Eagles Welcome Broncos to Closeout Homestand

Soccer vs. Western Michigan
Date	Sunday, March 28 \| 1 p.m.
Venue	St. Joe's Sports Dome \| Ypsilanti, Mich. - No Spectators are Permitted
Match Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	EMUEagles.com
Twitter	@EMU Soccer \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team closes out its three-game homestand with a rematch against Mid-American Conference and in-state rival Western Michigan University Sunday, March 28. The game is set to start at 1 p.m. inside the St. Joe's Sports Dome.
   Fans can follow the game via live stats. The link can be found on the soccer schedule page of EMUEagles.com. Additionally, updates will be posted from the team's Twitter account, @EMUSoccer.

MOVIN' ON UP: With her pair of goals against Toledo, March 18, redshirt senior Sabrina McNeill notched her 60th career point, bringing her to seventh place on the program's all-time points scored list, surpassing former teammate Kristin Nason, who finished her career with 59 points.
   Adding a goal against Ball State, March 21, the Whitby, Ontario native recorded her 25th career goal in the Green and White, moving her into sole possession of fourth place all-time on the program's career goals scored list. She needs eight more to tie Angela Vultaggio, who sits in third place with 33 career goals.

MAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK, TIMES TWO: The Mid-American Conference announced that Eastern Michigan redshirt senior, and reigning MAC West Offensive Player of the Week, Sabrina McNeill, would keep her title for another week, as she was named MAC West Offensive Player of the Week for the second straight week, March 23.
   McNeill collected her first accolade of the season, March 17, after recording a two-goal performance, including scoring the game-winner, at Northern Illinois, March 14. The redshirt senior followed that performance with a second brace against Toledo, March 18, and scoring the lone goal for EMU in its loss to Ball State, March 21.

CREATING CHANCES: Proving that everyone can create scoring chances on the field, Eastern Michigan's six assists so far this season have all been recorded by different players - Haley Tausend (vs. CMU, March 4), Alia Frederick (at NIU, March 14), Kennady Kuhlman (at NIU, March 14), Marla Cobetto (vs. Toledo, March 18), Lindsey Shira (vs. Toledo, March 18), and Amanda Cripps (vs. Ball State, March 21).

PUTTING THEM ON FRAME: While Eastern Michigan's opponents may hold the advantage in shots taken through the first five games of the season (70-63), the Green and White lead its opponents where it counts: in shots on goal. The Eagles have put 40 of its shots on target, compared to opponents' 27, resulting in a .635-.386 advantage in shots on goal percentage.

EASTERN VS. THE MITTEN: The Eagles sit 48-59-19 all-time against teams hailing from the State of Michigan. EMU's most common in-state opponent is Western Michigan, with 31 all-time meetings (13-14-4). Central Michigan follows, with 24 all-time matchups, and Detroit Mercy close behind at 23 meetings. The Green and White hold the advantage in both series, with a 15-6-3 record against the Chippewas and 10-9-4 mark against the Titans.

SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan will meet for the 32nd time, March 28. With the last meeting ending in Western's favor, the all-time ledger between the two sides shifted towards the Broncos, 14-13-4. When playing in Ypsilanti, Eastern and Western are even with a 7-7-2 record.

LAST MEETING: Its first road trip of the 2021 season, Eastern Michigan fell to Western Michigan, 4-0, at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Mich., March 7. Heading in to the halftime break scoreless, Western responded with three goals in a 12-minute span to open the second half and seal the victory for the Broncos.

LAST TIME IN YPSILANTI: The Eagles overcame a 0-2 deficit in the first half to hand Western Michigan its first Mid-American Conference loss, 3-2, Oct. 6, 2019, at Scicluna Field. The comeback marked the first time the Eagles have erased a two-goal deficit to win in program history.
   Down, 0-2, heading in to the 70th minute, then-junior Lindsey Shira dribbled through the Broncos' defense for a score. Moments later, then-freshman Amanda Cripps drew a foul in the Broncos' box and was awarded a penalty kick, which she slipped past the Western Michigan goalkeeper to tie the game, 2-2, just 30 seconds later. With under eight minutes remaining, Shira ripped a rocket from well beyond the box that found the top left corner for the game-winner, 3-2.

ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles will visit Mount Pleasant, Mich., to take on Central Michigan University, April 1 at 3 p.m. This will be the second meeting between the two sides this season, with the first occurring March 4 at the St. Joe's Sports Dome to open the 2021 season. EMU came away with the comeback win, 2-1.

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Players Mentioned

Marla Cobetto

Amanda Cripps

Alia Frederick

Kennady Kuhlman

Sabrina McNeill

Lindsey Shira

Haley Tausend

Angela Vultaggio

Eastern Michigan Athletics