Soccer Returns Home for Week Two of MAC Play

Soccer vs. Ball State \| Soccer vs. Miami
Date	Friday, Sept. 30 - 5 p.m. \| Sunday, Oct. 2 - 1 p.m.
Location	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Scicluna Field
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	vs. Ball State \| vs. Miami
Live Stream	Not Available
Twitter	@EMUSoccer \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University women's soccer team returns home for the second weekend of Mid-American Conference play, Sept.30-Oct. 2. First up for the Eagles is a Friday battle with MAC West foe, Ball State, at 4 p.m. The Green and White then host Miami, Oct. 2, in a cross-divisional clash at 1 p.m.
Fans can follow live stats for the matches on EMUEagles.com, or tune in for in-game updates on the team's Twitter, @EMUSoccer.

EAGLES ROUGHED UP AS MAC PLAY BEGINS: The first weekend of Mid-American Conference play was not kind to the Eagles, as the Green and White came away with a 0-2-0 record to open league play. Five second half goals downed the Eagles in a 5-nil loss to Western Michigan, Sept. 23. Eastern wrapped up the weekend with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Northern Illinois, Sept. 25.

YOUNGSTERS FORCED TO DEVELOP QUICKLY: A small roster, combined with injuries, has forced the younger players on this year's squad into contributing roles from the get-go. In just 10 games, three Eagles have scored the first goals of their careers, while four players have registered their first career points. Additionally, EMU has seen three freshmen (Maggie McCullough, Sabrina McNeill, and Nicole Remedios) and three sophomores (Mikayla Cupp, Peyton Davis, and Kaylin Williams) earn starts this season.

FIRST CAREER POINTS: Four different Eagles have recorded the first points of their careers this season. Freshmen Sabrina McNeill and Nicole Remedios have netted the first goals of their careers, while juniors Alex Wilbanks and Chanel Vani have registered assists this season.

MINIMAL MINUTES: Entering the 2016 season, the Eagles' roster had combined to play in just 21,156 minutes, the second-least in the MAC among reporting teams. Redshirt senior Jennifer Bentley played a team-high 4,042 minutes coming into her final season, while Rachel Washburn (2,915), Madison Hirsch (2,891), and Ellie Tillar (2,493) are the only other Eagles to have played more than 1,500 minutes entering the 2016 campaign.

Team	Combined Career Minutes
Toledo	20,522
Eastern Michigan	21,156
Ball State	21,652
Western Michigan	24,247
Buffalo	25,744
Miami	26,288
Bowling Green	28,722
Kent State	31,782
Akron	Not Reported
Central Michigan	Not Reported
Northern Illinois	Not Reported
Ohio	Not Reported

ALL-TIME SERIES: The Eagles are 18-19-3 all-time against this weekend's opponents, having met Ball State and Miami 17 and 23 times, respectively.
   EMU trails in the all-time series with Ball State, 7-8-2, after dropping the 2015 matchup, 2-1, in Muncie, Ind. The Cardinals took the lead in the 38th minute before Rachel Washburn's corner service connected with Hallee Kansman for the equalizer in the 40th. Coming out of the half with the score even at one, BSU capitalized on 1-of-6 second half corner kicks, to win the match via a 75th minute goal.
   Eastern Michigan's record versus the RedHawks is even at 11-11-1 all-time. Like the most recent outing against Ball State, the Eagles also dropped the most recent meeting with Miami. The RedHawks netted a goal three seconds before the end of the first half in last season's meeting at Scicluna, riding the tally to a 1-nil win over the Green and White.

LEAGUE GAMES ALL-TIME: Since beginning play in the MAC during the 1997 season, the Eagles are 118-70-27 in conference matches. EMU has been most successful against Northern Illinois (14-5-3), but also holds winning records over Akron (10-3-2), Bowling Green (13-9-1), Buffalo (10-6-5), Central Michigan (12-4-3), Kent State (12-9-0), Ohio (12-7-4), and Toledo (11-11-4). Meanwhile, the series with the Eagles and Miami (11-11-1) is tied. The only teams in the conference that EMU trails in the all-time series against are Ball State (7-8-2) and Western Michigan (11-12-4).

BALL STATE BREAK DOWN: Following a pair of 1-nil victories to begin Mid-American Conference play, the Ball State Cardinals sit at 2-0-0 in league matches and boast a 7-2-1 overall record. The Cardinals carry a four-game win streak into Friday's showdown, winning each of the four matches via shutout.
   Ball State's attack is one of the best in the league so far this season, averaging 1.70 goals and 17.9 shots per match, both of which lead the conference. BSU's biggest strength is the balance on attack, where nine different Cardinals have netted goals. Lauren Roll, Sam Kambol, and Lorina White lead the BSU attack with three goals each.
   On the other end of the pitch, Ball State has split time between Tristin Stuteville and Alyssa Heintschel. Heintschel pitched a shutout in her latest outing, a 1-nil overtime win against Louisville, Sept. 9. Stuteville has garnered three consecutive starts since, going 3-0 during the stretch without allowing a goal. The Cardinals are holding opponents to 0.80 goals and 9.2 shots per match.

MASTERING MIAMI: Miami enters the second weekend of MAC play on the heels of an undefeated opening weekend. The RedHawks lifted the lid on league play with a scoreless draw against Akron, Sept. 23, before securing a 1-nil win over Buffalo, Sept. 25. MU's record on the season now sits at 4-4-1 overall and 1-0-1 in MAC play.
   Goal production has been inconsistent for the RedHawks this season, as MU averages just 0.78 goals per game. Miami fires off just under 11 shots per contest but has only found the back of the net seven times this season. Olivia Winnett is the only RedHawk with multiple goals scored this season, leading the team with three tallies on 10 shots. Assists are more evenly spread out for MU with three different RedHawks have picked up two helpers each.
   Stout defense has overcome the lack of offensive firepower for the RedHawks this season, holding the opposition to one goal per game. Vic Maniaci headlines the defensive effort as the RedHawks' top keeper. Maniaci has earned the start in eight of MU's 10 games this season and boasts a 0.85 goals against average, .889 save percentage, and 3-3-1 record despite posting four shutouts.

SCICLUNA SUCCESS: Eastern Michigan has found consistent success when playing at home over the past 20 years, compiling a 101-50-26 overall record at Scicluna. The Green and White's 100th win came in EMU's 3-2 win over Akron, Oct. 4, 2015. In that contest, Gabriella Mancini netted the quickest goal in EMU history, scoring in the second minute of play. Michelle Rollins' goal in the 21st minute was followed by Ellie Tillar's game-winning strike in the 61st.

WILLIAMS HITS THE CENTURY MARK: Sophomore goalkeeper Kaylin Williams pushed her season save total to 41 with a three-save effort in EMU's loss to Northern Illinois, Sept. 25. Williams' final save of the match versus the Huskies marked the 100th of her career.

LOOKING AHEAD: After this weekend's brief two-game homestand, the Eagles return to the road for a Thursday night match under the lights against Bowling Green, Oct. 6. From there, the Green and White return home, Oct. 9, for the first of three consecutive home games.

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Players Mentioned

Jennifer Bentley

Mikayla Cupp

Peyton Davis

Madison Hirsch

Hallee Kansman

Gabriella Mancini

Maggie McCullough

Sabrina McNeill

Nicole Remedios

Michelle Rollins

Ellie Tillar

Chanel Vani

Rachel Washburn

Alex Wilbanks

Kaylin Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics