Eastern Michigan Athletics
Thursday, August 18
Ypsilanti, Mich.
5 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
0-0-1, 0-0-0
2
vs
2
Western Illinois
0-0-1, 0-0-0
1
2
F
Western Ill.
1
1
2
Eastern Mich.
2
0
2
Soccer Draws Western Illinois, 2-2, in Season Opener
8/18/2022 7:47:00 PM | Soccer
Vittoria Greco, Maddie O’Farrell each net their first career goals in the tie
Highlight Video | Photo Gallery.
BRIGHTON, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team fought valiantly to record a season-opening, 2-2, draw with the Western Illinois University Leathernecks today, Aug. 18, at the Legacy Center Sports Complex in Brighton, Mich.
The Eagles (0-0-1, 0-0-0 MAC) held a 2-1 lead at halftime before the Leathernecks (0-0-1, 0-0-0 Summit) evened the ledger in the second half.
Sophomore Vittoria Greco (Brooklin, Ontario-Brooklin) was outstanding for the Green and White, notching the team's first goal of the season and adding the Eagles' only assist on the evening.
How it Happened
The Eagles started the season in style, using just 1:31 off the clock to score the season's first goal and take an early 1-0 advantage. The kick came off the foot of Greco, who tallied her first career goal. Despite the deficit, Western Illinois fought right back, knotting things at one apiece with just seven minutes gone by.
Eastern regained the lead at the 15:19 mark in the first half as Maddie O'Farrell (Haslett, Mich.-Lansing Catholic) fired from distance with her shot bounding through the keepers hands and eventually rolling over the goal line for her first career score, but ultimately relinquished its advantage when the visiting team netted a goal, the only of the second half, with 4:32 off the clock in the second stanza of action.
Despite numerous late scoring pushes from both squads, the game ended in a 2-2 tie.
Game Notes
» EMU broke the scoring early against the Leathernecks, notching the first goal of its season just 1:31 into the game when Greco dropped a shot over the opposing goaltender. It was the first-career goal for the third-year Eagle. Prior to today's contest, she had appeared in 27 matches, 23 of which were starts.
» Sophomore O'Farrell needed just 15:09 to put herself in the scoring column in 2022. The goal is the second for the Haslett native in her career, her first since recording a goal at Syracuse University, Aug. 29, 2021.
» Greco stayed active in the first half; she recorded the assist on O'Farrell's goal. The helper is the second of her career, and first since EMU's game against the University of Toledo, Oct. 17, 2021.
» With her goal and assist against the Leathernecks, Greco recorded her first game as an Eagle with both a goal and an assist.
» Multiple players made their EMU debuts against the Leathernecks. In the first half, it was a pair of freshmen, Lily Spotak (Palatine, Ill.-William Fremd) and Hannah Thompson (Schoolcraft, Mich.-Schoolcraft) that took to the pitch for the first time. In the second half, Mary Grimes (Commerce Township, Mich.-Walled Lake Central) also made her debut.
» The NCAA made a rule change this year which eliminated the playing of overtime in regular-season contests. The Eagles and Leathernecks wasted no time applying the new rule as the match ended in a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes.
Historical Notes
» EMU scored two goals in the first half against Western Illinois. It is the first time the Eagles have scored multiple goals in the first half of a contest since Oct. 3, 2021, when they put two in against Northern Illinois University en route to an eventual 2-1 victory over the Huskies. That game was also the last in which EMU scored multiple goals over the duration of a contest. Today's feat broke a seven-game stretch without multiple goals.
» Greco etched her name in the EMU record book in the early stages of the game against the Leathernecks. Her goal at the 1:31 mark in the first half is the third-fastest to start a game in EMU program history. EMU's best-ever offensive start came Oct. 4, 2015, when Gabriella Mancini netted a shot against Akron University in just 1:05.
» EMU's goal at the 1:31 mark is the team's fastest in a game since the 2016 campaign, when Rachel Washburn put the Eagles on the board in 1:08 in a game against Ohio, Oct. 14.
» The draw today marked the first time the Eagles secured a result in their four-match series with the Leathernecks. Previously, WIU had won all three contests. Additionally, the two goals scored are the most in a single match against the Leathernecks in the series.
» With the two goals, Eastern now has 794 all-time tallies in program history, leaving them six scores shy of the 800-goal milestone.
Up Next
The Eagles return to action Sunday, Aug. 21, when they hit the road for a non-conference affair with the RedBirds of Illinois State University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. CT at Adelaide Street Field in Normal, Ill.
BRIGHTON, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team fought valiantly to record a season-opening, 2-2, draw with the Western Illinois University Leathernecks today, Aug. 18, at the Legacy Center Sports Complex in Brighton, Mich.
The Eagles (0-0-1, 0-0-0 MAC) held a 2-1 lead at halftime before the Leathernecks (0-0-1, 0-0-0 Summit) evened the ledger in the second half.
Sophomore Vittoria Greco (Brooklin, Ontario-Brooklin) was outstanding for the Green and White, notching the team's first goal of the season and adding the Eagles' only assist on the evening.
How it Happened
The Eagles started the season in style, using just 1:31 off the clock to score the season's first goal and take an early 1-0 advantage. The kick came off the foot of Greco, who tallied her first career goal. Despite the deficit, Western Illinois fought right back, knotting things at one apiece with just seven minutes gone by.
Eastern regained the lead at the 15:19 mark in the first half as Maddie O'Farrell (Haslett, Mich.-Lansing Catholic) fired from distance with her shot bounding through the keepers hands and eventually rolling over the goal line for her first career score, but ultimately relinquished its advantage when the visiting team netted a goal, the only of the second half, with 4:32 off the clock in the second stanza of action.
Despite numerous late scoring pushes from both squads, the game ended in a 2-2 tie.
Game Notes
» EMU broke the scoring early against the Leathernecks, notching the first goal of its season just 1:31 into the game when Greco dropped a shot over the opposing goaltender. It was the first-career goal for the third-year Eagle. Prior to today's contest, she had appeared in 27 matches, 23 of which were starts.
» Sophomore O'Farrell needed just 15:09 to put herself in the scoring column in 2022. The goal is the second for the Haslett native in her career, her first since recording a goal at Syracuse University, Aug. 29, 2021.
» Greco stayed active in the first half; she recorded the assist on O'Farrell's goal. The helper is the second of her career, and first since EMU's game against the University of Toledo, Oct. 17, 2021.
» With her goal and assist against the Leathernecks, Greco recorded her first game as an Eagle with both a goal and an assist.
» Multiple players made their EMU debuts against the Leathernecks. In the first half, it was a pair of freshmen, Lily Spotak (Palatine, Ill.-William Fremd) and Hannah Thompson (Schoolcraft, Mich.-Schoolcraft) that took to the pitch for the first time. In the second half, Mary Grimes (Commerce Township, Mich.-Walled Lake Central) also made her debut.
» The NCAA made a rule change this year which eliminated the playing of overtime in regular-season contests. The Eagles and Leathernecks wasted no time applying the new rule as the match ended in a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes.
Historical Notes
» EMU scored two goals in the first half against Western Illinois. It is the first time the Eagles have scored multiple goals in the first half of a contest since Oct. 3, 2021, when they put two in against Northern Illinois University en route to an eventual 2-1 victory over the Huskies. That game was also the last in which EMU scored multiple goals over the duration of a contest. Today's feat broke a seven-game stretch without multiple goals.
» Greco etched her name in the EMU record book in the early stages of the game against the Leathernecks. Her goal at the 1:31 mark in the first half is the third-fastest to start a game in EMU program history. EMU's best-ever offensive start came Oct. 4, 2015, when Gabriella Mancini netted a shot against Akron University in just 1:05.
» EMU's goal at the 1:31 mark is the team's fastest in a game since the 2016 campaign, when Rachel Washburn put the Eagles on the board in 1:08 in a game against Ohio, Oct. 14.
» The draw today marked the first time the Eagles secured a result in their four-match series with the Leathernecks. Previously, WIU had won all three contests. Additionally, the two goals scored are the most in a single match against the Leathernecks in the series.
» With the two goals, Eastern now has 794 all-time tallies in program history, leaving them six scores shy of the 800-goal milestone.
Up Next
The Eagles return to action Sunday, Aug. 21, when they hit the road for a non-conference affair with the RedBirds of Illinois State University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. CT at Adelaide Street Field in Normal, Ill.
Team Stats
WIU
EMU
Goals
2
2
Shots
11
9
Shots on Goal
6
4
Saves
2
4
Corners
4
0
Fouls
10
3
Scoring Plays
Vittoria Greco (1)
GOAL by EMU Greco, Vittoria.
01:31
Amy Andrews (2)
Assisted By: Leah Ahlers
GOAL by WIU Andrews, Amy Assist by Ahlers, Leah.
06:59
Maddie O'Farrell (1)
Assisted By: Vittoria Greco
GOAL by EMU O'Farrell, Maddie Assist by Greco, Vittoria.
15:19
Amy Andrews (2)
Assisted By: Bailey Burlingham
GOAL by WIU Andrews, Amy Assist by Burlingham, Bailey.
49:32
Game Leaders
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
1
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
F/MF
/ Soccer
MF/D
/ Soccer
MF/F
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
F
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