Friday’s MAC Women’s Soccer Results
Bowling Green 3, Kent State 1
Western Michigan 1, Central Michigan 0
Ball State 1, Akron 0
Ohio 4, Toledo 0
Miami 1, Buffalo 0
Eastern Michigan 3, Northern Illinois 1
Stories courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments
Bowling Green 3, Kent State 1
Boxscore
The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team opened the road portion of the Mid-American Conference schedule in style, picking up a 3-1 win over Kent State University Friday night (Oct. 4) at Dix Stadium.
The Falcons, now 5-4-2 overall and a perfect 3-0-0 in the MAC, scored twice in the first 15 minutes of the match to seize control. KSU (3-5-2, 1-1-1 MAC) cut the BG lead in half early in the second period, before the visitors restored the two-goal lead just over seven minutes later.
Redshirt junior Nikki Cox put the Falcons on the scoreboard just over 10 minutes into the match. The goal was the result of second, and third, effort on Cox's part, as she saw back-to-back shots blocked in the box before putting her third effort past the KSU defenders as well as goalkeeper Faith O'Neill.
Under four minutes later, senior Maureen Kennedy's free kick was met by junior Nikhita Jacob, who headed the ball into the upper-left corner for a 2-0 BG lead.
Karly Hellstrom got the Golden Flashes on the scoreboard early in the second half, but freshman Kennedy White restored the Falcons' two-goal lead just over seven minutes later, knocking home a loose ball in the box after a Kennedy corner kick as the match neared the hour mark.
BGSU had advantages of 14-10 in total shot attempts, 7-4 in shots on goal and 5-4 in corner kicks. Senior Kathleen Duwve made three saves in goal to earn the win, while O'Neill had four stops for the Flashes.
Western Michigan 1, Central Michigan 0
Boxscore
MOUNT PLEASANzT, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's soccer team took down rival Central Michigan, 1-0, at the CMU Soccer Complex on Friday night thanks to senior midfielder Lydia Bajema's first career goal.
The one and only goal came in the 73rd minute after CMU goalie Zoie Reed cleared the ball from deep in the box. Bajema made a late run and one-timed it into the net to give the Broncos the lead. From there, Western Michigan (4-5-1, 2-0-1 MAC) limited the Chippewas' chances, securing the win and the shutout. Junior goalie Maggie Rogers made seven saves for the team's second-straight clean sheet and third of the season.
"It was a great team effort on the road against a very organized Central Michigan team," said head coach Sammy Boateng. "Our wingers did an awesome job taking defenders on one-on-one. Lydia did an amazing job coming late into the box and was very composed on her finish. This was a true road test and we fought from the beginning to the end."
Coming into the game, Central Michigan was the lone unbeaten team in the Mid-American Conference at 5-0-2.
CMU outshot WMU 16-8 overall and had a slim 7-5 advantage in shots on goal. Senior forward Grace Labadie led the Broncos with four shots, landing three on frame. Western Michigan had a 7-6 advantage on corner kicks, including 4-1 in the second half.
WMU continues its road swing, heading to Eastern Michigan on Sunday for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
Ball State 1, Akron 0
Boxscore
AKRON, Ohio – Sophomore Tatiana Mason scored her second goal of the season in the 60th minute, and the Ball State University soccer team defeated Akron, 1-0, on the road Friday night.
The Cardinals improved to 8-3-0 for the year and 2-1-0 in Mid-American Conference play while Akron dropped to 4-7-0 and 1-2-0 with the defeat.
"This is a good way to start the road trip," said head coach Josh Rife. "We got great contributions from a lot of people. Any conference road win is tough, and I felt we certainly grew into the match and played well overall."
A tightly contested match was scoreless through the first half with both sides managing only five combined shots. But, eager to get the first goal of the contest, Ball State came out of the locker room aggressive with an attacking mindset. In the 60th minute, Julia Elvbo possessed the ball near the top-right corner of the penalty area and crossed it to Mason. Mason then tapped it into the goal for the game winner and the match's only score.
BSU totaled seven shots for the night with three on goal while holding the Zips to just two shots on frame. Tristin Stuteville saved both those shots while earning her fifth shutout of the season. The Cardinals also produced three corner kicks on the night.
Though the goal was just Mason's second of the year, it upped her point total to nine for the season which ties her with Nicky Potts and Grace Alsop for most on the team. Elvbo's assist was her second of 2019 and gives her four points for the year.
Ohio 4, Toledo 0
Boxscore
ATHENS, Ohio –Thanks to four second half goals, the Ohio soccer team (7-4-0, 2-1-0 MAC) defeated Mid0American Conference foe Toledo (3-8-0, 0-3-0 MAC), Friday evening (Oct. 4) at Chessa Field.
"I think we controlled the tempo of the game," head coach Aaron Rodgers said. "We played well, we had a lot of the ball, we just weren't as decisive going into the final third. We were a little timid going into the final third and that is something that we talked about."
The early game started off quick, with junior midfielder Jenni Santacaterina (Geneva, Ill.) registering an early shot on goal in the eighth minute. Toledo pushed back, getting off two quick shots on Ohio's net, both of which, were met by saves from junior goalkeeper Sydney Malham (Nashville, Tenn.).
Ohio launched a quick counter with sophomore forward Abby Townsend (Powell, Ohio) registering a shot on goal. Townsend continued to pressure Toledo, placing another shot wide right. A back and forth first half became a battle in the midfield, but both teams ended up going into halftime locked at 0-0.
Ohio outshot Toledo, 7-4, while taking two corner kicks to the Rockets' zero.
The second half started off with a bang for Ohio, registering three shots on goal in the opening 10 minutes coming out of halftime from Santacaterina, freshman Olivia Page (Springboro, Ohio) and senior Courtney Daugerdas (Libertyville, Ill.).
The goals came in quick succession following Ohio's great opening, with Townsend scoring for the Bobcats in the 54th minute. Townsend received a ball over the top from senior Alivia Milesky (Plain City, Ohio) sending Townsend down the left-hand side where she placed her shot in the bottom right hand side of the net, putting the Bobcats up 1-0.
Three minutes after the restart, Ohio put yet another in the back of the net. This time, it was Milesky who swiped possession out of the Toledo backfield and slotted another ball past the Toledo keeper, making it 2-0.
After the goal from Milesky, Ohio began to dominate the game. The Bobcats continued to fire shots at Toledo's goal, putting the pressure on the Rockets in their defensive half.
After a scoreless but dominate, 15 minutes for Ohio, the pressure paid off this time with Page getting her name on the score sheet in the 75th minute. The forward received a perfectly weighted pass from junior sub Sarina Dirrig (Powell, Ohio) and guided her shot into the bottom left hand side of the net, putting Ohio 3-0 up on Toledo.
It was yet another turnover from Toledo in their defensive third which saw Ohio capitalize on another goal scoring opportunity. This time, it was freshman forward Maddie Young (Cincinnati, Ohio) who cleaned up on the Toledo mistake and won herself an easy turn and shoot opportunity, giving the Bobcats the 4-0 advantage.
The Ohio defense held strong the remainder of the game, sealing the 4-0 victory for the Bobcats.
Ohio outshot Toledo 21-10, with five corner kicks compared to the Rockets' two.
Leading Ohio was Townsend, who scored one goal on four shots, with two on goal. Milesky followed with a goal and an assist, while Page recorded a goal on three shots with two on goal. Young also added a goal and an assist for Ohio, while Dirrig added an assist for the Bobcats.
In net, Malham was a brick wall, playing all 90 minutes while not allowing a goal and making four saves.
Ohio will be back in action Sunday, Oct. 6 at Chessa Field, where the Bobcats will take on the Bowling Green Flacons, at 1 p.m.
Miami 1, Buffalo 0
Boxscore
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Olivia Winnett's goal in the 63rd minute supported Izzie Vaccari's nine saves as the Miami soccer team topped Buffalo 1-0 on Friday night.
The RedHawks improved to 3-7 on the season and moved to 2-1 in Mid-American Conference play.
"Tonight's result was a full team effort," head coach Courtney Sirmans said. "We looked hesitant and shocked at the speed of play in the first half. Once we got to the half we had a chance to talk about what needed to change to get a result. It was not our best soccer, but it was a gritty performance. We took three points on the road which is the first time this program has done that in conference in two years. We are so incredibly proud of how this group continues to grow and it's exciting to watch!"
After only one total Buffalo (4-5-1, 1-2 MAC) shot was fired in the first 10 minutes of play, UB began taking some long-distance bids to the net with Izzie Vaccari making three stops as the Bulls had the first five shot attempts of the evening. Buffalo ended up with a 13-0 shot advantage in the opening frame, but Vaccari made five stops to leave it scoreless.
Things picked up a bit for Miami in the second half as it got a few more looks in the attacking third. Soph Spinell recorded the RedHawks' first shot of the night in the 62nd minute, streaking down the right side and firing a shot that Emily Kelly caught.
A minute later, the Red & White forced a turnover and were lethal on the counter attack. A pair of quick passes sent Olivia Winnett the other way with some open field. She wound up from outside the 18 and lofted a shot over Kelly for her third goal of the season. Jordan King and Lyda Bogdanovitch each picked up assists on the play.
The Bulls threw what they could at the RedHawks to bid for an equalizer, but Vaccari and the defense stood the test and kept them at bay to post their first shutout of the season.
Buffalo ended up with a 24-4 shot advantage for the night, but Vaccari finished up her first solo shutout at Miami with nine saves. UB also led in corner kicks, 9-1.
Miami finishes up its weekend trip at Akron on Sunday. Opening kick is at 1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan 3, Northern Illinois 1
Boxscore
YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team clinched their first Mid-American Conference victory of the season Friday night, taking down Northern Illinois, 3-1.
Sabrina McNeill (Whitby, Ontario-Henry Street) got things started early for the Eagles, sending a laser to the top left corner to give the Eagles the lead, 1-0. This was the redshirt junior's second time in as many games scoring the first goal for the Green in White in the first 10 minutes.
Northern Illinois found the equalizer in the 33rd minute to tie the game at one before the break.
After the half, Eastern came out and controlled the match for the final 45 minutes.
In the 62nd minute, junior Lindsey Shira (New Baltimore, Mich.-Anchor Bay) scored her second goal of the season, slipping the ball past the Huskies' keeper for the game-winner and 2-1 lead for EMU.
Freshman Amanda Cripps (Bradford, Ontario-Trinity Catholic) tacked on an insurance goal for the Eagles in the 79th minute, marking her second goal of the season and first since the season-opener against Oakland.
Redshirt junior Mabel Dunn (Oakville, Ontario-White Oaks Secondary) tallied four saves in 90 minutes of play.
Eastern out-shot Northern 26-to-nine, while also edging the Huskies in corners, six-to-two.
The Eagles continue conference play Sunday, Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. as they host Western Michigan at Scicluna Field.
