Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Duquesne
Soccer Opening 2026 Season Wednesday in Home Match Against Duquesne
8/11/2026 3:00:00 PM | Soccer
Match slated for 4:30 p.m. start
| Soccer vs. Duquesne | |
| Date | Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 4:30 p.m. |
| Venue | Scicluna Field | Ypsilanti, Mich. |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes (PDF) |
| Watch | Watch |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| @EMUSoccer | @EMUAthletics | |
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Opening at Scicluna Field for the eighth consecutive season, the Eastern Michigan University soccer team hosts the University of Duquesne Wednesday, Aug. 12, at 4:30 p.m.
ON THE AIR: Evan Stockton and former Eastern Michigan soccer student-athlete Mary Grimes will have the call for the broadcast on ESPN+. Live stats for the match will be available at EMUEagles.com/livestats.
QUICK KICKS:
» Eastern's season-opening match comes at Scicluna Field for the eighth-straight season. EMU's active streak of opening at home trails only Memphis (12), Florida Atlantic (11), and Dartmouth (10).
» Highlighted by 2025 Second-Team All-MAC standouts Ella Holland and Olivia Sipsock, Eastern returns 18/28 players (64%) but brings back 75% of minutes and 15/16 (93.8%) of its goals scored (losing just the one scored by Hannah Thompson).
» Ella Holland led the MAC in saves (105), saves per game (5.83) and save percentage (.847) in 2025.
» Ella Holland's 85 saves in MAC play were first in the conference in 2025, 36 saves above second.
» Ella Holland's .895 save percentage in MAC play was first in the conference in 2025, second's was .844.
» Olivia Sipsock's six goals in MAC play in 2025 were tied for first in the conference.
» Eastern had five players tied for first in assists on the season in 2025 with two apiece.
» Eastern had 13 players with an assist in 2025, the first EMU team with 13 or more players with an assist since 2013 (13 players).
» Head Coach Taylor Clarke is in his third season at the helm of the Eagles. Joining Clarke on staff are Associate Head Coach Matt Hinds (third season), and Goalkeeping Coach Zach Shuk (third season).
13-9-9 IN SEASON OPENERS: Eastern is 13-9-9 all-time in season openers and 14-10-7 all-time in home openers.
THREE NAMED TO POSTSEASON AWARDS: The Eastern Michigan University soccer team had a trio of student athletes named to Mid-American Conference teams. Olivia Sipsock and Ella Holland were both named All-MAC second team while Kaylee Synk was named All-Freshman team.
The three Eagles are the most Eastern has had named to postseason honors after one season since 2020, after Amanda Cripps and Sabrina McNeill were named All-MAC first team and Lexy Alston was named All-Freshman team. Holland is the first Eastern goalkeeper to be named to All-MAC honors since Kaylin Williams was named All-MAC second team in 2016.
SCICLUNA SNIPER SIPSOCK: Senior Olivia Sipsock led the Eagles in goals (8), shots (49) and shots-on-goal (26) to end the 2025 season. Her eight goals were the most by an Eagle since Angela Vultaggio registered eight goals in 2014. Sipsock's 18 points to end the season are the most by an Eagle since Kristin Hullibarger (18) in 2019.
Sipsock's six goals in conference play were tied for first in the MAC. The last Eagle to lead the MAC in goals in conference play was Bianca Rossi in 2014, tied for first with five goals.
Notably, Sipsock was the first Eastern player to score multiple goals in back-to-back matches since Sabrina McNeill during the 2020 season, scoring two goals against Akron, Oct. 19, 2025 and against NIU, Oct. 26, 2025.
MAC-LEADING GOALKEEPER: Ella Holland followed a strong 2024 season with an even better one in 2025, leading the MAC in saves (105), saves per game (5.83), and save percentage (.847) en route to earning MAC keeper of the week two times. Holland is the first Eastern goalkeeper to lead the MAC in saves since Kaylin Williams in 2016 with 87 saves, and saves per game since Chelsea Abbotts in 2021 with 6.17 saves per game, Holland also led the MAC in save percentage in the 2024 season.
NO POSTSEASON SINCE 2019: Eastern Michigan has not advanced to the MAC Tournament since falling in the championship match in 2019. Eastern was in the race for the final spot in the MAC Tournament in 2025 until the end of the regular season, falling 2-0 to Central Michigan, Oct. 29. 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.
IN THE SERIES WITH DUQUESNE: Eastern Michigan and Duquesne are meeting for only the third time Wednesday. The Eagles lead the series 2-0-0. This is the first time these two programs are meeting on a non-neutral field.
23-STRAIGHT FULL 90s: Sarah Van Euwen has played all 90 minutes in 23 straight matches, beginning with the last five matches in the 2024 season.
TWO ALL-TIME IN CONSECUTIVE MINUTES: Ella Holland is now second in program history for consecutive minutes played, slated to make her 37th consecutive start against Duquesne. Her 3,240:00 minutes surpassed Kaylin Williams (2014-16) during the midst of the 2025 season, but will take time to catch first place Erin Norton (1996-98) with 3,690:00 consecutive minutes.
Sarah Van Euwen is now fourth all-time in program history for consecutive minutes played following her 23rd full 90 against Central Michigan, Oct. 29, 2025 during the regular season finale, surpassing Emily Dzik (2011-14). Van Euwen now has the most consecutive minutes played by an Eastern field player in program history.
Consecutive Minutes Played Streak (All-Time)
Player Minutes Full Matches Played Streak Years
1. Erin Norton 3,690:00 41 1996-98
2. Ella Holland 3,240:00* 36 2023-25
3. Kaylin Williams 2,459:08 24 2014-16
4. Sarah Van Euwen 2,070:00* 23 2024-25
5. Emily Dzik 2,029:38 22 2013-14
*active
OPENED AT HOME FOR THE EIGHTH-STRAIGHT SEASON: With the match against Duquesne, Aug. 12, Eastern starts the season at home for the eighth-straight season, a streak that is fourth in the nation. During that span, EMU is 2-2-3 overall.
Division I's Longest Active Season Opener at Home Streaks (Includes 2026):
School Streak
1. Memphis 12 games
2. Florida Atlantic 11 games
3. Dartmouth 10 games
T4. Eastern Michigan 8 games
T4.Omaha 8 games
ELLA HOLLAND, BEST SEASON SINCE...?: After a strong 2024 season that saw her lead the MAC in save percentage, Ella Holland produced one of the most impressive seasons in 2025 in goal for the Eagles in program history. Her 105 saves in 2025 were the seventh-best in program history and the best since Monique Budani's program record 146 saves in 2010. Her .847 save rate was the sixth-best percentage in program history and best since Budani's .874 mark in 2010.
EVERY MINUTE IN GOAL FOR HOLLAND: Ella Holland played every minute in goal during both the 2024 season and 2025 season, 36 games in total. Kaylin Williams was the last EMU goalkeeper to play all games in a season, as she was credited with every minute played in goal in 2016.
Olivia Sipsock is the most recent Eagle field player to play every minute of every match, doing so for all 18 matches in 2025.
THREE TEAMS IN 2025 NCAA TOURNAMENT: Eastern faces three teams that made the 2025 NCAA Tournament (Michigan State, Milwaukee, Western Michigan) for the first time since taking on three teams that made the 2018 NCAA Tournament in the 2019 season (Bowling Green, Louisville, Loyola Chicago).
RAINING POINTS: Eastern's 16 different players with points in 2025 finished fourth in the MAC. The last time the Eagles had 16 or more players registering a point in a season was 2019 (16 players).
HOLLAND'S NIGHT OF RECORDS: Ella Holland had an all-time performance at Kent State, Oct. 2, 2025. Holland's 20 saves matched the MAC record, the first time in the conference since 1999. Holland is the first keeper nationally to make 20+ saves and allow one goal or fewer since Sheila Sanchez made 20 saves for Alabama State against UAB, Sept. 20, 2021.
WHO'S BACK?: The Eagles lost 10 players from their 2025 roster due to graduation and the transfer portal.
In total, Eastern returns 18/28 players (64%) but 75% of its minutes played and brings back 15/16 (93.8%) of its goals scored (losing just the one scored by Hannah Thompson).
WHO'S NEW?: Eastern Michigan added six freshmen and six transfers. Freshman Avery Hilvert and transfers Madison Hurst and Christie Fransen enrolled at Eastern Michigan in January 2026, gaining valuable time training at EMU.
PULLING FROM OHIO: Eastern Michigan has 11 players from Ohio and just four from Michigan.
Eagles By State/Province:
-Ohio: 11
-Michigan: 4
-Pennsylvania: 4
-New York: 2
-Georgia: 1
-Illinois: 1
-Indiana: 1
-Kentucky: 1
-New Jersey: 1
-North Carolina: 1
-Ontario: 1
-Quebec: 1
-Wisconsin: 1
FIVE CLEAN SHEETS IN 2025: EMU finished the 2025 season with five clean sheets on the record.
TEAM EFFORT ON ASSISTS: Eastern Michigan had 13 players recording assists in 2025, a four-way tie for first in the MAC with Western Michigan, Buffalo, and Bowling Green.
CLEAN SHEETS IN MAC PLAY: Eastern Michigan started MAC play in the 2025 with two shutouts for the first time since the 2012 season, when the Eagles shutout NIU 1-0, Sept. 21, 2012, and Toledo 3-0, Sept. 23, 2012.
BACK-TO-BACK WINS BY MULTIPLE GOALS: With a 3-1 win at Southern Indiana, Aug. 28, 2025, and a 2-0 win over Robert Morris, Aug. 31, 2025. Eastern Michigan won consecutive matches by multiple goals for the first time since 2014, when it topped UIC, 4-2, and Miami, 2-0.
SIPSOCK BACK-TO-BACK MATCHES WITH A GOAL: After scoring two goals versus Akron, Oct. 19, 2025, and NIU, Oct. 26, 2025, Olivia Sipsock scored in consecutive games for the third time in her career.
HEAD COACH TAYLOR CLARKE: Taylor Clarke is in his third season at the helm of Eastern Michigan, leading EMU to a six-win improvement in his first year and an undefeated 5-0-3 mark at home. In the 2025 season, the Eagles ended the season just shy of the MAC Tournament, and ended the season with .500 record in conference play, the program best since 2020. 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 BGSU (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.
ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH MATT HINDS: Matt Hinds is in his third season as the team's associate head coach, helping Eastern to a 7-6-5 mark in his first year on staff before the Eagles were 6-8-4 in 2025. Hinds spending three seasons as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater Division III Calvin College. Hinds, an All-American at Calvin in 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 and a half years on staff for the Eagles. Hinds started his coaching journey at Division II Malone in 2019.
ASSISTANT COACH ZACH SHUK: Zach Shuk is in his third season as the team's goalkeeping coach. Shuk helped Ella Holland follow a strong 2024 season with an even better one in 2025, leading the MAC in saves (105), saves per game (5.83), and save percentage (.847) en route to earning MAC keeper of the week two times. Holland is the first Eastern goalkeeper to lead the MAC in saves since Kaylin Williams in 2016 with 87 saves, and saves per game since Chelsea Abbotts in 2021 with 6.17 saves per game. Holland led the MAC in save percentage in the 2024 season.
HISTORIC CREW STADIUM FOR THE MAC TOURNAMENT: The MAC announced that the conference tournament will be held at the Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. This year, the quarterfinals are scheduled for Nov. 7, semifinals set for Nov. 10, and the championship, Nov. 13.
Historic Crew Stadium is the first-ever professional soccer-specific stadium in the United States.
FOLLOW ALONG: You can follow the Eagles on your favorite social media platforms, including X (@EMUSoccer), Instagram (@EMUSoccer), and Facebook (Eastern Michigan Soccer).
UP NEXT: Eastern hits the road to take on Detroit Mercy Sunday, Aug. 16, at 12 p.m.
