Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
4-1-4, 2-0-1
Buffalo
4-3-3, 1-1-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Mich. | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Buffalo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Soccer Wins at Buffalo, 2-0; Records Fourth-Straight Clean Sheet
9/27/2026 3:38:00 PM | Soccer
Eastern is 2-0-1 in MAC play
BUFFALO, N.Y. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team defeated the University at Buffalo, 2-0, at Broadview Stadium Sunday, Sept. 27, extending a program-record five-game road shutout streak and snapping the Bulls' unbeaten home record in a physical second-half decision.
Eastern outshot Buffalo 7-6 overall and 6-4 on goal in a scoreless first half that gave way to a decisive second-half surge. Tayla Maddock (Camlachie, Ontario/St. Patrick's Catholic High School) broke the deadlock with an unassisted strike, and Christie Fransen (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster/Bowling Green) converted a penalty kick to make it 2-0. Ella Holland (Dunwoody, Ga./Dunwoody/Samford) made four saves to earn the clean sheet, and Olivia Sipsock (Medina, Ohio/Medina) tied for the game high with two shots.
How It Happened
The first half was a tightly contested, scoreless affair. Eastern pressured the net but couldn't convert, while Holland and the EMU defense held firm to keep the match level at the break.
Maddock changed the game in the second half, finishing an unassisted chance to give Eastern a 1-0 lead. It was her second goal of the 2026 season and her third career goal at Eastern Michigan.
Fransen then stepped up and converted a penalty kick to double the advantage, her third career penalty kick goal at Eastern Michigan. Holland closed out the match with four saves across 90 minutes, completing the shutout and securing a historic road result for the Green and White.
Game Notes
» Eastern improved to 4-1-4 overall and 2-0-1 in MAC play, while Buffalo fell to 4-3-3 overall and 1-2-1 in the MAC.
» Eastern held a 7-6 edge in total shots and a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal. Both teams recorded zero corner kicks.
» Christie Fransen converted a penalty kick in the second half — her third career penalty kick goal at Eastern Michigan, also converting Sept. 6 vs. Southern Indiana and Sept. 20 vs. Central Michigan. She has four goals this season.
» Tayla Maddock's goal is her second of the 2026 season — she also scored Sept. 6 vs. Southern Indiana — and her third career goal at Eastern Michigan.
» Ella Holland earned her sixth shutout of the 2026 season and her 22nd career shutout at Eastern Michigan, making four saves across 90 minutes. She has 293 career saves and 5,469 career minutes at this school across 62 appearances.
» Olivia Sipsock's two-shot performance pushed her past the 4,000-minute career milestone at Eastern Michigan — she has logged 4,002 career minutes at this school through Sunday across 64 appearances.
» Eastern's 2-0-1 MAC start is the program's best conference opening since 2013, when the Eagles went 3-0-0 through their first three MAC matches.
» Eastern's 4-1-4 record through nine games is the program's best nine-game start since 1999, when the Eagles went 8-1-0 through their first nine contests. In the 15 seasons from 2011 to 2025, no EMU team recorded one loss or fewer through nine games.
» The two teams combined for 26 fouls — Buffalo 15, Eastern Michigan 11 — in a physical match.
Historical Notes
» Eastern Michigan leads the all-time series with Buffalo, 13-11-7, through 31 meetings (1995-2026). EMU improved to 4-7-3 on the road in the series with Sunday's win.
» Eastern's five consecutive road shutouts is a program record, surpassing the previous mark of three consecutive road shutouts set in 2013 (Oct. 6-Oct. 20) and matched in 2010 (Oct. 8-Oct. 22). The streak spans Aug. 27 at Michigan State (T 0-0), Aug. 30 at Robert Morris (T 0-0), Sept. 10 at Milwaukee (T 0-0), Sept. 17 at Bowling Green (T 0-0) and Sept. 27 at Buffalo (W 2-0).
» Eastern's four consecutive shutouts overall ties the program record of four straight shutouts set Sept. 24 through Oct. 3, 1999 — the only previous occurrence in program history. The current streak spans Sept. 10 at Milwaukee (T 0-0), Sept. 17 at Bowling Green (T 0-0), Sept. 20 vs. Central Michigan (W 3-0) and Sept. 27 at Buffalo (W 2-0).
» Sunday's multi-goal road win was the first for Eastern since Aug. 21, 2022, at Illinois State (W 4-0). The last time EMU scored multiple goals on the road was Aug. 28, 2025, at Southern Indiana (W 3-1). The last road win of any kind came Sept. 21, 2025, at Toledo (W 1-0), and the last time EMU scored on the road was Oct. 2, 2025, at Kent State (T 1-1).
» Eastern beat Buffalo in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2009-10, when EMU defeated the Bulls 2-0 on Oct. 2, 2009, and 1-0 on Oct. 10, 2010. Those same two meetings were also the last time EMU shutout Buffalo in consecutive games — a feat matched again as the Eagles blanked the Bulls 1-0 in 2025 and 2-0 in 2026.
Up Next
Eastern hits the road again Thursday, Oct. 1, at Ball State in Muncie, Ind.
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Players Mentioned
Team Stats
Tayla Maddock (2)
GOAL by EMU Maddock, Tayla.
66:17
Christie Fransen (3)
EMU Christie Fransen PENALTY KICK GOAL.
83:06
