Akron Topples MAC Leading BGSU
Thursday's Scoreboard
Akron 1, Bowling Green 0
Ball State 2, Central Michigan 1
Eastern Michigan 3, Miami 0
Western Michigan 4, Kent State 3
Ohio 4, Northern Illinois 0
Buffalo 1, Toledo 0
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Akron 1, Bowling Green 0
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio – In the 88th minute of scoreless match, senior captain Shea O'Brien (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) connected on a shot from 24 yards out for the eventual game-winning goal to upset the top team in the Mid-American Conference, Bowling Green, in stunning fashion on Friday night at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field.
The Zips midfielder's third goal of the season and fourth of her career was one of the biggest tallies for the captain in an Akron uniform. The game-winner earned Akron an additional three points in the MAC standings increasing its total to 10 points.
"These players haven't quit all season, even with all the heartbreak of OT losses. To win back-to-back games in the 88th minute shows that," said head coach Noreen Herlihy. "Shea scored a great goal, while the defense and Erin in goal were immense for us tonight also."
Akron (6-9-2, 3-5-1 MAC) moved up the field on a counter-attack following a Bowling Green turnover. Redshirt freshman Charley Kale (Sylvania, Ohio) moved up the field with the ball before sending a pass into the midfield to sophomore Angela Boyce (Farmington Hills, Mich.). O'Brien recognized a hole in the Falcons defense, received a pass from Boyce, set her feet, and ripped a shot into the upper right corner of the net for the goal.
In the shot category, the Zips offense tallied seven shots with four coming on frame. O'Brien led all Zips with three attempts, two of which went on goal, including the game-winner. Sophomore Lauren Lambert (Stoutsville, Ohio) added an additional two shots for Akron, while junior Ashley Amato (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and freshman Sydney Worthy (Groveport, Ohio) chipped in one shot each.
Freshman Erin McKinney (Belvidere, Ill.) made her 14th start of the season in the goal for the Zips and picked up the second clean sheet of her career. The Akron netminder was phenomenal in goal for Akron making 10 saves against an offense that averaged 2.07 goals per game coming into the match. McKinney now has 85 saves on the season.
McKinney and the Akron defense stepped up and played a strong first half against a potent Bowling Green offense. The Zips held the Falcons scoreless in the initial 45 minutes despite BGSU averaging 1.0 goals (15 total) in the first half of play.
The Falcons (10-4-2, 8-1-0 MAC) continued its offensive blitzed in the second period, but again McKinney and the Zips defense stood tall and did not waiver.
As for Akron, the Zips offense came alive in the second stanza recording six of its seven shots in the final 45 minutes of the contest.
Akron had a flurry of chances in the half to go up 1-0 against the Falcons, but the BG keeper, Kathleen Duwve, denied the opportunities. Both Amato and Worthy sent headers toward that net that had a chance to go in before Duwve thwarted the opportunity. Lambert, who subbed into the game in the second period, had a breakaway attempt at the goal but a last-second Falcon defender got a piece of the ball changing the direction of the flight path and ended in the side of the net.
Despite being outshot in the match, the Zips continued to fight and were rewarded in the 88thminute by O'Brien to secure the victory over Bowling Green, who came into the contest undefeated in league play.
The home finale and senior day are scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 21, as Akron welcomes in Toledo at 1 p.m. The contest between the Zips and Rockets can be seen on ESPN+ with Dave Bacon (play-by-play) and Otto Orf (Analyst).
Ball State 2, Central Michigan 1
Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – After heading to overtime in a 1-1 tie, true freshman Tatiana Mason scored a goal from 30 yards out to give the Ball State University soccer team a 2-1 victory over Central Michigan on Thursday night.
BSU improved its record to 10-3-2 overall and 6-2-1 in MAC play. The Cardinals have now won five-straight matches.
"We were persistent tonight and performed very well, so this win was well earned," said head coach Craig Roberts. "It's always a team effort with us. There are no individual stars and we play as a team. We're always rotating players which keeps us fresh, and that allows us to compete and perform well in these overtime games."
Ball State got on the scoreboard first when Jenna Dombrowski scored in the 24th minute on an assist from Mason. The lead would not last long though as Central Michigan's Lexi Pelafas found the back of the net in the 40th minute.
The teams came out of the locker room looking for the go-ahead score but could not find it in regulation as the match headed to overtime after 90 minutes.
The Cardinals made sure that overtime didn't last too long as Mason sent a long ball into the box and snuck it behind the keeper in the 96th minute. BSU remained undefeated in overtime matches this season with the win.
Ball State was aggressive all night as it compiled 22 shots, 10 of which were on goal. The Chippewas only managed four shots on goal all night. Tristin Stuteville led the defense with three saves. The Cardinals earned four corners on the night while holding CMU to three.
BSU will be in action again on Sunday in the final road game of the year. The Cardinals will face Eastern Michigan at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Eastern Michigan 3, Miami 0
Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — In its 200th home game, the Eastern Michigan University soccer team continued its fight for a postseason berth with an impressive 3-0 win over Miami University Thursday afternoon, Oct. 18, at Scicluna Field.
Overpowering Miami in all facets, Eastern Michigan led the tally in shots, 24-13, shots on goal 11-6, and corners, 4-1. Redshirt junior Kristin Nason (Brooklin, Ontario- Donald A. Wilson) and freshman Kylie Frantz (Erie, Pa.- Villa Maria Academy) paced the offensive outburst for the Eagles. Nason turned in her second match of three-or-more points, while Frantz became the first Eagle to tally two assists since Marisa Kozikowski did so against Ohio, Nov. 3, 2013. Meanwhile, junior goalkeeper Mabel Dunn (Oakville, Ontario- White Oaks Secondary) contributed six saves to lead EMU to its sixth shutout of the season.
Goals were plentiful for the Green and White, as EMU found the back of the net a season-high-tying three times.The first came in the final minute of the first half, as redshirt sophomore Sabrina McNeill(Whitby, Ontario- Henry Street) who slipped past the defense and fired a laser to put the Eagles ahead, 1-0, on an pass from Nason.
With momentum in their favor, EMU doubled its lead midway through the second half when senior Mia Colavito (Mississauga, Ontario- Loyola Catholic) scored the first goal of her career with a tap in from a Frantz assist.
Nason then extended the Green and White's lead to 3-nil in the 81st minute, heading in a cross to the far post off the boot of sophomore Lindsey Shira (New Baltimore, Mich.- Anchor Bay).
Eastern continues its homestand with a bout against Ball State University, Sunday, Oct. 21 with a 1 p.m. kickoff at Scicluna Field.
Western Michigan 4, Kent State 3
Box Score
KENT, Ohio – The Western Michigan soccer team moved closer to securing a spot in the Mid-American Conference Tournament after defeating Kent State, 4-3, on the road on Thursday evening.
WMU (12-5-0, 6-3-0 MAC) sit alone in third place after Thursday's action in the conference.
The Broncos picked up goals from Bailey Korhorn, Hannah Kahn and Grace Labadie, while also getting an own goal from KSU. Kahn had two assists to go along with her goal, while Hannah Sargent made six saves to pick up her 12th win of the season.
It was a Western Michigan own goal that got the scoring started early in just the fourth minute when a Bronco tried to clear the ball with a header but accidently put it into the net.
WMU tied it up at 1-1 in the 21st minute on Korhorn's team-leading seventh goal of the season. Kahn set her up from just seven yards out for the finish. An own goal by the Golden Flashes just four minutes later gave the Broncos their first lead of the game at 2-1.
Kahn netted her fifth goal of the season in the 38th minute to push the lead to 3-1. Labadie served in a corner kick and the junior midfielder headed it into the net.
Labadie finished off a pass from Kahn in the 42nd minute to score the eventual game-winner from 12 yards out. Senior midfielder Alyssa Burke also picked up an assist on the goal as the Broncos took a 4-1 lead into halftime.
Kent State responded in the 52nd minute when Isabelle Mihail won a race to a loose ball in the box and finished it for her sixth goal of the season. Another Bronco own goal, this time in the 64th minute on a free kick that went off the cross bar and bounced off a WMU defender and into the net, cut the lead to 4-3 but WMU held strong in the remaining 27 minutes to earn the victory.
Kent State had a slight overall advantage in shots on goal at 14-12 and a 10-7 lead in shots on goal.
Western Michigan now heads to Ohio to battle the Bobcats on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Ohio 4, Northern Illinois 0
Box Score
Athens, Ohio – Led by two goals from Alivia Milesky and three assists from Maria Collica, the Ohio soccer team (7-6-3, 5-2-2 MAC) bounced back, downing Mid-American Conference foe Northern Illinois (2-15-0, 1-8-0), 4-0, Thursday afternoon (Oct. 18) inside Chessa Field.
"Getting on the board early is what we've focused on these last few weeks," head coach Aaron Rodgers said. "Scoring first and imposing our game plan on the other team. For us to do that today was very important. We also wanted to score in both halves. Maybe we haven't scored in the first, but we have in the second, or vice versa. It was important for use to not only score first, but also score in both halves."
The Bobcats raced off to a fast start, recording the first three attempts of the game, a shot by Milesky (Plain City, Ohio) that was saved, a shot by Collica (Solon, Ohio) and a shot on goal by Jenni Santacaterina (Geneva, Ill.).
The Bobcats' pressure would pay off, when in the seventh minute, Madelyn Kah (Hamilton, Ohio) would recorded her third goal of the season when Collica fed the ball to her and she touched it right past the diving keeper into the lower right corner, giving Ohio a 1-0 lead. Sydney Leckie(Medina, Ohio), picked up the secondary assist on the score.
Ohio would keep pressuring, with Leckie recording the next three shots for the Bobcats, one which was blocked, one saved and the other just wide of the net.
In the 19th minute, Abby Townsend (Powell, Ohio) would record her first shot of the game, a ball that would be saved. Then in the 24th minute, Milesky would record another shot, but it would go just high of the net.
NIU registered their first shot on goal in the 31st minute, forcing starting keeper Erin Beurket(Milford, Ohio) to make the save.
Bryce Hueber (Cincinatti, Ohio) took two shots, in the 34th and 35th minutes, sandwiching an attempt by midfielder Sarina Dirrig (Powell, Ohio) that ricocheted off of the goal post, keeping the game at 1-0.
Just before the half, Rianna Reese (Liberty Township, Ohio) would register her own attempt in the 41st minute, however, the ball would go just wide of the net and the game would go into the half with the Bobcats leading 1-0.
At the half, Ohio outshot NIU, 14-1, with the Bobcats recording eight on goal, compared to NIU's one.
Just 26 seconds into the second half, Milesky would strike. After Townsend collected a turnover at midfield, she would take it up field and dish it to Milesky as she crashed the net, just pushing it past the diving keeper, giving Ohio a 2-0 lead.
After Collica recorded another shot on goal in the 46th minute, the Bobcats would strike against in the 49th minute. Once again, it was Milesky who collected the ball from Collica at midfield and would fire it to the upper left corner, just out of reach of the NIU keeper, giving Ohio a 3-0 lead. It was Milesky's sixth goal of the season.
"Her first two years, Alivia wasn't a forward. She was a midfielder," Rodgers said. "Last spring we knew that we wanted to put her up at forward, so we trained her at forward. She's done an exceptional job."
The Bobcats' offense kept the pressure on, with Ohio recording the next four attempts, one by Kah and three more from Milesky.
In the 69th minute, Townsend would record a shot that would be saved. The ball would then be collected by Leckie would with attempt to touch it past the keeper, however, she would make the save, keeping the game at 3-0.
Northern Illinois would record the next three attempts , all of which would be saved by Beurket, keeping the shutout.
Then in the 75th minute, Collica would take a corner kick, sending the ball to the net, which would set up Dirrig to perfectly fire the ball to the back of the net, giving Ohio the 4-0 lead.
Dirrig would record another attempt in the 76th minute before NIU would register the next four shots, two of which would be secured by Beurket.
In the 83rd minute, Maeve Maloney (Lebanon, Ohio) would record a shot of her own, but it would go wide of the net. Dirrig would then follow that up with another attempt, but it would also go wide.
As the game came to a close, NIU would attempt to get on the board two more times, however Beurket would be there to helped secure the shutout and the 4-0 victory.
Overall, the Bobcats outshot NIU, 31-10, with Ohio registering 18 shots on goal, compared to NIU's eight.
Milesky led the way, with two goals, seven shots and three shots on goal. Leckie recorded five shots, three on goal and one assist, while Dirrig registered one goal on five attempts. Collica would contribute as well, registering three assists on three shots, with two on goal. Kah added one goal on two shots.
Up next, the Bobcats stay in Athens to play host to MAC opponent Western Michigan on Sunday, Oct. 21. First touch is set for 1 p.m. at Chessa Field.
Buffalo 1, Toledo 0
Box Score
BUFFALO, NY – Sophomore Gianna Yurchak was the hero of the night for the University at Buffalo women's soccer team (11-5-0, 5-4-0 MAC) on Thursday night at UB Stadium as she headed home the game-winning goal in the 102nd minute to give the Bulls the 1-0 victory over Toledo. The game-winning goal for Yurchak was the first of her UB career and the latest goal for the Bulls so far this season.
