Eastern Michigan Athletics
Thursday, September 12
Valparaiso, Ind.
8 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Valparaiso
Photo by: Walt Middleton Photography
Eastern Soccer Closing Three-Match Roadtrip at Valparaiso, Loyola Chicago
9/10/2024 2:34:00 PM | Soccer
Eagles finishing non-conference play before opening MAC season vs. Central Michigan, Sept. 19
| Soccer at Valparaiso | at Loyola Chicago | |
| Date | Thursday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET | Sunday, Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. |
| Venue | Brown Field | Valparaiso, Ind. | Loyola Soccer Park | Chicago, Ill. |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes (PDF) |
| Watch | Watch at Valparaiso | Watch at Loyola Chicago |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| @EMUSoccer | @EMUAthletics | |
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Off to its first 4-1 start since 2001, the Eastern Michigan University soccer team will complete a three-match road swing at Valparaiso, Sept. 12, and at Loyola Chicago, Sept. 15, before opening Mid-American Conference play, Sept. 19, against Central Michigan.
ON THE AIR: The Eagles and Beacons will air on ESPN+ from Brown Field, in addition to Eastern and Loyola airing on ESPN+ from Loyola Soccer Park. Furthermore, live stats for the match will be available at EMUEagles.com/livestats.
QUICK KICKS:
» EMU started 4-0 for the first time since 1999, the same year as Eastern's lone NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
» Sophomore Cameryn Susey scored an 85th-minute goal at Cincinnati to get the Eagles on the scoreboard late as EMU suffered its first loss of the season after a 4-0 start.
» Sophomore Olivia Sipsock scored just eight seconds into the match against Youngstown State, Aug. 25, as she netted two goals in the 2-0 win. This was her first career brace and Eastern's first since current junior Hannah Thompson against Kent State, Oct. 6, 2022.
» 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.
FOUR-STRAIGHT WINS TO START 2024: Eastern started 4-0 for the first time since 1999, the same year as Eastern's lone NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
Eastern's 4-1 start is its best mark through five matches since 2001. Five wins through six matches would be the best for EMU since starting 6-0 in 1999 while six wins in seven matches would match the 1999 team's 6-1 start. Five wins through seven matches would also be Eastern's best mark since 1999.
OLIVIA SIPSOCK GOAL EIGHT SECONDS IN: Olivia Sipsock scored just eight seconds into the match against Youngstown State, Aug. 25, the fastest goal in EMU history and the fastest known goal in the NCAA this season.
OLIVIA SIPSOCK BRACE VS. YOUNGSTOWN STATE: Olivia Sipsock scored twice against Youngstown State, Aug. 25, marking her first career brace. Sipsock netted a goal just eight seconds into the match before scoring a second time exactly 66 minutes of game time later. Eastern's first brace since current junior Hannah Thompson against Kent State, Oct. 6, 2022.
OLIVIA SIPSOCK POINT IN FIRST FOUR MATCHES: Olivia Sipsock had at least one point in each of the Eagles' first four matches, the first Eagle to do so since 2012 as Angela Vultaggio.
TWO GAME-WINNERS 85TH-MINUTE OR LATER: Sophomore Cameryn Susey scored the match's lone goal at the 84:55 mark vs. Oakland, Aug. 15, while sophomore Sarah Van Euwen scored her first career goal at the 88:05 mark to break a 2-2 draw at UIC, Aug. 22.
CLARKE + HALL SIMILAR STARTS: A quarter century later, Head Coach Taylor Clarke, the third head coach in program history, is off to an similar start to his predecessor, Scott Hall, who won his first six matches as head coach in 1999. Clarke won his first four matches.
In 1999, Hall led Eastern to the MAC Regular Season title, MAC Tournament title, and EMU's lone NCAA Tournament in program history.
IN THE SERIES WITH VALPARAISO: The Eagles lead by a 4-1-1 margin in the all-time series with the Mastodons. PFW will come to Ypsilanti for the first time since 2008 as the Eagles won, 3-0, Aug. 29, 2008. The teams met most recently, Sept. 7, 2023, a 2-2 draw that featured Eastern goals by current sophomore Olivia Sipsock and current senior Maddie O'Farrell. Both goals were assisted by current sophomore Kate Robinson.
Eastern has scored multiple goals in all six all-time meetings between the squads. Both teams have scored in every contest except for when Eastern blanked PFW, 3-0, Aug. 29, 2008.
IN THE SERIES WITH LOYOLA CHICAGO: The series is even between Eastern and Loyola at 1-1-1. The Eagles are making their first trip to LUC since a 1-0 win in Chicago, Aug. 30, 2015. The teams last met Sept. 22, 2019, a 1-0 overtime victory for the Ramblers. No team has ever scored multiple goals in a match in the series.
THREE-STRAIGHT HOME CLEAN SHEETS: The Eagles have recorded three-straight shutouts at Scicluna Field for the first time since 2008-09 when Eastern had a clean sheet in its final three home matches of 2008 and first home match of 2009.
To start the 2024 home slate, Eastern blanked Oakland (W, 1-0, Aug. 15), Youngstown State (W, 2-0, Aug. 25), and PFW (W, 1-0, Aug. 29).
PROTECTING HOME TURF: With the 1-0 shutout of Oakland, Aug. 15, EMU earned their first victory at Scicluna Field since topping Morehead State by a 2-1 scoreline, Sept. 5, 2021, as Eastern snapped a 22-match home streak since its last victory at Scicluna Field. Eastern had not secured a home shutout since beating Miami, 3-0, Oct. 18, 2018, breaking a stretch of 39 home contests.
Eastern beat Buffalo, Oct. 27, 2019, in the final home match of 2019 before EMU returned to action in March of 2021 for its last three-match home winning streak.
If EMU tops CMU, Sept. 19, it would mark the first time the Eagles have won four-straight matches at home since the 2017 season.
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
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
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 46-18-10 career mark and a 3-0-0 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 Divsion 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 before retiring. 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
T4. Eastern Michigan - 27
T4. Manhattan - 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 six 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).
Thomas, Johnson, and Maddock are the Eagle newcomers that have seen time.
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)
THREE-OF-FOUR AT HOME TO START 2024: Eastern Michigan played 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 opens MAC play against Central Michigan, Sept. 19, at 4:30 p.m. at Scicluna Field.
ON THE AIR: The Eagles and Beacons will air on ESPN+ from Brown Field, in addition to Eastern and Loyola airing on ESPN+ from Loyola Soccer Park. Furthermore, live stats for the match will be available at EMUEagles.com/livestats.
QUICK KICKS:
» EMU started 4-0 for the first time since 1999, the same year as Eastern's lone NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
» Sophomore Cameryn Susey scored an 85th-minute goal at Cincinnati to get the Eagles on the scoreboard late as EMU suffered its first loss of the season after a 4-0 start.
» Sophomore Olivia Sipsock scored just eight seconds into the match against Youngstown State, Aug. 25, as she netted two goals in the 2-0 win. This was her first career brace and Eastern's first since current junior Hannah Thompson against Kent State, Oct. 6, 2022.
» 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.
FOUR-STRAIGHT WINS TO START 2024: Eastern started 4-0 for the first time since 1999, the same year as Eastern's lone NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
Eastern's 4-1 start is its best mark through five matches since 2001. Five wins through six matches would be the best for EMU since starting 6-0 in 1999 while six wins in seven matches would match the 1999 team's 6-1 start. Five wins through seven matches would also be Eastern's best mark since 1999.
OLIVIA SIPSOCK GOAL EIGHT SECONDS IN: Olivia Sipsock scored just eight seconds into the match against Youngstown State, Aug. 25, the fastest goal in EMU history and the fastest known goal in the NCAA this season.
OLIVIA SIPSOCK BRACE VS. YOUNGSTOWN STATE: Olivia Sipsock scored twice against Youngstown State, Aug. 25, marking her first career brace. Sipsock netted a goal just eight seconds into the match before scoring a second time exactly 66 minutes of game time later. Eastern's first brace since current junior Hannah Thompson against Kent State, Oct. 6, 2022.
OLIVIA SIPSOCK POINT IN FIRST FOUR MATCHES: Olivia Sipsock had at least one point in each of the Eagles' first four matches, the first Eagle to do so since 2012 as Angela Vultaggio.
TWO GAME-WINNERS 85TH-MINUTE OR LATER: Sophomore Cameryn Susey scored the match's lone goal at the 84:55 mark vs. Oakland, Aug. 15, while sophomore Sarah Van Euwen scored her first career goal at the 88:05 mark to break a 2-2 draw at UIC, Aug. 22.
CLARKE + HALL SIMILAR STARTS: A quarter century later, Head Coach Taylor Clarke, the third head coach in program history, is off to an similar start to his predecessor, Scott Hall, who won his first six matches as head coach in 1999. Clarke won his first four matches.
In 1999, Hall led Eastern to the MAC Regular Season title, MAC Tournament title, and EMU's lone NCAA Tournament in program history.
IN THE SERIES WITH VALPARAISO: The Eagles lead by a 4-1-1 margin in the all-time series with the Mastodons. PFW will come to Ypsilanti for the first time since 2008 as the Eagles won, 3-0, Aug. 29, 2008. The teams met most recently, Sept. 7, 2023, a 2-2 draw that featured Eastern goals by current sophomore Olivia Sipsock and current senior Maddie O'Farrell. Both goals were assisted by current sophomore Kate Robinson.
Eastern has scored multiple goals in all six all-time meetings between the squads. Both teams have scored in every contest except for when Eastern blanked PFW, 3-0, Aug. 29, 2008.
IN THE SERIES WITH LOYOLA CHICAGO: The series is even between Eastern and Loyola at 1-1-1. The Eagles are making their first trip to LUC since a 1-0 win in Chicago, Aug. 30, 2015. The teams last met Sept. 22, 2019, a 1-0 overtime victory for the Ramblers. No team has ever scored multiple goals in a match in the series.
THREE-STRAIGHT HOME CLEAN SHEETS: The Eagles have recorded three-straight shutouts at Scicluna Field for the first time since 2008-09 when Eastern had a clean sheet in its final three home matches of 2008 and first home match of 2009.
To start the 2024 home slate, Eastern blanked Oakland (W, 1-0, Aug. 15), Youngstown State (W, 2-0, Aug. 25), and PFW (W, 1-0, Aug. 29).
PROTECTING HOME TURF: With the 1-0 shutout of Oakland, Aug. 15, EMU earned their first victory at Scicluna Field since topping Morehead State by a 2-1 scoreline, Sept. 5, 2021, as Eastern snapped a 22-match home streak since its last victory at Scicluna Field. Eastern had not secured a home shutout since beating Miami, 3-0, Oct. 18, 2018, breaking a stretch of 39 home contests.
Eastern beat Buffalo, Oct. 27, 2019, in the final home match of 2019 before EMU returned to action in March of 2021 for its last three-match home winning streak.
If EMU tops CMU, Sept. 19, it would mark the first time the Eagles have won four-straight matches at home since the 2017 season.
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
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
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 46-18-10 career mark and a 3-0-0 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 Divsion 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 before retiring. 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
T4. Eastern Michigan - 27
T4. Manhattan - 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 six 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).
Thomas, Johnson, and Maddock are the Eagle newcomers that have seen time.
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)
THREE-OF-FOUR AT HOME TO START 2024: Eastern Michigan played 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 opens MAC play against Central Michigan, Sept. 19, at 4:30 p.m. at Scicluna Field.
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