EMU Soccer Opening New Era Against Oakland Thursday at Home

Soccer vs. Oakland
Date	Thursday, Aug. 15 at 4:30 p.m.
Venue	Scicluna Field \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF)
Watch	No TV
Live Stats	Live Stats
Twitter	@EMUS occer \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team will open a new era under first-year Head Coach Taylor Clarke as the Eagles are scheduled to play Oakland University in the program's first match under new leadership as the teams will face off Thursday, Aug. 15, at 4:30 p.m. at Scicluna Field.

QUICK KICKS:
» Head Coach Taylor Clarke is in his first season at the helm of the Eagles. Joining Clarke on staff are Associate Head Coach Matt Hinds and Assistant Coach Mary Carlson.
» Clarke, the third head coach in program history, replaced Scott Hall, who retired at the end of the 2023 season. Hall amassed a 210-215-67 record with MAC championships in 1999, 2003, and 2013. Hall, who played on the EMU men's team as a student, was a part of every EMU women's match in history as he served as an assistant coach from 1995-1999 before taking over as the head coach following the tragic death of Paul Scicluna.
» EMU returns sophomores Kate Robinson and Olivia Sipsock, who both earned Freshman All-MAC honors in 2023.
» Eastern Michigan is 249-246-70 all-time and stands 143-117-34 in MAC play. With one more victory, the Eagles will record the 250th win in program history.

ONE MORE: Eastern sports an all-time record of 249-246-70, 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.

KATE ROBINSON AND OLIVIA SIPSOCK FRESHMEN PHENOMS IN 2023: Then-freshmen Kate Robinson and Olivia Sipsock combined for 25 points in 2023, making up for more than half of the team's 48 points. Robinson was MAC Freshman of the Year and led the MAC in assists while her 13 points topped MAC freshmen marks. Sipsock's 12 points were tied for the second-highest mark in the MAC in 2023. Eastern Michigan is one of four schools to have two players named Freshman All-MAC in 2023. EMU had multiple players on the Freshman All-MAC team for the first time since 2011 (Emily Dzik, Bianca Rossi, and Angela Vultaggio).
Robinson and Sipsock are the top returning freshmen in terms of total points and points/match.

2023 MAC Freshmen Rankings By Points/Match:

Player    Per Match     Total Points    School
1.           Kate Robinson              0.68     13 (3g/7a)        Eastern Michigan
2.           Olivia Sipsock              0.63     12 (5g/2a)        Eastern Michigan
3.           Josie Morgan 0.57     12 (5g/2a)         Kent State
4.           Emma Stransky            0.50     9 (3g/3a)           Bowling Green
5.           Alanna Raimado         0.43     9 (4g/1a)           Kent State

KATE ROBINSON MAC ASSISTS LEADER IN 2023: Freshman Kate Robinson led the MAC with seven assists, the most by an Eagle since Angela Vultaggio (8), Stephanie Clarke (7), and Martha Stevens (7) all tallied at least seven assists in 2013. Robinson is the first EMU freshman in 16 years and the third freshman in program history to record at least seven assists in a season, joining Jodi Coyle (8, 1997) and Stephanie Janssens (8, 2007).

2023 MAC Assists Leaders:

Player    Assists                           School
1.           Kate Robinson              7                             Eastern Michigan
2.           Delaney Caldwell        6                             Kent State
                Jenna Blackburn          6                             Kent State
                Jen Blitchok                    6                             Bowling Green
                Alisa Arthur                     6                             Kent State

SCOUTING OAKLAND: In 2023, Oakland held 5-6-7 overall mark and a 3-2-5 clip in the Horizon League. Following Juan Pablo Favero's retirement, Devin Zvosec enters his first season as Head Coach after spending the 2024 spring at the University of Miami. The Golden Grizzlies stuck for 15 goals (.833/match) while conceding 29 goals (1.61/match) in 2023. Frankie Mudd, who netted four goals in 2023, returns to lead the OU returners. The Golden Grizzlies lost Macey Wieranga, who scored a team-high five goals in 2023, to graduation.

IN THE SERIES WITH THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES: The Eagles trail by an 3-9-2 margin in the all-time series with the Golden Grizzlies. Despite that, EMU has come up victorious in two of the last five matches while earning a pair of draws (2-2-1 in last five matches). Oakland holds a 4-1-2 advantage for matches played in Ypsilanti, with the teams playing to a 2-2 double overtime draw in their last meeting at EMU, Aug. 22, 2019. This match also marks the second time in program history that the Eagles have opened a season at home against OU.
In the teams' most recent match, EMU dropped a 1-0 decision at Oakland, Aug. 20, 2023. In that match, Oakland scored in the fifth-minute before a Golden Grizzly was shown a red card 8:10 into the match. EMU outshot OU, 15-4, in the match but was unable to find the equalizer.

HEAD COACH TAYLOR CLARKE: Taylor Clarke is in his first season at the helm of Eastern Michigan. Clarke is just the third head coach in program history (since 1995). Clarke was previously at Division III's Carroll University with additional stops at the MAC's Bowling Green State (Associate Head Coach, 2021-23), Division II's Ashland (Head Coach, 2018-21; Assistant Coach, 2014-16), Division III's Calvin College (Assistant Coach, 2017-18), and UNC-Wilmington (Assistant Coach, 2016-17). Clarke played his college soccer at Division II Saginaw Valley State, captaining the 2012 squad to the Division II National Championship match. Clarke holds a 43-18-10 career mark and a 0-0-0 mark at EMU.

ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH MATT HINDS: Matt Hinds was hired as the team's associate head coach. Hinds spent the last three seasons as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater Division III Calvin College. Hinds, an All-American at Calvin 2017, overlapped with Clarke at Calvin as Clarke was an assistant coach for the Knights at the time. The pair also overlapped at Division II Ashland as Hinds spent one year and a half on staff for the Eagles. Hinds started his coaching journey at Division II Malone in 2019.

ASSISTANT COACH MARY CARLSON: Mary Carlson was hired as the team's assistant coach. Carlson, who was a four-year starter at the MAC's Central Michigan, was Girls Associate Head Coach at Grace Christian Academy in Franklin, Tenn. She has also been a middle school mathematics teacher at the school for four years while taking on a Boys Assistant Soccer Coach role and Middle School Athletics Assistant role in 2022.

A TRIBUTE TO FORMER HEAD COACH SCOTT HALL: The 2023 season marked the 25th Scott Hall served as the head coach of the Eastern program. A former student-athlete at EMU (1990-94) and a four-year assistant coach (1995-98), Hall was part of the first 565 matches the Eagles played in its existence, including 483 as the head coach. Sporting a record of 210-215-67, Hall guided the Eagles to 15 MAC Tournament appearances with one tournament title secured in three championship match appearances. Winners of three MAC regular season crowns (1999, 2003, and 2013), the three-time MAC Coach of the Year also helped the Eagles reach the 1999 NCAA Tournament, the first and only national tournament appearance in program history.

WHO'S BACK?: The entire eligible roster stuck with the team through the 2024 spring slate, despite the coaching change. Ultimately, heading into the season's first match, only Kevser Guendogdu left the program as she went back to her home country of Germany, leaving the Eagles with a roster of 36 players.
Eastern Michigan ranks fourth in the nation in returning players from 2023:
1. Cal Poly - 30
T2. Boise State - 29
T2. Wake Forest - 29
4. Eastern Michigan - 27

Furthermore, EMU's 27 returners with no collegiate transfers tops McNeese State's mark of 22 returners without a transfer out.

WHO'S NEW?: Eastern Michigan added a trio of transfers (Ela Kisin, Long Island; Lucia Johnson, Akron; Scarlett Thomas, Missouri) to go with seven freshmen (Ellery Boeving, Howell, Mich.; Bella Bowen, Peterborough, Ontario; Claire Gonyea, Trenton, Mich.; Emily Kolodin, Grand Blanc, Mich.; Mackenzie Loomis, St. Charles, Ill.; and Tayla Maddock, Camlachie, Ontario)

WHO'S GONE?: Rebecca Przybylo and Tiffanie Hollingsworth completed their eligibility with the 2023 season. Przybylo finished her career with 192 saves, good for eighth in program history, while Hollingsworth played in 69 career matches, drawing 48 starts as a defender.

CANADIAN CONNECTION: Eastern Michigan has seven student-athletes from Canada, all of which are from Ontario.

EMU ranks tied for the third in the nation in student-athletes in Canada and second in the nation in student-athletes from Ontario:
1. Maine 13 (four from Ontario)
2. Niagara 8 (all eight from Ontario)
T3. Eastern Michigan (all seven from Ontario)
T3. South Florida 7 (six from Ontario)

COACHES' FIRST CONTEST: Head Coach Taylor Clarke is just the third head coach in program history. Paul Scicluna dropped his first three matches as head coach, including a 6-1 loss to Buffalo, Sept. 15, 1995. Conversely, Scott Hall won his first six matches, including a 5-1 win over IUPUI (now IU-Indy), Sept. 1, 1999.

EMU IN SEASON + HOME OPENERS: Eastern sports a record of 12-8-9 all-time in its season-opening match. The Eagles will open the season at home for the sixth year in a row and will look to better its record in those matches after going 1-1-3 in the previous five. Overall, EMU is 6-4-6 when its season-opening match is also its first match of the year at home. Eastern is 13-9-7 in its home opener and holds a stellar record of 5-1-5 in last 11 home-openers with a 4-0 setback to visiting Illinois State (Aug. 19, 2021) the only blemish in that time. EMU, which played St. Bonaventure to a 2-2 draw, Aug. 17, 2022, has scored at least two goals in five of its last six home openers.

CLEAN SHEET SEEKER: Eastern is seeking its first season-opening clean sheet since Aug. 21, 2016, a scoreless draw against Butler. EMU last won via season-opening shutout against Fordham, 2-0, Aug. 22, 2014. The Eagles posted one clean sheet in 2023, a 1-0 win at Central Michigan, Sept. 21.

PROTECTING HOME TURF: The Eagles are seeking their first victory at Scicluna Field since topping Morehead State by a 2-1 scoreline, Sept. 5, 2021, as EMU has played 22 matches at home since its last home win. Eastern has not secured a home shutout since beating Miami, 3-0, Oct. 18, 2018, a stretch of 39 home contests.

EMU AGAINST THE BIG 12: Eastern is 0-2 all-time against the current Big 12, which includes losses against Colorado (L, 0-4 - Sept. 4, 2004) and Arizona State (L, 0-7 - Sept. 15, 2000). EMU will battle the Big 12's Cincinnati, Sept. 1.

STATE OF MICHIGAN MATCHES: Eastern Michigan is scheduled to play three in-state foes in regular-season action (Oakland, Aug. 15; Central Michigan, Sept. 19; and Western Michigan, Oct. 13). The 2024 season will be the first time the Eagles have not played a road match in the state of Michigan in a season since 2000, marking the second time in program history EMU will not visit an in-state foe. The Eagles hold an all-time record of 52-54-20 against Michigan teams.

THREE-OF-FOUR AT HOME TO START 2024: Eastern Michigan is scheduled to play three of its first four matches at home as the Eagles host Oakland, Aug. 15; Youngstown State, Aug. 25; and PFW, Aug. 29, only broken up by a road contest at UIC, Aug. 22. EMU has not played three of its first four contests at home since 2012 when the Eagles started the season with three-straight home matches, going 1-1-1 in the three matches.

NON-CONFERENCE CLOSE TO HOME IN 2024: Eastern Michigan has four road non-conference matches scheduled, all of which are outside of the state of Michigan. Despite that, EMU's longest non-conference trip is 251 miles to Chicago, Ill., (at UIC, Aug. 22; at Loyola Chicago, Sept. 15). Out of the furthest non-conference trip from each season, 251 miles is the shortest since 1999 when the Eagles went to Youngstown State (225 miles) in Scott Hall's first season at the helm. EMU's Sept. 1 trip to Cincinnati comes in at 249 miles while the trek to Valparaiso, Sept. 12, is 214 miles.

TWO WITH FIVE GOALS IN 2023: Then-junior Meagan Lukowski and then-freshman Olivia Sipsock each had five goals in 2023, marking the first time the Eagles have had multiple players with five or more goals in a season since 2019 when Amanda Cripps (7), Kristin Hullibarger (7), Sabrina McNeill (7), and Lindsey Shira (6) all scored at least five goals.

SIX DRAWS IN 2023: The Eagles had six draws in 2023, equaling 2009's program record. Eastern Michigan had four-straight draws in home matches for the first time in program history.

NO POSTSEASON SINCE 2019: Eastern Michigan has not advanced to the MAC Tournament since falling in the championship match in 2019. The Eagles were 6-3 in the MAC in 2020, but the MAC Tournament was not played due to COVID-19. Prior to the current streak, the Eagles had never previously missed the MAC Tournament in back-to-back seasons.

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 embarks on its first road contest of the season, taking on UIC, Aug. 22.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ellery Boeving

Bella Bowen

Claire Gonyea

Kevser Guendogdu

Tiffanie Hollingsworth

Lucia Johnson

Ela Kisin

Emily Kolodin

Mackenzie Loomis

Meagan Lukowski

Tayla Maddock

Rebecca Przybylo

Kate Robinson

Olivia Sipsock

Scarlett Thomas

Eastern Michigan Athletics