Women's Soccer Hosts Weekday Conference Matchups
Thursday's Scoreboard
Ball State 2, Northern Illinois 1
Toledo 4, Eastern Michigan 3
Ohio 0, Akron 0
Bowling Green 3, Central Michigan 1
Western Michigan 2, Miami 1
Kent State 5, Buffalo 2
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Ball State 2, Northern Illinois 1
Box Score
DEKALB, Ill. – The Ball State University soccer team appeared to be headed for its second-consecutive 1-1 draw, but Amanda Shaw found the back of the net for the first time this year to score the game-winning goal and lift the Cardinals to a 2-1 win over Northern Illinois on Thursday evening.
BSU improved to 6-3-2 overall and 2-2-1 in MAC play while Northern Illinois dropped to 1-12-0 and 0-5-0 in the conference.
The Cardinals owned a clear advantage in shots with 13 total and seven on goal. The defense allowed just four shots for the Huskies with one on goal. BSU won four corners to NIU's two.
"The girls played really strong until the end today. We gave up a silly goal at the end and we'll need to correct that, but we played hard and got the win," said head coach Craig Roberts. "Even though we won, we feel we still haven't played a complete game yet. One of these games we'll put it all together, and when we do, I think we'll be really tough to stop."
Ball State got on the board early when Allison Abbe crossed a ball in to Lauren Rollfrom the right side and Roll finished the goal inside of the six. The Cardinals held that lead heading into the halftime break.
Northern Illinois struggled to put shots on frame all night, but the one that they did put on goal went in in the 69th minute. The two teams battled through a 1-1 tie for about the next 15 minutes.
With the clock winding down and both teams needing a goal, Shaw stepped up and took possession of a turnover. The senior then proceeded to fire a shot to the bottom left corner of the net and beat the keeper to give her team a 2-1 win.
"Amanda really stepped up and is getting back to normal and getting stronger as the season goes on," said Roberts. "It's always a relief to be able to rely upon your seniors in critical moments like that."
Ball State will now return home for a match with Western Michigan on Sunday (Oct. 7).
Toledo 4, Eastern Michigan 3
Box Score
Ypsilanti, Mich. - The Toledo women's soccer team (7-5-1, 3-2-0 MAC) won 4-3 in overtime over Eastern Michigan (7-7-0, 2-3-0 MAC) on Thursday in UT's first match of the week. The Rockets' winning goal came from senior captain Alena Sidwell and was her first of the season.
"It feels really good to get a win on the road," Sidwell said. "It was a wild game and I don't know if I'll ever have another game like that. To get the win on the road and have to fight back from behind a couple times is awesome."
"Alena is a relentless worker on the field and just gets the job done," head coach TJ Buchholz said. "The team needed a goal in overtime and she found a way. She's been in a lot of good spots this season where the ball just hasn't bounced her way, so for the way she was able to be composed in the moment and put that away was special."
Toledo's other goals came from sophomore Sophie Lewis, senior Natalie Knauf, and senior captain Hannah Scafaria. Scafaria's goal was her 12th of the season and ties her for third-most in program history.
"It's awesome the way our girls really battled," Buchholz said. "Eastern is a great attacking team. For us to be down a goal and have to fight back to get it to overtime is great. Our team keeps getting better and better each week. I think the resiliency is starting to set in where if we give up a lead or give up a goal, we're not fazed. I think that's something we want to keep building on."
Ohio 0, Akron 0
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio– The Ohio soccer team (4-5-3, 2-1-2) returned to action on Thursday (Oct. 4), taking on Mid-American Conference foe Akron (4-7-2, 1-3-1). The Bobcats and Zips would battle to a 0-0 double overtime draw on a rainy day at Chessa Field.
"It's always difficult conditions when it's raining really hard, the field is really soft and you're losing your footing," head coach Aaron Rodgers said. "It can be a challenging game. But in soccer you have to deal with that from time to time. I think there were moments in the game where both teams struggled with the conditions. At the end of the day we battled through and we come away with a shutout, which was one of the goals coming into the game.
Akron would get off the first shot of the game early in the second minute, however, starting keeper Sydney Malham (Nashville, Tenn.) would make the save to keep the game scoreless.
The Bobcats would then start to get in a groove, with Ohio's first attempt coming in the 12thminute on a shot my Sydney Leckie (Medina, Ohio) that would go just high of the net. Alivia Milesky (Plain City, Ohio) would then follow that attempt with one of her own, however, it would also go high of the net.
After Akron registered a shot in the 17thminute, the Bobcats would register the next four shots, with Milesky recording one, Sarina Dirrig(Powell,Ohio) would record two and Abby Townsend (Powell, Ohio) would send one that would first the Akron keeper to make a save, keeping the game tied at 0-0.
Akron would then go on an offensive attack, registering the next three attempts, with the last coming in the 41stminute. The ball would then go wide of the net, and send the game to the half with the Bobcats and Zips tied at 0-0.
At the half, the Bobcats and Zips were tied with six shots each, while Malham would register one save in the first 45 minutes.
The Bobcats would come out firing in the start of the second half, with Olivia Sensky (Powell, Ohio) firing the ball to the net, forcing a save from Akron in the 51stminute. However, Rianna Reese (Liberty Township, Ohio) would be right there to take the next shot, forcing Akron to make a spectacular save.
Moments later, Leckie would record a shot that would be blocked. Reese would then collect the rebound, sending the ball over the top of the net. Maria Collica (Solon, Ohio) would then take a shot of her own in the 54th minute, before Akron would take a shot in the 55thminute.
Reese would record back-to-back attempts in the 61stminute, before Madelyn Kah (Hamilton, Ohio) would take a shot that would be blocked in the 70thminute. With the game still scoreless, Townsend would take her second shot of the game in the 76thminute, but would be unable to score, helping send the game to overtime for the second-straight game.
Akron would register all three shots in the first overtime, however, would not score, sending he game into the second overtime period. Then the Zips would record the only attempt in the second overtime in the 105thminute, however Malham would make the save and seal the 0-0 tie.
Overall, the Bobcats outshot Akron 15-13, with Reese registering four attempts, followed by Milesky, Townsend and Dirrig who all had two attempts. Sensky, Kah and Collica also registered shots for the Bobcats.
In net, Malham played all 110 minutes and did not allow a goal while making four saves.
Up next, the Bobcats continue MAC play on the road when they head to Buffalo, N.Y. to take on the Bulls Sunday, Oct. 7. First touch is set for 12 p.m.
Bowling Green 3, Central Michigan 1
Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT -- The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team remained undefeated in Mid-American Conference play, going to Central Michigan University and coming away with a 3-1 win Thursday night (Oct. 4).
Senior Erica Hubert scored a pair of goals and sophomore Sophia Barnes also found the back of the net as the Falcons built a three-goal lead.
BGSU has won six-straight games, and the Falcons now have a seven-match unbeaten streak, having gone 6-0-1 in that time.
CMU scored with under four minutes remaining in the match, snapping a streak of five consecutive shutouts for the Falcons.
BGSU held a 17-6 advantage in shot attempts, including an 11-3 edge in shots on goal.
Western Michigan 2, Miami 1
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Senior midfielder Alyssa Burke netted the game-winning goal just 34 seconds into double-overtime to give the Western Michigan women's soccer team a 2-1 win over Miami at the WMU Soccer Complex on Thursday afternoon.
Burke had a shot blocked in the box and then punched in the rebound for her team-leading fifth goal of the season and her second-game-winning goal of the campaign.
The Broncos (10-3-0, 4-1-0 Mid-American Conference) dominated play with a season-high 37 total shots, landing 20 on goal. Miami freshman goalkeeper Lauren Parker kept the RedHawks in the game, making a program record 18 save. WMU earned its 10th win of the season, matching its total from the previous year.
The chances started early for the Broncos. Roselyn Kyeame had a header go just wide in the fourth minute of a cross from Colleen McKay. The Broncos had 12 total shots in the first half, landing seven on goal. Despite the constant saves by Parker, the Broncos were able to keep their focus.
"They don't really get super frustrated," said head coach Sarah Stanczyk on the early missed chances. "The team prides themselves on being a relentless group. We felt like we had figured out where we could be successful against them and they knew we just had to keep hitting that button and it would fall for them. We just had to stay the course."
After pelting Miami with more shots to open the second half, the breakthrough goal came in the 77th minute. Burke passed the ball to Hannah Kahn in the middle of the box and the junior midfielder finished it into the lower right corner of the net to give Western Michigan a late 1-0 lead. The goal was Kahn's fourth of the season, while the assist was Burke's third of the season.
The RedHawks tied it up in the 84th minute. A shot by Desiree Grubbs was deflected into the middle of the box and Olivia Winnett pounced on it and put it in the net.
Both teams managed just one shot in the first overtime period before Burke ended it in the second.
Burke and Bailey Korhorn each had a game-high eight total shots, while McKay led the Broncos with six shots on goal. The RedHawks had 10 total shots, landing five on goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Sargent made four saves to earn her 10th win of the season.
Western Michigan heads on the road to Ball State on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Kent State 5, Buffalo 2
Box Score
KENT, Ohio – Kent State (7-5-1, 3-2-0 MAC) rolled to a 5-2 win over Buffalo (9-3-0, 3-2-0 MAC) at Dix Stadium on Thursday night. The Golden Flashes stormed out of the gate, scoring all five goals in the first half, with sophomore Isabelle Mihail tallying her second two-goal game of the season. Kent State is on a three-game winning streak for the first time this year.
"We focused on getting good starts to games, and I thought we started off extremely well and our finishing was fantastic," said head coach Rob Marinaro. "We knew we needed to come out and increase the energy and the intensity level. The speed of play has really picked up."
Mihail scored the first goal of the match in the 19th minute on an assist from sophomore Cameron Shedenhelm. Sophomore Maddie Holmes scored her third goal of the home stand in the 21st minute on an unassisted header to put Kent State in control, 2-0.
Senior Dominque DiNardo registered her first career goal in the 27th minute and was assisted by sophomore Vital Kats. The Golden Flashes continued to attack and scored their fourth goal in 10 minutes when Mihail found the net for the second time on another assist by Shedenhelm. Freshman Khyla Porter capped off the scoring with a missile from 25 yards out that found the top shelf of the goal.
"In practice, we worked as forwards and worked to connect and Cameron Shedenhelm found me both times and we couldn't have scored without her passes," remarked Mihail. "We came out super strong tonight and knew we needed a win and everyone worked together as a team."
Buffalo scored two goals in the second period to end the shutout.
The Flashes scored five goals for the first time since October 2, 2016 in a 5-1 win over Western Michigan and have now won three straight against the Bulls.
Kent State defense answered the call as well and limited the Bulls, who entered in second place in the Mid-American Conference standings, to just six shots. Redshirt freshman Faith O'Neill (5-4-1) made two saves in goal for Kent State. Emily Kelly (9-3-0) made two stops Sarah Bykowicz had four for Buffalo.
The Golden Flashes finish up the weekend on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 1 p.m. with a road battle at rival Akron.
