Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Central Michigan
Soccer to Open MAC Play Thursday at CMU
9/19/2023 4:33:00 PM | Soccer
Eagles also scheduled to host Ball State Sunday
| Match #9 - CENTRAL MICHIGAN | |
| Date | Thursday, Sept. 21 - 7 p.m. |
| Venue | Mount Pleasant, Mich. |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes |
| Live | CMUtv | Live Stats |
| @EMUSoccer | @EMUAthletics | |
| Match #10 - BALL STATE | |
| Date | Sunday, Sept. 24 - 1 p.m. |
| Venue | Scicluna Field | Ypsilanti, Mich. |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes |
| Live | No TV | Live Stats |
| @EMUSoccer | @EMUAthletics | |
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team (0-4-4) is scheduled to open Mid-American Conference action with a road match at Central Michigan (1-1-3) Thursday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m. prior to hosting Ball State (2-5) Sunday, Sept. 24, at 1 p.m.
ON THE AIR: The match at Central Michigan will be streamed on CMU's website (cmuchippewas.com) while live stats will be available for both matches.
QUICK KICKS:
» The Eagles enter the week with an 0-4-4 record after back-to-back draws against Purdue Fort Wayne (2-2 on Sept. 7) and Valparaiso (1-1 on Sept. 10), respectively.
» Freshman Kate Robinson recorded a pair of assists while juniors Meagan Lukowski and Maddie O'Farrell, and freshman Olivia Sipsock each netted goals to highlight the Eagles' performances.
» Eastern Michigan is now 248-238-68 all-time and stands 142-109-32 in Mid-American Conference play. With two victories this year, the Eagles will record the 250th win in program history.
» Head Coach Scott Hall is currently in his 25th season at the helm of the program and holds an all-time record of 209-207-65 (131-105-30 MAC) during his time in Ypsilanti.
» Scott Hall is in elite company as the Eagles' gaffer is one of just 44 active head coaches embarking on their 25th or higher season with an NCAA Division I women's program in 2023, and one of only 13 of which has done so at the same school. Hall will also become the sixth head coach of any sport in EMU history to guide the same program for 25 or more years.
TWO MORE: Eastern sports an all-time record of 248-238-68, leaving the Eagles just two wins shy of reaching the 250 victory milestone. The last time the Eagles recorded a milestone victory came Sept. 21, 2018, when their 2-0 home win over Kent State marked the 225th program win.
ALUMNI WEEKEND: The program will hold its annual Alumni Weekend, Oct. 14-15. Alums of the program are invited back to watch the current Eagles train before the football team takes on Kent State later in the day Saturday, Oct. 14, with a social gathering also planned. Then, Sunday, Oct. 15, the soccer team will play host to rival Western Michigan in a 1 p.m. contest at Scicluna Field.
IN MAC OPENERS: Eastern Michigan is 14-7-5 all-time in MAC openers with a 5-7-3 mark when those openers are on the road. The Eagles have not lost a MAC opener since Sept. 27, 2019 (lost at Miami, 3-1). EMU holds a 2-0-1 record against CMU in MAC openers but has never opened MAC play in Mount Pleasant. The Eagles are 17-5-4 all-time in MAC home openers and EMU is 2-1 when opening home MAC play against Ball State.
MITTEN MATCHES: This week's meeting with Central Michigan will mark the third of four matches the Eagles will play against fellow Michigan programs. Eastern fell at Oakland, 1-0, Aug. 20, and Michigan State, Aug. 31, earlier this season. Following the match in Mount Pleasant this week, the final of the four contests comes Oct. 15 when Western Michigan comes to town. Through the match with MSU, the Eagles hold an all-time record of 51-53-20 against Michigan teams.
SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Both Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan enter Thursday's match with a 10-day break from match action after hosting Senior Days on Sept. 10. CMU was victorious on its Senior Day, coming away with a 2-1 win over PFW. The Chippewas opened the season with a trio of draws before a 3-0 loss at Louisville for a 1-1-3 overall record. Goalkeeper Allison LaPoint ranks second in the MAC with 4.75 saves/match. Jocelin Zimmerer has three assists to rank second in the MAC while Jenna Little and Claudia Muessig have each logged two goals.
IN THE SERIES WITH THE CHIPPEWAS: The Eagles hold a 16-7-4 all-time series lead over Central Michigan, winning four of the last six match-ups. Eastern won the last meeting in Mount Pleasant by a 1-0 result on 4/1/21.
SCOUTING BALL STATE: Ball State enters the week with a 2-5 record, including an 0-5 mark in road matches. The Cardinals host Miami Thursday, Sept. 21, prior to Sunday's match in Ypsilanti. Ball State has played a loaded schedule, featuring matches against Notre Dame, Texas Tech, and Vanderbilt, as well as mid-major powers Loyola Chicago and Butler. Avery Fenchel is tied for second in the MAC with four goals while Emily Roper has a trio of goals.
IN THE SERIES WITH THE CARDINALS: Eastern trails the all-time series with Ball State, 8-15-1. The Eagles have come up winless in eight of the last nine matches against BSU. EMU will look to secure its first home win against the Cardinals since Sept. 28, 2014 (1-0 in OT). The Eagles have not won in Ypsilanti against Ball State in regulation since Oct. 21, 2011 (five matches without a home win in regulation, 1-4 in that span).
LOOKING BACK - AT PURDUE FORT WAYNE (T, 2-2 ON SEPT. 7)
» Freshman Olivia Sipsock tallied her second goal of the campaign in her first career start, evening the match at 1-1 in the 20th minute.
» Junior Maddie O'Farrell posted her second goal of the season in the 72nd minute, equalizing the match at 2-2.
» Freshman Kate Robinson recorded an assist on both goals, marking the first time since 10/16/22 that an Eagle had a pair of assists in a match (Vittoria Greco at Western Michigan). Robinson's match is the 36th time an Eagle has had at least two assists in a match.
» The Eagles came back from a pair of one-goal deficits for the second time in 2023 (Aug. 25 at Dartmouth).
LOOKING BACK - VS VALPARAISO (T, 1-1 ON SEPT. 10)
» Junior Meagan Lukowski netted her team-leading third goal of the season in the 28th minute before EMU ultimately conceded the equalizer in the 86th minute.
» Eastern Michigan celebrated Senior Day, recognizing seniors Rebecca Pryzbylo and Tiffanie Hollingsworth at halftime of the match.
FRESHMAN TAKEOVER: Through the opening eight matches of the season, freshman Kate Robinson has made a name for herself as the rookie is averaging 1.0 points per game. Robinson has a pair of goals and four assists, highlighted by a two-assist outing at Purdue Fort Wayne on Sept. 7.
A HAPPY HELPER: Kate Robinson leads the team with four assists. Last year, the Eagles collected 19 total assists with Vittoria Greco leading the charge with four and both Maddie O'Farrell and Arielle Fink adding three.
NEWCOMER POINTS: Through eight matches, EMU has accumulated 23 points, including nine goals and three assists. Of those 23 points, more than half have come from rookies with Kate Robinson collecting eight points (two goals, four assists) and Olivia Sipsock with five points (two goals, one assist).
IN THE RANKINGS: According to the updated statistics released by the MAC Sept. 20, two Eagles are currently leading the league in three categories, including junior Maddie O'Farrell holding the top spot in a pair. O'Farrell is the current league leader in both shots per game (3.25) and number of shots on goal (13) while freshman Kate Robinson leads the league in assists with four.
FOLLOW ALONG: You can follow the Eagles on your favorite social media platforms, including Twitter (@EMUSoccer), Instagram (@EMUSoccer), and Facebook (Eastern Michigan Soccer).
UP NEXT: Eastern Michigan is scheduled to travel to Kent State for a 7 p.m. match on Sept. 28 before hosting Buffalo Oct. 1, at 1 p.m.
