Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
6-1-4, 4-0-1
Kent State
2-8-2, 1-4-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent St. | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Eastern Mich. | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Soccer Gains Sole Possession of First Place in MAC by Beating Kent State, 2-1
10/4/2026 4:30:00 PM | Soccer
Eastern is 4-0-1 with 13 points
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team defeated Kent State University, 2-1, at Scicluna Field Sunday, Oct. 4, with both goals coming from substitutes as the Eagles secured their fourth consecutive MAC win and remained unbeaten in conference play.
Eastern Michigan entered the match riding a five-game shutout streak — the longest in the program's history — and carried a 1-0 lead into halftime before extending it to 2-0 in the second half. A late Kent State penalty kick in the 85th minute ended the historic run and set up a tense finish, but the Eagles held on to improve to 6-1-4 overall and 4-0-1 in MAC play.
How It Happened
Annalyse Bauer (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) entered the match in the 12th minute and wasted little time making her presence felt. In the 41st minute, Bauer finished off a combination from Christie Fransen (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster/Bowling Green) to give Eastern Michigan a 1-0 lead heading into the break.
The Eagles doubled their advantage in the 62nd minute when Ella Miller (Mount Morris, Pa./Morgantown) converted her only shot of the match into a goal, assisted by Avery Hilvert (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) and Madison Hurst (Wexford, Pa./Allison Park, Pa./Robert Morris). The goal proved to be the game-winner.
Hurst nearly added a third in the 86th minute, but her shot struck the top crossbar and stayed out.
Kent State pulled one back in the 85th minute when the Golden Flashes converted a penalty kick to make it 2-1, ending EMU's program-record five-game shutout streak and setting up a tense final five minutes. Ella Holland (Dunwoody, Ga./Dunwoody/Samford) made three saves across the 90 minutes to secure the victory for the Green and White.
Game Notes
» Eastern moved to 6-1-4 overall (4-0-1 MAC) while Kent State fell to 2-8-2 overall (1-4-0 MAC).
» Both teams finished with nine shots and four shots on goal. Kent State led 5-4 in corner kicks.
» EMU's five-game shutout streak — a program record, spanning Sept. 10 through Oct. 1 — was snapped by Kent State's penalty kick in the 85th minute. It was the first goal Eastern had allowed since beating Southern Indiana, 3-1, Aug. 16.
» Both of EMU's goals were scored by substitutes. Annalyse Bauer entered in the 12th minute and scored in the 41st — her second goal of the season, with both coming off the bench. Ella Miller scored the game-winner in the 62nd minute, her second goal of the season. This marks the second straight match in which all EMU goals came from non-starters.
» Ella Holland made three saves and played all 90 minutes. Holland's career saves total at EMU stands at 292, second all-time among EMU goalkeepers since 2011.
» Christie Fransen recorded her first assist of the 2026 season on Bauer's opening goal. Fransen entered the match leading the Eagles with four goals and nine points this season and is the back-to-back MAC Defensive Player of the Week.
» Madison Hurst recorded her first assist at EMU on Miller's game-winning goal and was denied a third EMU goal in the 86th minute when her shot struck the top crossbar.
» Avery Hilvert recorded her second assist of the season on Miller's game-winning goal.
» Eastern Michigan was assessed four yellow cards and 16 fouls. Kent State received one yellow card and 16 fouls.
» EMU is 59-16-6 since 2011 when leading at halftime. Eastern held a 1-0 advantage at the break after Bauer's 41st-minute goal.
» Head Coach Taylor Clarke improved to 14-14-9 at Eastern Michigan with the victory.
Historical Notes
» EMU leads the all-time series against Kent State University, 16-14-2, after today's victory. Eastern entered the match with a 15-14-2 mark in 31 meetings and now holds a two-game advantage. EMU's all-time home record against Kent State moves to 12-5-1.
» Eastern Michigan's 4-0-1 record through five MAC games is the program's best conference start since 2013, when EMU opened MAC play 4-0-0. That 2013 squad went on to win the MAC Championship.
» Eastern Michigan is now 4-0-0 at home in 2026 — its first 4-0 home start since the 2014 season.
» Ella Holland made her 48th consecutive start at Eastern Michigan. She leads the MAC in save percentage (.889) and has earned the MAC Goalkeeper of the Week award twice this season.
Up Next
Eastern hosts Miami University Sunday, Oct. 11, at Scicluna Field, at 1 p.m.
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Players Mentioned
Team Stats
Annalyse Bauer (2)
Assisted By: Kate Cerveny , Christie Fransen
GOAL by EMU Bauer, Annalyse Assist by Cerveny, Kate and Fransen, Christie.
40:18
Ella Miller (2)
Assisted By: Avery Hilvert , Madison Hurst
GOAL by EMU Miller, Ella Assist by Hilvert, Avery and Hurst, Madison.
61:50
Samantha Miller (2)
KSU Samantha Miller PENALTY KICK GOAL.
84:22