Soccer Set for Kent State, Buffalo

Match #11 - KENT STATE
Date	Thursday, Sept. 28 - 7 p.m.
Venue	Kent, Ohio
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live	Watch \| Live Stats
Twitter	@EMUSoccer \| @EMUAthletics

Match #12 - BUFFALO
Date	Sunday, Oct. 1 - 1 p.m.
Venue	Scicluna Field \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live	No TV \| Live Stats
Twitter	@EMUSoccer \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University soccer team (1-4-5) will look to build on a 1-0-1 start to Mid-American Conference play with matches at Kent State University (5-2-2 overall, 2-0 MAC) Thursday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. prior to hosting University at Buffalo (4-2-3 overall, 1-1 MAC) Sunday, Oct. 1, at 1 p.m.

ON THE AIR:The match at Kent State will be streamed on KSU's website (kentstatesports.com) while live stats will be available for both matches at emueagles.com/livestats. Dane Richardson is on the call.

QUICK KICKS:
» The Eagles enter the week with an 1-4-5 record after a win at Central Michigan University (1-0 on Sept. 21) and draw against Ball State University (1-1 on Sept. 24), respectively.
» Freshman Kate Robinson recorded the game-winning PK in the 73rd-minute at CMU before assisting on sophomore Lily Spotak's 20th-minute goal. Redshirt freshman Ella Holland posted her first career clean sheet against CMU while tallying four saves in each of the two matches.
» Eastern Michigan is now 249-238-69 all-time and stands 143-109-33 in Mid-American Conference play. With one more victory, 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 220-207-66 (132-105-31 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.

ONE MORE: Eastern sports an all-time record of 249-238-69, leaving the Eagles just one win 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 University in a 1 p.m. contest at Scicluna Field.

BEST MAC START SINCE 2014: Eastern Michigan, with a win at Central Michigan on Sept. 21 and a draw vs. Ball State on Sept. 24, opens MAC play with four points through two matches for the first time since the 2014 team's 2-0 start to conference action. A win against Kent State Thursday would give EMU seven points through three matches, which would be its highest total in that span since 2013 whe EMU won four-straight to open MAC play.

MAC ASSISTS LEADER: Freshman Kate Robinson leads the MAC with five assists, the most since Nicole Remedios tallied six in 2019. If Robinson reaches seven assists, she would be the first Eagle since 2013 to post seven-plus assists in a season as Angela Vultaggio (8), Stephanie Clarke (7), and Martha Stevens (7) did in the 2013 season.

SCOUTING KENT STATE: Kent State is the lone team in the MAC to start conference play 2-0 as the Golden Flashes topped Akron (W, 2-1 on Sept. 24) after shutting out Ohio (W, 1-0 on Sept. 21). KSU has won three-straight matches, extending back to its Senior Day win against Duquesne (W, 2-1 on Sept. 10). Kent State conceded five goals against Arizona on Aug. 31 but has allowed just six goals in its other eight matches combined. Alisa Arthur, the reigning MAC Offensive Player of the Week, leads a group of four multi-goal scorers with three goals, including a pair of game winners. Kelsey Salopek, the reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Week, netted the game-winning goal in the Golden Flashes' 2-1 win over Akron on Sept. 24.

IN THE SERIES WITH THE GOLDEN FLASHES: The Eagles hold a 14-13-1 all-time series lead over Kent State, dropping the last two matches. Eastern has won two of the last nine matches. The Eagles will make their first trip to Kent since Oct. 18, 2019, a match that EMU won 3-2 in overtime. Eastern is 4-8 at Kent State all-time and will seek its first regulation victory in Kent since a 2-0 win on Oct. 20, 2013 (1-3 at KSU in that span).

SCOUTING BUFFALO: Buffalo, the MAC preseason favorites, opens MAC play at 1-1 after falling to Ohio (L, 0-1 on Sept. 24) after shutting out Akron (W, 2-0 on Sept. 21). The Bulls have just one loss in their previous eight matches after opening the season with 2-1 loss to 14th-ranked Pittsburgh. Katie Krohn is tied for the MAC lead with 14 points and six goals. Lexie Thompson leads the MAC, allowing just a .74 GAA.

IN THE SERIES WITH THE BULLS: Eastern leads the all-time series with Buffalo, 11-10-6. The Eagles have dropped two-straight matches against the Bulls with one win in the previous nine matches. Buffalo shut out Eastern, 3-0, in the most recent meeting but EMU had scored at least once in the previous four meetings.

LOOKING BACK - AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN (W, 1-0 ON SEPT. 21)
»   The Eagles earned their first win of the 2023 season as freshman Kate Robinson tallied her third goal of the campaign in the 73rd-minute via penalty kick after senior Tiffanie Hollingsworth drew a foul inside the box.
»   Redshirt freshman Ella Holland posted her first career clean sheet, making four saves, the Eagles' 150th shutout in program history.
»   EMU held a 13-9 advantage in shots and a 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.

LOOKING BACK - VS BALL STATE (T, 1-1 ON SEPT. 24)
»   Sophomore Lily Spotak netted her second career goal and first goal of 2023 in the 20th-minute, a right-footed strike from eight yards out inside the far post.
»   Freshman Kate Robinson tallied her MAC-leading fifth assist off a PK after senior Tiffanie Hollingsworth was fouled in the box for the second-straight match.
»   Each team had 13 shots but the Eagles held a 10-2 advantage in corners.

FRESHMAN TAKEOVER: Through the opening 10 matches of the season, freshman Kate Robinson has made a name for herself as the rookie is averaging 1.1 points per game. Robinson has a trio of goals and five assists, highlighted by a two-assist outing at Purdue Fort Wayne on Sept. 7. Robinson has recorded at least one point in four of the last five matches with two points in three of the last five matches.

NEWCOMER POINTS: Through 10 matches, EMU has accumulated 28 points, including 11 goals and six assists. Of those 28 points, more than half have come from rookies with Kate Robinson collecting 11 points (three goals, five assists) and Olivia Sipsock with five points (two goals, one assist).

HOLLAND CLEAN SHEET: Redshirt freshman Ella Holland recorded her first career clean sheet in the EMU 1-0 win over Central Michigan on Sept. 21. Holland tallied four saves in the match and has at least four saves in each of the last four matches (18 saves in four-match span).

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 host Northern Illinois Thursday, Oct. 5, at 4 p.m. before traveling to Bowling Green Sunday, Oct. 8, for a 1 p.m. match.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ella Holland

Tiffanie Hollingsworth

Kate Robinson

Olivia Sipsock

Lily Spotak

Eastern Michigan Athletics