of 1-5-1.
   In the first week of MAC play, the Eagles finished with a stalemate against Ball State, 0-0, Sept. 23 and a loss to Miami, 2-1, Sept. 26. Eastern followed it up with a loss, 1-0, to Western Michigan, Sept. 30.
   Last time out, EMU defeated Northern Illinois University, 2-1, Sunday, Oct. 3, to earn the team's first conference win of the season. Senior Lindsey Shira and junior Sarah Ash led the Eagles with a goal apiece. Both also combined for five shots, two on goal. Sophomore Amanda Cripps also tallied a team-high four shots and a shot on goal.

RETURN OF THE MAC: Since 2012, Eastern Michigan has an overall record of 50-45-6 in Mid-American Conference play, outscoring the opposition 148-141 in that span.
   Head coach Scott Hall enters the 2021 campaign with a 131-92-26 career conference record. Hall's teams have qualified for the MAC Tournament 15 times and captured one tournament title, three regular season titles, three appearances in the MAC title game, and nine top-five regular season finishes.

CORNERSTONE ON THE EAGLE DEFENSE: EMU's defense is manned by upperclassmen Sarah Ash, Lindsey Shira, and Haley Tausend. Of the three, Ash has been a mainstay in Eastern's lineup. The junior has not come off the field yet this season, playing in every minute, amassing 1,030 minutes in 11 starts.
   Ash has helped the Eagles' defense record a clean sheet against Ball State, Sept. 23, and recorded the game-winning score against Northern Illinois, Oct. 3.

A LOOK AT BUFFALO: The Bulls will be coming to Scicluna Field looking to continue a two-game Mid-American Conference win streak, having defeated Ball State, 2-1, and Miami, 2-1. Buffalo has outscored its opposition 23-12 this season and out-shot its opponents 155-104 (14.1 spg).
   The Bulls lead the MAC with 23 goals (2.09 gpg) and 81 shots on target. Buffalo is also second in the conference with 155 total shots. On defense, the Bulls have allowed the fifth-fewest goals in the MAC with 12 goals allowed (1.09 gaa) and rank fifth in save percentage (.774).

HISTORY VS. BUFFALO: This will be the 26th meeting between Eastern and Buffalo. The Bulls lead the all-time head-to-head series record 11-8-6 between the two Mid-American Conference foes. UB has taken three of the last five from the Eagles and has outscored EMU 7-5 in the last five meetings.

LAST TIME IN YPSI: The most recent meeting between UB and EMU came in the 2019 season when the Eagles defeated the Bulls, 2-1, at Scicluna Field, Oct. 27, 2019 on Eastern's Senior Day. In the victory, former Eagle Kristin Hullibarger and then-junior Lindsey Shira each netted a goal and an assist. Then-freshman Amanda Cripps added four shots in the win over Buffalo.

A LOOK AT AKRON: The Eagles will travel to Akron to face the Zips, who are looking to snap a five-game losing skid. Akron has an overall record of 2-10-0 and a Mid-American Conference record of 0-4-0. Last week, Akron fell to both Miami, 3-0, and Ball State, 3-1.
   The Zips are the last remaining winless program in MAC play. Akron has been outscored 26-9 by its opponents and have scored 0.75 goals per game. The Zips have scored just one goal in their four conference matches in 2021.
   Akron is tied for tenth in the conference with 9 goals scored (0.75 gpg) and have surrendered the third-most goals in the MAC (26).

HISTORY VS. AKRON: This will be the 20th meeting between EMU and Akron. The Eagles currently lead the all-time head-to-head series 13-4-2, and Eastern has won four of the last five, outscoring the Zips 9-6 in those five matches.

LAST TIME IN AKRON: The last time the two programs met in Akron, Ohio, Eastern defeated the Zips, 1-0, Sept. 28, 2018. In that match, former Eagle Sabrina McNeill scored the game-deciding goal for the Green and White while then-sophomore Madeline Olson added three shots and a shot on goal.

ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles will continue their Mid-American Conference slate with a road match at Bowling Green, Oct. 14, and a home match versus Toledo, Oct. 17.

For updates on all things Eastern Michigan soccer, continue to check EMUEagles.com and be sure to follow the team on Instagram and Twitter, @EMUSoccer.

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Players Mentioned

Chelsea Abbotts

Sarah Ash

Chloe Chatzis

Amanda Cripps

Tiffanie Hollingsworth

Jamie Lefebvre

Maddie O'Farrell

Madeline Olson

Lindsey Shira

Haley Tausend

Eastern Michigan Athletics