Eagles Host St. Bonaventure and Morehead State Over the Weekend

Soccer vs. St. Bonaventure \| Soccer vs. Morehead State
Date	Friday, Sept. 3 - 2 p.m. \| Sunday, Sept. 5 - 1 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. - Scicluna Field
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| EMU Game Program (St. Bonaventure) \| EMU Game Program (Morehead State)
Live Stats	Live Stats
Twitter	@EMUSoccer \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team will begin a two-match homestand on Friday, Sept. 3, when the Eagles take on St. Bonaventure and finish the weekend against Morehead State (Sept. 5).
The match versus St. Bonaventure is set to begin at 2 p.m., while kickoff for the match against Morehead State is slated for 1 p.m. at Scicluna Field. Fans can also follow via live stats. Additionally, updates will be posted from the team's Twitter account, @EMUSoccer.

A GAME OF FIRSTS: In the team's first-ever meeting against Syracuse, Aug. 29, freshman Maddie O'Farrell netted her first career goal and gave the Eagles their first goal of the 2021 campaign. Meanwhile, sophomore keeper Rebecca Przybylo started her second consecutive match in net for the Eagles for the first time in her collegiate career.
   Freshmen Sophia D'Ambra, Ashley Schneider, and Jamie Lefebvre all made their first collegiate starts for EMU on Sunday against the Orange.

OPENING 2021: Eastern Michigan is 0-4 after the second 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 ACC foe, Syracuse, Aug. 29, by a score of 2-1.
Freshmen Maddie O'Farrell and Lexy Alston lead EMU's attack. O'Farrell notched the Eagles' first goal of the season on Sunday, Aug. 29, while Alston leads the team in total shots (6) and shots on goal (4).
   Senior Chelsea Abbotts and sophomore Rebecca Przybylo have each started a pair of games in net for the Eagles, recoding 26 saves combined. The squad's overall record now stands at 0-4-0 (0-0-0).

ALL FOR ABBOTTS: Keeper Chelsea Abbotts has faced a total of 47 shots in the first two matches of her senior campaign. Abbotts currently has 89 career saves and needs just 11 for the mark of 100 career saves.

A LOOK AT ST. BONAVENTURE: The Bonnies have begun their 2021 campaign with a record of 2-1-1. In the team's most recent outing, St. Bonaventure defeated Merrimack by a score of 2-1 on Sunday, Aug. 29.
   The Bonnies' attack has been efficient early in the season, as the squad has out-scored, 6-3, and out-shot, 48-45, their opposition. St. Bonaventure was picked to finish last (14th) in the Atlantic 10's Preseason Poll.

A LOOK AT MOREHEAD STATE: As for Morehead State, they have begun the 2021 slate with a record of 1-2-1. Morehead State finished their latest match with a stalemate against Marshall on Sunday, Aug. 29.
   Morehead State was slated to finish last (9th) in the Ohio Valley Conference's Preseason Poll, announced by the conference on Aug. 10.

FRESH FACES: St. Bonaventure and Eastern Michigan have yet to compete against one another. Friday, Sept. 3, will serve as the first competition between the two programs.
Much like the St. Bonaventure series, EMU and Morehead State have yet to face one another in regular season and/or postseason competition.

ON THE HORIZON: On the other end of this weekend's homestand, the Eagles travel to Illinois to compete against Western Illinois, Sept. 17, and Loyola-Chicago, Sept. 19, to complete the team's 2021 non-conference schedule.

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, 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 spring 2021 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.

SUCCESS AT SCICLUNA: April 4, 2021's four-goal win over Northern Illinois marked the 25th time over the course of the 21-year history of Scicluna Field (dedicated in 1999) that four-or-more goals have been scored by individual teams. Of those 25 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).

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.

Fans are reminded that face coverings are not required outdoors regardless of vaccination status. Additionally, the University still requires everyone who is visiting campus to complete a COVID Screening Form. On the day of the event, please utilize the following link at https://covid.emich.edu to complete the screening form prior to arriving on campus.

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.

Eagles Host St. Bonaventure and Morehead State Over the Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Chelsea Abbotts

Lexy Alston

Amanda Cripps

Sophia D'Ambra

KJ Hudson

Jamie Lefebvre

Meagan Lukowski

Sabrina McNeill

Maddie O'Farrell

Rebecca Przybylo

Chloe Rajewski

Ashley Schneider

Lindsey Shira

Tess Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics