Soccer Ready for Spring 2021 Season

Soccer vs. Central Michigan
Date	Thursday, March 4 \| 4 p.m.
Venue	St. Joe's Sports Dome \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Match Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	EMUEagles.com
Twitter	@EMU Soccer \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team will return to the pitch for the first time since the 2019 Mid-American Conference championship game, as it host Central Michigan University to open the spring 2021 season, March 4.
   To follow the action, click on the live stats link found on EMUEagles.com. Fans can also follow the team's Twitter account, @EMUSoccer, for updates throughout the match.

LIFTING THE LID: Beginning its 26th season Thursday, March 4, Eastern Michigan has posted an overall record of 11-7-7 in its season-openers. In home game season lid-lifters, the Eagles have compiled a 6-3-4 record, most recently drawing with Oakland, 2-2, to begin the 2019 season, Aug. 22.
   Additionally, this will be the first time that the program has started its season against a conference opponent. The team is 13-7-3 all-time in conference openers, and unbeaten at home, 8-0-1 in those games.

SEASON 25: Beginning with a 2-2, 2OT draw against Oakland, Aug. 22 and ending with a penalty kick shootout loss in the MAC Championship final to Bowling Green, the 25th season of Eastern Michigan soccer was one to remember in 2019.
   Notables from the season include the first game in program history where Eastern has been down two goals and came back to win (Oct. 6 , 2019 - vs. WMU, W, 3-2), Eastern captured its first MAC tournament win since 2013 (Nov. 3, 2019 at Ball State), and first appearance in a championship game since 2008 (Nov. 10, 2019 at Bowling Green).
   EMU also had three All-MAC selections in Sabrina McNeill, Amanda Cripps, and Lindsey Shira, the most selections since 2016 (Ellie Tillar, Kaylin Williams, and Sabrina McNeill). The Green and White also saw three players named to the MAC All-Tournament team for the first time since 2008, with Chelsea Abbotts, Kristin Hullibarger, and Sabrina McNeill receiving the honor.

EASTERN VS. THE MITTEN: The Eagles sit 47-58-19 all-time against teams hailing fom the state of Michigan. EMU's most common in-state opponent is Western Michigan, with 31 all-time meetings and an even ledger (13-13-4). Central Michigan and Detroit Mercy tie for the next most, at 23 meetings apiece. The Green and White hold the advantage in both series, with a 14-6-3 record against the Chippewas and 10-9-4 mark against the Titans.

HOME SWEET DOME: EMU will begin its spring 2021 playing home games in the St. Joe's Sports Dome. This will be the first time the indoor facility has hosted a regular-season Eastern Michigan soccer game in its 11-year history.

FIRST TIME IN THE SPRING: The start of the 2021 season will mark the first time the program has played a regular season match in the month of March, as well as the latest start to a season in program history.

UNITED SOCCER COACHES ACCOLADES FOR MCNEILL: Following the completion of her redshirt junior season (2019), Eastern Michigan's Sabrina McNeill was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Region Third Team. The honor made the Whitby, Ontario native just the second player in EMU Soccer history to earn All-Region honors in back-to-back seasons, following Tracy Deeter in 1999 and 2000.
   Also successful in the classroom, the United Soccer Coaches organization named McNeill to the Scholar All-Region Second Team, becoming the second player in program history to collect both All-Region and Scholar All-Region recognition in the same season (Tracy Deeter, 2000).
   McNeill started all 22 matches for the Eagles in 2019, tallying seven goals and one assist for 15 points in 1,710 minutes of play. In the quarterfinal round of the MAC Tournament, she eclipsed the 50 career points mark, becoming the 11th Eagle in program history to record at least 50 points in her career. McNeill also garnered MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors and All-MAC First Team honors for the 2019 season.

SAME NUMBERS, NEW FACES: Eastern Michigan welcomed three additions to the program in the fall in Lexy Alston, Vittoria Greco, and Sam Lenaghan. EMU's #4, #11, and #17 will all see new faces don those jerseys in 2021. The freshman will have big shoes to fill, as the seniors that occupied those numbers last season left a lasting impression on the program.
   Alston will take over #4, previously worn by Peyton Davis, who was a Second Team All-MAC selection and three-time Academic All-MAC honoree for EMU.
   Greco will wear #11, previously donned by Kristin Hullibarger, a Second Team All-MAC selection, 2019 All-MAC Tournament team member, four-time Academic All-MAC honoree, and Third Team CoSIDA Academic All-American, who also led the Green and White in points in 2019 (18) and tied for most goals (7).
   Lenaghan will don #17, taking it over after Aubrey Martin graduated. Martin was the 2020 MAC Medal of Excellence female recipient from Eastern Michigan, while also garnering three Academic All-MAC selections and helping the Eagle defense to eight shutouts in her time with the program.

SCOTT HALL'S RECRUITING MAP: It is no surprise that the three additions to Eastern Michigan's 2020 roster hail from Ohio (Lexy Alston) and Ontario (Vittoria Greco and Sam Lenaghan). In Head Coach Scott Hall's 25 seasons with the program, the three largest states or provinces of origin for players are: Michigan - 109, Ohio - 43, and Ontario - 31.

WELCOME TO THE NCA-EH: The 2020-21 Eastern Michigan soccer roster features 9 Canadians, the third-most in program history. The 2018 & 2019 squads each featured 11 players from up north, while 2016 & 2017 rosters each had 10.

SUCCESS AT SCICLUNA: Over the course of the 21-year history of Scicluna Field (dedicated in 1999), 24 games have seen four-or-more goals by individual teams. Of those 24 games, only four have been four-goal performances by the Eagles' opponent.
   The most goals scored by a single team at Scicluna Field is seven, which was by EMU against Buffalo, Oct. 19, 2007 (W, 7-1). The most an opponent has scored is five, coming Aug. 14, 2013, scored by Illinois State.

G IS A MYSTERY: Freshman Vittoria Greco becomes just the second player in EMU program history to have a last name that starts with the letter 'G'. The other was Stacey Gudorf, who suited up for the Green and White in 1997 and 1998.

WATCH OUT FOR TAUSEND: In the past two meetings between Eastern and Central, EMU senior Haley Tausend has been the deciding factor. Oct. 25, 2018, Tausend netted the game-winning, overtime goal to push the Eagles past the Chips. A season later, Oct. 31, 2019, Tausend came through again for the Green and White, scoring the game-winner in the 27th minute to clinch EMU's spot in the postseason.

SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan will meet for the 24th time when the two sides face off, March 4. The Eagles hold a decisive advantage in the all-time meetings, 14-6-3.

LAST MEETING: Battling through sleet and snow, the Eastern Michigan University soccer team clinched its spot in the Mid-American Conference tournament with a 3-1 win over Central Michigan University, on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2019, at the CMU Soccer Complex.
   Despite CMU finding the back of the net first in the 14th minute, EMU responded with three unanswered. In the 27th minute, with Kristin Hullibarger crossed the ball to Sabrina McNeill, who snuck it past the Chippewas' goalkeeper to tie the game. 10 minutes later, Nicole Remedios perfectly placed a corner kick to the head of Haley Tausend for the game-winner and the 2-1 lead for the Eagles. Adding some insurance, Hullibarger tapped a deflected shot to Amanda Cripps, who sent the ball to the back of the net and sealed the win, 3-1.

LAST TIME IN YPSI: The Eastern Michigan University soccer team punched its ticket to the MAC Tournament with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over Central Michigan University Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018 at Scicluna Field.
   A penalty kick by then-redshirt sophomore Sabrina McNeill was converted in the 10th minute to put EMU up, 1-0, and then-sophomore Madeline Olson doubled EMU's lead 10 minutes later with a goal of her own. CMU scored in the 70th and 84th minutes to level the game, but then-sophomore Haley Tausend scored the golden goal off a corner in the 94th minute to give EMU the win.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan will head west on I-94 to Kalamazoo, Mich. to take on Western Michigan University Sunday, March 7. The match is set to begin from the WMU Soccer Complex at 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Chelsea Abbotts

Lexy Alston

Amanda Cripps

Peyton Davis

Vittoria Greco

Kristin Hullibarger

Sam Lenaghan

Aubrey Martin

Sabrina McNeill

Madeline Olson

Nicole Remedios

Lindsey Shira

Haley Tausend

Ellie Tillar

Kaylin Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics