Soccer Returns Home Sunday for Senior Day

Match #7 - PURDUE FORT WAYNE
Date	Thursday, Sept. 7 - 7 p.m.
Venue	Fort Wayne, Ind.
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live	ESPN+ \| Live Stats
Twitter	@EMUSoccer \| @EMUAthletics

Match #8 - VALPARAISO
Date	Sunday, Sept. 10 - 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 returns to action for two more matches this week, including its first home match in nearly one month, as the Eagles travel to face Purdue University Fort Wayne before playing host to Valparaiso University. The Eagles (0-4-2) open the week with a trip to Hefner Soccer Complex in Fort Wayne, Ind., Thursday, Sept 7, for a 7 p.m. kick with the Mastodons (3-2-1). The week closes Sunday, Sept. 10, when the Eagles return to Scicluna Field for Senior Day as the Beacons (3-2-1) of Valparaiso come to town for a 1 p.m. contest.

ON THE AIR: The match at Purdue Fort Wayne will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Josh Ayen calling the action. Live statistics will be available for both contests as well.

QUICK KICKS:
» The Eagles enter the week with a 0-4-2 record on the year following road losses at Michigan State (6-0), Aug. 31, and Eastern Kentucky (2-1), Sept. 3.
» Eastern Michigan is now 248-238-66 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 209-207-63 (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.
» When Eastern takes on Valparaiso Sunday, it will mark the first home contest since the season-opening 2-2 draw with St. Bonaventure, Aug. 17. During that span, EMU played six road matches.
» The match with Valparaiso Sunday, Sept. 10, will see the program host Senior Day activities to honor two seniors: Tiffanie Hollingsworth and Rebecca Przybylo.
» Kate Robinson scored the team's lone goal over the weekend, netting her second of the season, which ranks tied for fourth in the Mid-American Conference. She currently leads the team with six points on two goals and two assists.
» The program's annual Alumni Weekend will be held Oct. 14-15. Along with the Eagles playing host to Western Michigan at 1 p.m., Oct. 15, alumni are welcomed back for a practice session, social gathering, and the football team's home game with Kent State.

TWO MORE: Eastern sports an all-time record of 248-238-66, 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.

FINALLY BACK HOME: Eastern opened the season, Aug. 17, with a home contest against St. Bonaventure University, which ended in a 2-2 draw. Since then and including the match at Purdue Fort Wayne Thursday, the Eagles will have played six road contests between home matches as Eastern returns home Sunday, Sept. 10, to face Valparaiso. The last time the Eagles had a long stretch between home matches came in 2019 with a nearly identical slate: the home opener was played against Oakland University, Aug. 22, 2019, before playing six road matches, and then returned home, Sept. 22, 2019, to face Loyola University at Chicago.

SENIOR DAY: Sunday's match with Valparaiso will serve as Senior Day with the program celebrating its two seniors: Tiffanie Hollingsworth and Rebecca Przybylo. The duo, who have been part of the program since the 2019 season, will be recognized on the field during halftime of the match with the Beacons.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT - HOLLINGSWORTH: A native of South Lyon, Mich., Tiffanie Hollingsworth joined the program ahead of the 2019 season and has been a mainstay in the starting lineup each of the past three seasons as she has been named to the Starting XI 37 times in her 56 appearances. With nearly 3,300 minutes logged, Hollingsworth has scored one goal and added one assist for three career points, scoring her goal at home against Miami, Sept. 26, 2021, before grabbing her first career assist at Illinois State, Aug. 21, 2022. Hollingsworth also has found success in the classroom as she has been named an Academic All-MAC selection twice.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT - PRZYBYLO: A native of Canton, Mich., Rebecca Przybylo joined the program ahead of the 2019 season and has played nearly 2,500 minutes in goal for the Eagles. A starter in 27 of the 31 matches she has appeared, Przybylo has logged 163 career saves, which ranks eighth all-time in Eastern history. She also holds a career save percentage of 73.4, which ranks ninth in program history. Przybylo also has been outstanding in the classroom as she has earned Academic All-MAC and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District awards.

SCOUTING PURDUE FORT WAYNE: The Mastodons enter the weekend with a 3-2-1 record and are 2-0-1 when playing on their home pitch at the Hefner Soccer Complex, including their 1-0 win over visiting Valparaiso, Sept. 3. Individually, 10 players have recorded at last one point, including eighth different Mastodons with at least one goal scored. Leading the way are Rylee Vruggink, who has seven points on two goals and three assists, and Morgan Reitano, who has tallied five points on two goals and one helper. Defensively, Samantha Castaneda has played all but one half of one game this year, stopping 21 shots and allowing just three goals for a miniscule 0.55 goals-against average while saving 87.5 percent of shots faced.

IN THE SERIES WITH THE MASTODONS: The Eagles hold a 4-1-0 lead in the all-time series with the Mastodons and have won four in a row following a 3-2 double overtime loss in their first meeting, which came in Ypsilanti, Oct. 31, 2003. Eastern won the last meeting in a 3-0 decision Aug. 29, 2008, in Ypsilanti, after winning three consecutive matches in Fort Wayne, including a 3-1 victory Sept. 11, 2007, which was the last time the Mastodons played host to the series. Overall, the Eagles are averaging 2.6 goals scored per game in the series while limiting PFW to 1.4.

SCOUTING VALPARAISO: The Beacons, who play at Youngstown State Friday, Sept. 8, before coming to town, enter the week with a 3-2-1 record on the year after falling in a 1-0 match at Purdue Fort Wayne, Sept. 3. That loss snapped a two-match unbeaten streak that saw Valpo draw, 1-1, at Kentucky before winning, 5-1, at home over Chicago State. The Beacons, who already have defeated a MAC team this year with its 1-0 victory over visiting Northern Illinois, Aug. 20, are lead offensively by Addy Joiner, who has a team-high eight points on four goals, and Nicole Norfolk, who has two goals and one assist for five points. On defense, Nikki Coryell has played every minute of action for VU, making 19 saves and allowing eight goals for a 1.33 goals-against average.

IN THE SERIES WITH THE BEACONS: Eastern holds a 5-1-0 record in the all-time series with Valparaiso and has won the last five meetings in a row after a 4-2 defeat in the inaugural match, Nov. 3, 1995. Since that loss, the Eagles' five-game winning streak has seen two victories come in double overtime and Eastern holding a 12-4 advantage in goals scored. The Eagles, who are 2-0-0 when playing host to the contest, won the last meeting, 3-2 in double overtime, Sept. 10, 2010, at Valparaiso. The last time the sides met in Ypsilanti came Sept. 11, 1998, a 2-1 win in double overtime for the Eagles.

LOOKING BACK - MICHIGAN STATE:
» Eastern Michigan fell at Michigan State, 6-0, Thursday, Aug. 31.
» Rebecca Przybylo's nine saves tied her career-high she set twice with the most recent coming Oct. 16, 2022, in a win at Western Michigan.
» The 11 combined saves for the Eagle keepers (two by Ella Holland) are the most since Chelsea Abbotts stopped 12 shots in a 3-0 road loss to Bowling Green, Oct. 14, 2021.
» Meagan Lukowski and Secora Johnson were the two Eagles credited with shots in the game.
» Hannah Thompson made her season debut in the first half, logging 19 minutes in total.

LOOKING BACK - EASTERN KENTUCKY:
» EMU dropped a 2-1 decision at Eastern Kentucky, Sept. 3, after holding a 2-1 lead at halftime.
» Kate Robinson scored in the 27' and is now tied with Meagan Lukowski for the team lead in goals scored with her second of the year and takes over the lead in points as the rookie now has six on two goals and two assists.
» After being limited to two shots in its previous game, EMU responded with 17 against the Colonels, including 10 on goal. Three players recorded at least three shots, including Maddie O'Farrell, who had four, and three each from Robinson and fellow freshman Cameryn Susey.

FRESHMAN TAKEOVER: Through the opening six matches of the season, freshman Kate Robinson has made a name for herself as the rookie is averaging 1.0 points per game. Robinson scored the lone goal in the 2-1 loss at Eastern Kentucky over the weekend, giving her a team-high six points with a team-high-tying two goals. The previous week in New England, Robinson recorded the first two assists of her career, which also stand as a team-high, as she bagged helpers at both Dartmouth (Aug. 25) and Northeastern (Aug. 27).

NEWCOMER POINTS: Through six matches, EMU has accumulated 14 points, including six goals and two assists. Of those 14 points, more than half have come from rookies with Kate Robinson collecting six points (one goal, two assists) and Olivia Sipsock with two points (one goal).

IN THE RANKINGS: According to the updated statistics released by the MAC Sept. 4, 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 (3.67) and number of shots on goal (11) while Kate Robinson is tied for the league lead in assists (2) with five other players.

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: With the non-conference season complete, the Eagles will take 10 days off from competition before jumping into Mid-American Conference play, Thursday, Sept. 21, with a visit to rival Central Michigan University for a 7 p.m. contest in Mount Pleasant, Mich. The weekend concludes back in Ypsilanti with Ball State University coming to town Sunday, Sept. 24, for a 1 p.m. match at Scicluna Field.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ella Holland

Tiffanie Hollingsworth

Secora Johnson

Meagan Lukowski

Maddie O'Farrell

Rebecca Przybylo

Kate Robinson

Olivia Sipsock

Cameryn Susey

Hannah Thompson

Eastern Michigan Athletics