Soccer Hosts Kent State, Travels to Buffalo

Match #12 - KENT STATE
Date	Thursday, Oct. 6 - 4 p.m.
Venue	Scicluna Field
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Live Stats
Twitter	@EMUSoccer \| @EMUAthletics

Match #12 - BUFFALO
Date	Sunday, Oct. 9 - 1 p.m.
Venue	UB Stadium - Buffalo, N.Y.
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Live Stats \| Watch (YouTube)
Twitter	@EMUSoccer \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team will look to build upon two strong performances as the Eagles are set to play host to Kent State University Thursday, Oct. 6, before traveling to face the University at Buffalo Sunday, Oct. 9. The Eagles (2-6-3, 1-2-1 MAC) will welcome the Golden Flashes (2-6-3, 2-1-1 MAC) to Scicluna Field for a 4 p.m. kick in Ypsilanti before traveling to meet the top of the table Bulls (9-1-1, 3-0-1 MAC) inside UB Stadium in Buffalo Sunday at 1 p.m.

QUICK KICKS:
» Eastern Michigan is playing its 28th varsity season and sports a 247-229-63 overall record and stands 140-103-31 in Mid-American Conference play.
» Head Coach Scott Hall is currently in his 24th season at the helm of the program and holds an all-time record of 208-198-60 (130-100-29 MAC) during his time in Ypsilanti.
» Eastern is now 141-104-31 all-time in the Mid-American Conference.
» After opening the year with six goals in two matches, the Eagles were held to four in their next seven. Eastern got back to its scoring ways last week as its tallied five in two matches.
» The Eagles have scored multiple goals in back-to-back matches for the second time this year with three at the University of Akron (Sept. 29) and two at home to Ohio University (Oct. 2). With two or more goals against Kent State Thursday, Eastern would have its longest multiple-goal match streak since the end of the 2019 season (five in a row).
» Maddie O'Farrell had an outstanding week for the Eagles as she assisted on the game-winning goal at Akron before netting both goals in the 2-3 loss at home to Ohio. She now leads the team in all three offensive categories, including goals (4), assists (3), and points (11).
» Several scoring firsts were recorded last week as well with Sophia D'Ambra scoring her first collegiate goal (at Akron) while Ashley Schneider tallied her first assist and first point with a helper against Ohio.
» Vittoria Greco and Meagan Lukowski returned to the scoring column with their goals at Akron, marking the first time either has scored since the opening weekend of play with Greco scoring once against Western Illinois University (Aug. 18) in the opener and Lukowski scoring twice at Illinois State University (Aug. 21).
» Arielle Fink added her second assist of the season, which came on O'Farrell's second goal of the match. Fink's first career assist also came on the second of two goals scored by the same player as she set up Lukowski's second goal in the match at ISU.
» Former Eagle Kaylin Williams (2015-18) has helped KFF Vllaznia reach to the UEFA Women's Champions League, marking the first Albanian club to reach the group stage in event history.

CHASING THE LINE: At the conclusion of matches played Oct. 27, the top six teams in the MAC standings will earn berths into the MAC Tournament that will see the third and fourth-seeded teams play host to quarterfinals matches against the sixth and fifth-seeds, respectively, while the top seed will play host to the semifinal and championship final. Through the first two weeks of play (Oct. 2 matches), the Eagles currently have four points (1-2-1) to sit eighth in the standings, two places out of the playoff picture. With seven matches remaining, the field remains wide open as the league leaders - both Buffalo and Ball State on 10 points - are only six points ahead of EMU.

SCOUTING KENT STATE: The Golden Flashes enter the week with a 2-6-3 overall record and stand 2-1-1 in MAC play. Most recently, KSU played visiting University of Toledo to a 2-2 draw after falling, 3-1, on the road at Western Michigan University. The Eagles and Golden Flashes have both played Ohio and Akron with Eastern posting a 1-1-0 record while Kent State went 2-0-0 against the duo on the opening weekend of conference play. Offensively, Kelsey Salopek leads the way with a team-high three goals and is tied for the team lead with Daleny Ranallo on six points. Sarah Melen has seen nearly all the action in goal for the Golden Flashes and sports a 1.49 goals-against average with 37 saves and 16 goals allowed in 11 matches.

IN THE SERIES - EMU vs KSU: Eastern holds a 14-12-1 lead in the all-time series with Kent State despite dropping a 2-1 decision last year in Ypsilanti (Oct. 24, 2021) to push the Eagles' advantage to 10-4-1 when the two teams met at Scicluna Field. Eastern, who has shut out KSU 10 times in the series, holds a 45-34 advantage in goals scored in a series that has seen 13 one-goal matches.

DUEL OF THE DEANS: Thursday's meeting between Eastern and Kent State will see the two longest tenured head coaches in MAC women's soccer square off as 24th-year head coach Scott Hall leads the Eagles against 22nd-year head coach Rob Marinaro and the Golden Flashes. The duo, who have met 22 previous times with Hall's Eagles holding a slight 11-10-1 advantage, have combined to lead their programs to a collective 406 wins (208 for Hall, 198 for Marinaro).

SCOUTING BUFFALO: The Bulls enter the week as one of the top teams in the league as they sport a 9-1-1 overall record and are tied for first in the MAC at 3-0-1 (10 points) with Ball State University. Most recently, the Bulls played host Western Michigan to a 1-1 draw, a result that snapped a seven-match winning streak that also included seven consecutive shutouts. Two players currently lead the way with six goals each, including Jasmine Guerber, who is the team's leader with 14 points, and Arianna Zumpano, who is second with 13 points. Emily Kelly has been a standout in the net as she allowed just five goals and holds a miniscule 0.45 goals-against average while saving 31.

IN THE SERIES - EMU vs UB: Eastern holds a slim 11-9-6 margin in its all-time series with Buffalo after dropping a 2-1 decision in the last meeting, which was played in Ypsilanti Oct. 7, 2021. The last four meetings have all ended in 2-1 scores with the Bulls winning three times, including a 2-1 overtime victory Sept. 30, 2018, the last meeting in Buffalo. Overall, the teams have played 26 times with 11 ending in one-goal scores. The Eagles hold a 43-34 advantage in goals scored in the series, but the Bulls, who are 5-4-3 in the series as the hosts, hold a slim 16-14 lead in goals scored in matches played in Buffalo.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Eastern posted a 1-1-0 record last week in a pair of MAC contests that included a 3-2 victory at Akron, Sept. 29, and a 3-2 home loss to visiting Ohio, Oct. 2. The Eagles, who posted their first conference victory since Oct. 3, 2021, in a 2-1 win at Northern Illinois University, have earned four points in four matches in league action with seven to play.

POST-MATCH NOTES - AKRON:
» Eastern improved to 2-5-3 (1-1-1 MAC) on the year while Akron fell to 1-5-2 (0-3-0 MAC).
» With the victory, Eastern has now tied its overall win output from 2021 as well as its wins total in MAC play (2-13-3, 1-8-2).
» The win is the first in league play for the Eagles this year and their first since a 2-1 win at NIU, Oct. 3, 2021, nearly one year ago.
» The three goals scored are the most in a MAC contest for Eastern since its 4-1 home win over NIU April 4, 2021, which was part of the 2020 season (played in the spring because of COVID-19).
» The three goals scored brings the team's season total to 13, which equals the season total accumulated last year.
» Meagan Lukowski's goal brings her season total to three, equaling the highest output of 2021 when Amanda Cripps scored three.
» Lukowski scored her first goal since she bagged two at Illinois State Aug. 21, 2022 and marked her second multiple-point game of the season as she added an assist at Akron (had five at ISU).
» Maddie O'Farrell added her team-leading third assist of the season to move to seven points on the year (two goals, three assists).
» Vittoria Greco scored her second career goal and her first since she opened her account in the season-opening contest with visiting Western Illinois, Aug. 18, 2022.
» Sophia D'Ambra's goal not only is the first of her career, it also is her first career game-winning tally.

POST-MATCH NOTES - OHIO:
» Eastern slipped to 2-6-3 (1-2-1 MAC) on the year while Ohio improved to 6-4-1 (2-2-0 MAC).
» The loss marks the first time the Eagles have lost in 2022 after scoring the first goal in the game.
» Eastern continues to top its offensive numbers from one year ago as it has tallied 15 goals, 12 assists and 42 points through 11 matches after being limited to 13 goals, eight assists and 34 points in 2021.
» Maddie O'Farrell recorded the first multiple goal match of her career and joined Lukowski as the lone Eagles to record a brace this year after Lukowski netted twice at ISU Aug. 21, 2022.
» The two goals scored by O'Farrell is tied for the eighth-most in a single match at Eastern and marks the 52nd time an Eagle has finished a match with two goals. There are six instances where three goals were scored and one with four.
» With her goals, O'Farrell is currently the team leader in goals (4), assists (3) and points (11) and is the first Eastern player to reach double-digit points in a season since Sabrina McNeill tallied 15 points on seven goals and one assist in 2020.
» The four points O'Farrell recorded is also a career high, surpassing the three points (one goal and one assist) she recorded at Illinois State earlier this year.
» Schneider recorded the first assist and point of her collegiate career with pass on O'Farrell's first goal.
» Fink now has two assists this season, which is tied for the second-most on the team. Her helper on O'Farrell's goal marks the second time her play led to an Eagle scoring her second goal in a match as she also assisted on Lukowski's second at ISU.

MADDIE, OH!: For the second time this season, an Eagle finished a match with a brace as Maddie O'Farrell bagged two goals in the 3-2 home loss to Ohio Sunday, Oct. 2, at Scicluna Field. The sophomore, who entered the match with two goals all year, doubled her scoring total with goals in the 9' and 75' to tie for the eighth-most goals scored in a match in program history. With her goals, along with an assist recorded at Akron, Sept. 29, O'Farrell has now taken over the lead in all three offensive categories for Eastern, including goals (4), assists (3), and points (11). Additionally, through matches played Oct. 2, O'Farrell currently ranks among the top 10 in all three league categories, including sitting tied for seventh in both goals and assists and holding seventh by herself with 11 points.

OPENING THEIR ACCOUNTS: Two more Eagles secured a few firsts in their respective careers last week with Sophia D'Ambra netting her first collegiate goal at Akron, Sept. 29, and Ashley Schneider recording both her first assist and point with her helper on a goal against Ohio, Oct. 3. The goal for D'Ambra was the third of the match for Eastern and stood as the game-winner in the 3-2 triumph over the Zips. For Schneider, her helper to Maddie O'Farrell got the Eagles on the board first against the Bobcats.

IN THE CLUB: Throughout program history, over 120 players have scored at least one goal for the Eagles (records of goal scorers are unavailable for matches in 1995 and 1996 seasons) with six individuals adding their names to the ledger this year. Vittoria Greco joined the list in the opening match of the year against Western Illinois, Aug. 18, with her rocket shot 1:31 into the season with Meagan Lukowski adding herself to the list with two goals at Illinois State, Aug. 21. Secora Johnson was the first freshman to join the list with her goal at St. Bonaventure University, Aug. 28, before Hannah Thompson added her name against Dartmouth College, Sept. 4, and Lily Spotak etched her name on the list against the University of Kentucky, Sept. 11. Sophia D'Ambra joined the list with her game-winner at Akron, Sept. 29.

PICKING HER TIME TO HELP: Freshman Arielle Fink has tallied a pair of assists so far this year, the most the most of any rookie on the roster and tied for second-most on the team. Interestingly enough, both of her assists have come on the second goal scored by the same Eagle player in a match. Her latest helper came against Ohio (Oct. 2) over the weekend as her shot from distance caromed off the left post and rebounded to Maddie O'Farrell, who hit home her second goal of the day. Fink's first assist came at Illinois State (Aug. 21) when she set up Meagan Lukowski, who turned and fired into the net for her second of two goals on the day.

STRUNG TOGETHER: Eastern scored three at Akron and twice against Ohio last week to mark just the second back-to-back matches the Eagles have scored multiple goals this season with the first coming the opening weekend in a 2-2 draw at home with Western Illinois, Aug. 18, and a 4-0 road win at Illinois State, Aug. 21. The Eagles, who did not have back-to-back multi-goal matches last year, are seeking to equal their most recent streak of five in a row that came at the end of the 2019 season.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: Last year, Eastern struggled on offense, recording just 13 goals. Through 11 matches this year, the Eagles are off to a much better start with 15 goals, surpassing their 2021 total. Overall, nine different players have scored at least one goal, eight have recorded at least one assist, and 13 total players have recorded at least one point this year. Comparatively, the 2021 squad had nine different players scored goals (even), six record assists (-2), and 12 players (+1) tally at least one point.

SPREADING IT AROUND: Of those 13 players that have recorded at least one point in 2022, 10 are freshmen and sophomores, including four freshmen. Through the match with Ohio, Oct. 2, the sophomores lead the way with team highs in goals (11), assists (7), and points (29), while the freshmen have chipped in the second-highest totals in all three categories, including three goals, three assists and nine points. When breaking it down further, the freshmen and sophomores account for 93.3 percent (14-of-15) of the team's goals scored, 83.3 percent (10-of-12) of assists, and 90.5 percent (38-of-42) of points tallied.

DIGGING FOR (MILE)STONES: Ahead of the season, Eastern needed five victories to claim the 250th win in program history. With their 3-2 victory at Akron, Sept. 29, the Eagles now have two wins on the year and 247 all-time, needing just three more this year to hit 250.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE UPDATE: Former Eagle Kaylin Williams (2015-18) recently signed a professional contract with KFF Vllaznia, the nine-time running Albanian champions, and played in the UEFA Women's Champions League, one of the top club tournaments in the world. Williams appeared in her side's two UWCL matches in September, starting both and playing 180 minutes as Vllaznia defeated Vorskla Kharkiv, 3-2, on aggregate to advance to the Group Stage where they will meet Women's Super League champions Chelsea (England), two-time UWCL runners-up Paris St. Germain (France), and Real Madrid (Spain). Vllaznia is the first Albanian team to reach the UWCL Group Stage in competition history, making it one of the top 16 teams in all of Europe.

UP NEXT: Eastern will play twice again next week with a home match Thursday and a road trip Sunday. First, the Eagles will play host to the University of Toledo in a 3 p.m. kick Thursday, Oct. 13, at Scicluna Field before traveling to Kalamazoo, Mich., to face Western Michigan University in a 1 p.m. kick Sunday, Oct. 16.

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Players Mentioned

Amanda Cripps

Sophia D'Ambra

Arielle Fink

Vittoria Greco

Secora Johnson

Meagan Lukowski

Maddie O'Farrell

Ashley Schneider

Lily Spotak

Hannah Thompson

Eastern Michigan Athletics