Soccer Travels to Colgate Thursday; Faces Syracuse Sunday

Soccer at Colgate \| Soccer at Syracuse
Date	Thursday, Aug. 26 - 4:30 p.m. \| Sunday, Aug. 29 - 1 p.m.
Venue	Hamilton, N.Y. - Beyer-Small '76 Field \| Syracuse, N.Y. - SU Soccer Stadium
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Watch	ESPN+ (vs. Colgate) \| ACC Network Extra (vs. Syracuse)
Live Stats	Live Stats
Twitter	@EMUSoccer \| @EMUAthletics

HAMILTON, N.Y. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team will continue its three-game road trip with matches against Colgate, Thursday, Aug. 26, and Syracuse, Sunday, Aug. 29.
   Kickoff against Colgate is slated for 4:30 p.m. at Beyer-Small '76 Field and will be streamed via ESPN+. Eastern's second matchup against the Orange is set to begin at 1 p.m. inside the SU Soccer Stadium and will be streamed via ACC Network Extra. Fans can also follow both matches via live stats. Additionally, updates will be posted from the team's Twitter account, @EMUSoccer.

OPENING 2021: Eastern Michigan is 0-2 after the first week of the regular season. In the Eagles' season-opener, the team fell to Illinois State by a score of 4-0, Aug. 19, at Scicluna Field. In EMU's most recent contest, the Green and White dropped a road match against Michigan State, Aug. 22.
   Against the Spartans, freshman Lexy Alston led the Eagles' offense with two shots on target, and fellow freshman Maddie O'Farrell tallied two shots for the Green and White's attack, including a strike off of the right post.
   Senior Chloe Chatzis notched a shot while freshman Meagan Lukowski led the Eagles with 33 minutes off the bench.
   Senior keeper Chelsea Abbotts recorded a game-high eight saves against the Spartan attack. That mark tied her season high in the 2020-21 season (at CMU, April 1). Abbott's career high in saves came against Ohio on Nov. 8, 2019 (13).

ALL FOR ABBOTTS: Keeper Chelsea Abbotts has faced a total of 47 shots in the first two matches of her senior campaign and currently ranks second in the conference in saves (15) and saves per game (7.50).

MAKE IT THREE IN A ROW: The Eagles defeated Detroit Mercy by a score of 2-1 in EMU's lone exhibition match to start the 2021 season on Aug. 12. The result marked the team's third consecutive victory over the Titans dating back to Sept. 17, 2017.
   Eastern's offense netted scores in both halves, including an early score for senior Lindsey Shira in the third minute and a goal for freshman Chloe Rajewski in the 79th minute, which would be the deciding score. Fellow freshman Lexy Alston recorded an assist for the Eagles.

PLUS EIGHT: Eastern Michigan welcomes eight additions to the roster for the 2021 season, the largest signing class for Head Coach Scott Hall and Assistant Coach Joe Malachino since their 10-person class of 2017.
   Joining the Eagles this season are: Sophia D'Ambra, KJ Hudson, Jamie Lefebvre, Meagan Lukowski, Maddie O'Farrell, Chloe Rajewski, Ashley Schneider, and Tess Williams.

2020 IN 2021: Eastern Michigan's fall 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and resulted in the campaign being played in the spring of 2021. Despite the move, the Eagles finished the season with an overall record of 6-3, with all games being played against Mid-American Conference opponents. The 6-3 mark tied for fourth place overall in the conference, and tied for second in the MAC West.
   The Eagles swept the season series over Central Michigan and Northern Illinois, and also added wins over Western Michigan and Toledo.
   In addition, EMU's .667 season win percentage marks the best for Eastern since the 2009 season, when it achieved the same percentage with a 11-4-6 overall mark, and best in MAC play since the 2013 team went 8-2-1 in conference action for a .772 win percentage.

ALL-MAC x3: Three Eagles were named to the All-MAC teams following the 2020-21 season, with former Eagle Sabrina McNeill, sophomore Amanda Cripps, and freshman Lexy Alston earning recognition.
   For McNeill, the postseason honor marks her third consecutive selection to the All-MAC First Team (2018, 2019, 2020-21) in addition to her 2016 All-MAC Freshman Team nod. The Whitby, Ontario native led the Eagles with seven goals on the season, while adding an assist for a team-leading 15 total points. McNeill finished her EMU career ranking fourth all-time on the program's career points list (67). Her 27 career goals also rank fourth on the all-time goals scored list.
   After collecting All-MAC Second and Freshman Team honors in her first year as an Eagle in 2019, Cripps earned first team accolades following the spring 2021 season. The sophomore scored three goals as the team's second-leading scorer during the campaign, as well as added one assist while starting all nine games for the Green and White.
   Making an impact from the start, Alston collects her first postseason honors with her All-Freshman team designation. The Amherst, Ohio native tied with fellow honoree Cripps for the second-most goals on the team, scoring three. The freshman played every game for Eastern, making three starts.

THAT'S 200: With Eastern Michigan's 3-0 victory over Northern Illinois, March 14, Head Coach Scott Hall notched his 200th career victory, all as the head man in Ypsilanti.
   With the win, Hall became the 23rd active Division I head coach to record at least 200 wins at the same institution.
   The "Ironman of the MAC" is the longest tenured soccer coach in the conference, and his three MAC Regular Season titles are tied for the most in conference history.

A LOOK AT COLGATE AND SYRACUSE: Colgate begins their 2021 campaign with a short, two-game homestand that ends with the Eagles on Aug. 26. In the Raiders' season-opening match, Colgate blanked Fordham, 1-0, on Aug. 19 at Beyer-Small '76 field. Colgate took an early lead in the 13th minute and held the advantage for the entirety of the match for their first victory in as many games in the 2021 season.
   Syracuse begins their season with a four-game homestand. To begin the home slate, the Orange earned a clean sheet against Farleigh Dickinson, defeating the Knights 2-0 on Sunday, Aug. 22. Syracuse scored twice in the second half, including a penalty kick score and an insurance goal in the 83rd minute to finish off Fairleigh Dickinson.

FRESH FACES: Colgate and Eastern Michigan have yet to compete against one another in the regular season. Thursday, Aug. 26, will serve as the first competition between the two programs.
   Much like the Colgate series, EMU and Syracuse have yet to face one antoher in regular season competition.

ON THE HORIZON: On the other end of this two-match road trip, the Eagles will return to Ypsilanti to host St. Bonaventure, Sept. 3, and Morehead State, Sept. 5 to begin the month of September.

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

Lexy Alston

Chloe Chatzis

Amanda Cripps

Sophia D'Ambra

KJ Hudson

Jamie Lefebvre

Meagan Lukowski

Sabrina McNeill

Maddie O'Farrell

Chloe Rajewski

Ashley Schneider

Lindsey Shira

Tess Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics