Thursday Women's Soccer Results
Buffalo 2, No. 7 Pitt 1
Eastern Michigan 3, UIC 2
Bowling Green 3, Findlay 0
Akron 1, Oakland 0
Northern Illinois 4, St. Thomas 1
Western Michigan 1, Iowa 1
Indiana State 2, Miami 0
Stories Courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Buffalo 2, No. 7 Pitt 1
Box Score
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The University at Buffalo women's soccer made a statement with a historic 2-1 win over No. 7 Pitt at Ambrose Urbanic Field on Thursday evening.
It was UB's first-ever win over a top 10 program and is the third win over a Power 5 opponent in the Shawn Burke era, including two in a row on the road. It was also Buffalo's first win over Pitt since 1996.
UB was aggressive early on, with their first run coming in the second minute as Kelly Severini made a good run and fired in stride but didn't get all of it as Ellie Breech made the save.
The Bulls broke through in the 10th minute as Ellie Simmons played a great ball into the box that got kicked around before finding the feet of Kaya Schultz who delivered a strike into the top left corner of the net to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead.
The Panthers answered in the 24th minute as Samiah Phiri ripped a shot off the post and then capitalized on the rebound to tie the game at one.
Pitt had another scoring chance in the 41st minute but Lexie Thompson made a fantastic diving save and the game would remain tied at the half.
Buffalo continued to attack, and it paid off in the 58th minute as Simmons played a ball to Severini at the top of the box and she got it to Schultz who had her shot blocked but Jasmine Guerber was there for the rebound and drilled a shot into the bottom right corner of the net to put UB up 2-1.
It was a back-and-forth affair over the final 30 minutes of play and the UB backline was tested on several occasions, but they stood tall and thwarted each Pitt attack until the final whistle.
Thompson had herself a night, finishing with a career-high nine saves.
Eastern Michigan 3, UIC 2
Box Score
CHICAGO, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team rallied from a two-goal second-half deficit to upend UIC, 3-2, Thursday, Aug. 22, at Flames Field.
Sophomore Sarah Van Euwen (Avon Lake, Ohio/Avon Lake) netted the game-winner in the 89th-minute off an Eagle corner kick.
How It Happened
UIC opened the match's scoring in the 14th minute as the Flames outshot the Eagles, 9-1 in the first half.
The Flames added a second goal in the 49th minute before senior Maddie O'Farrell (Haslett, Mich./Lansing Catholic) got the Eagles on the scoreboard just 55 seconds later on a majestic free kick inside the left post from 30 yards out.
Sophomore Olivia Sipsock (Medina, Ohio/Medina) netted an equalizer in the 64th minute on dishes from redshirt freshman Josie Langhans (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) and junior Scarlett Thomas (Sterling Heights, Mich./Utica Academy for International Studies/Missouri).
After the Eagles staved off a pair of Flames' corner kicks in the final minutes, EMU earned a corner off its own. O'Farrell had her shot blocked, but Van Euwen one-touched a strike from 10 yards out inside the left post to give Eastern the win.
The Flames won the battle in shots by a 16-11 margin, and in corner kicks by a 4-3 margin.
Game Notes
» Eastern moved to 2-0-0 on the year while UIC moved to 1-1-0.
» O'Farrell netted her 10th career goal and first since facing Purdue Fort Wayne, Sept. 7, 2023.
» Sipsock scored her sixth career goal and opens the 2024 season with points in consecutive matches after recording an assist against Oakland University, Aug. 15.
» Van Euwen's goal marked the first of her career, as well as her first career points. She was also the lone Eagle field player to play all 90 minutes.
» Van Euwen's game-winner at the 88:05 mark marks the Eagles' second game-winner in as many matches, both of which came with less than six minutes to play. Sophomore Cameryn Susey (Westerville, Ohio/Olentangy Berlin) scored the game-winner against Oakland at the 84:55 mark, Aug. 15.
» Langhans made her first career start while redshirt sophomore Lucia Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin/Akron) and Thomas made their Eastern debuts.
» Redshirt sophomore Ella Holland (Dunwoody, Ga./Dunwoody/Samford) was credited with six saves.
Historical Notes
» After today's contest, Eastern leads in the all-time series with UIC, 5-0-0. Despite conceding at least one goal in all five matches, the Eagles have used multi-goal efforts to put all five all-time meetings in the win column.
» The Eagles came back from a two-goal second-half deficit for the first time since topping Western Michigan University, Oct. 6, 2019.
» Eastern started 2-0 for the first time since 2014. EMU started 2014 by winning 2-0 matches against Fordham University, Aug. 22, and Indiana University, Aug. 24.
Bowling Green 3, Findlay 0
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team moved to 2-0 on the young season with a 3-0 victory over the University of Findlay Thursday night (Aug. 22) at Cochrane Stadium.
Lexi Czerwien gave the Falcons the only goal they would need in the seventh minute, heading home a Michelle Hochstadt serve. Although BGSU had the lion's share of the possession, the score remained the same until the Falcons scored two goals less than a minute apart in the latter stages of the match.
After a Taylor Green shot on goal began a flurry in the penalty area, a BG pass was blocked and went toward sophomore Emme Butera just outside the box. Butera's blast found the low left corner of the net to double the Falcons' advantage.
Only 32 seconds after Butera's banger, Lizzie Bultynck was taken down in the penalty area. Redshirt sophomore Emily Hollar stepped up and converted the ensuing penalty kick to cap the scoring.
The Falcons had advantages of 17-5 in total shots, 9-1 in shots on goal and 6-0 in corner kicks. Madison Vukas made one save en route to the shutout.
N
OTE OF THE NIGHT
• The Falcons are off to a 2-0-0 start for the eighth time in the history of the program, now in its 28th season.
• BGSU has begun the season with a 3-0-0 record only once, in 1998. That year, the Falcons' second ever season, began with a road win over Valparaiso followed by home victories against Western Illinois and Robert Morris.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons took the lead on just the second shot attempt of the match, at the 6:29 mark. Michelle Hochstadt received a Christine Erdman throw-in on the left side of the field. Hochstadt took one touch and served a ball into the penalty area. Lexi Czerwien was there to head the ball back the other way, over the outstretched arms of Findlay goalkeeper Audrey Gibson-Zweifel and into the upper-left-hand corner of the net.
• The game would remain 1-0 for nearly 80 minutes, as the Falcons possessed the ball for seemingly the entire match, but could not add to the one-goal advantage.
• Findlay's lone shot on goal of the match came nine minutes into the second half on a counterattack, as Sydney Noble cut to her right and hit a hard shot from just outside the penalty area. But, the ball was hit directly at BGSU 'keeper Madison Vukas, who made the save.
• Midway through the second half, the Falcons threatened, as a Lauren Mahoney pass put Lizzie Bultynck through on the right side. Bultynck headed into the penalty area and put a hard shot on target, but Maria White, Findlay's third of four goalkeepers to see action on the night, made the save.
• With just under 19 minutes to go and BG on the front foot, Lexi White laid the ball into the path of Emme Butera, who lofted a short diagonal ball into the box. Emma Stransky got her head on it, but the shot went just over the crossbar.
• Less than two minutes later, Alexis Tsaprailis made a long run into the box on the left side. As the freshman neared the end line, she put a low cross into the box. Emily Hollar and a defender vied for the ball, and it caromed to White, who fired a quick turnaround shot, but goalkeeper Peyton Delongchamp was in perfect position to make a point-blank stop.
• Under five minutes remained when Brynn Gardner took the ball down the right side and hit a crossing ball. The cross was blocked and rolled out to Hollar. She made a quick move to her right and fired a shot from just outside the 18-yard line, but Delongchamp was able to tip the ball wide. But, BG would score less than a minute later.
• The Falcons doubled the lead with 3:45 to go. Bultynck ran down a long corner kick on the far side and played a pass to Taylor Green. Green hit a shot that went through the legs of a defender, but the UF 'keeper made the stop. The rebound went just past Gardner at the far post. Tsaprailis attempted to center the ball back into the six-yard box, but her pass was blocked. The ball rolled out to Butera, who ran onto it and uncorked a hard shot that whizzed past a host of players and found the far side of the net. The golazo gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead.
• Less than a minute later, BG scored again. Tsaprailis played a ball between two defenders, into the path of Bultnyck, but Bultynck was taken down by a sliding defender in the penalty area. Hollar stepped up and produced perfect placement on her PK, capping the scoring with 3:10 on the clock.
Akron 1, Oakland 0
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio - A goal in the 48th minute (47:26) from senior Ella Hadley (Concord, Ohio) propelled the University of Akron women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory past Oakland in the squad's home opener on Thursday (Aug. 22) at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The triumph represented the 50th career win in the coaching career for Akron head coach Jen Simonetti.
How it Happened
- The two sides battled through a scoreless opening half with the Zips registering a 5-1 advantage in first-half shots.
- Akron broke the stalemate when Hadley scored her second goal of the season at the 47:26 mark off an assist from sophomore Rachel Wenzel (Akron, Ohio).
- Redshirt junior GK Penelope Cuirinier (Mionnay, France) and sophomore Sara Bower (Cincinnati, Ohio) combined to garner the clean sheet for the Zips on the strength of a pair of saves.
Game Notes
- Bower totaled one save for the Zips out of three total Golden Grizzlies shots.
- Akron registered seven shots on goal and posted a 15-4 overall edge in shots.
Northern Illinois 4, St. Thomas 1
Box Score
DeKalb, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University women's soccer team rolled past St. Thomas in the Huskies 2024 season opener on Thursday (Aug. 22). Goals from Kelsi McLaughlin (Greenfield, Ind./Illinois State), Lea Gruennagel (Homburg, Germany/ Intergrierte Gesamtschule Contwig), Aubrey Robertson (Fishers, Ind./Fishers) from the penalty spot and Chantelle Parker (Milton, Ontario/Pittsburgh) sealed the Huskies first win of 2024.
"I'm delighted with the win," head coach Michael O'Neill said. "I felt like it wasn't a true 4-1 scoreline with as good of an effort as St. Thomas gave. I'm happy to score four scrappy and well-earned goals. We will reflect as we prepare for Southern Indiana but I'm just happy to see their efforts come to fruition with this first win."
In the 19th minute, McLaughlin scored the Huskies first goal of 2024 and her first as a Huskie. A corner kick from Mckenna Campbell-Turkalj (Kitchener, Ontario) crossed the ball into the box to Robertson. Robertson flicked it deep into the box to Gruennagel who got it right near the line where McLaughlin tucked it in goal in a scramble with multiple St. Thomas defenders.
"Scrappy goals are the ones I enjoy the most, because they're the well-earned ones," O'Neill said. "Being in the right place at the right time is great to see. I'm happy for the goal scorers, and we would have loved a shutout but I thought (goalkeeper) Abi (Dolding) did fantastic for the first game of her career."
St. Thomas (0-1-1) evened up the match in the 24th minute as Lexi Huber scored from just outside of the box on an assist from Lissa Mizutani.
"I thought St. Thomas responded to the first goal well, credit to them for their response and grit," said O'Neill. "They are an organized group and made us reassess our options going into the middle third. We stood firm, we talked about adversity, and we overcame that today. We will face these moments again so this can be used as a foundation moving forward."
The Huskies retook the lead in the 67th minute as Gruennagel received the ball from Tyra King (Naperville, Ill./Matea Valley) before scoring from way out of the box on the left as she placed the ball perfectly in the corner of the goal over the reach of the St. Thomas goalkeeper Olivia Rowe.
NIU (1-0-1) quickly took control again and had the ball in the Tommies' box as McLaughlin rocketed a shot on goal after getting behind Rowe, Abby Brantner used her arms to keep the ball out and was given a red card for denying a goal scoring opportunity.
Robertson then took the penalty and placed it perfectly in the bottom left corner, just outside of the keeper's reach.
In the final 22 minutes, NIU played up a player after the red card and the Huskies controlled the tempo, before once again finding the net in the 84th minute. Chantelle Parker scored her first goal as a Huskie when Reegan Kingpavong's (Rockford, Ill./Guilford) corner found Parker near the goal line for the finish.
NIU's four goals is the most in a game for the Huskies since Aug. 26, 2021, when NIU defeated Chicago State, 4-1.
Abi Dolding (Hastings, England) earned the win in goal and made six saves, while allowing just one goal in her first collegiate match. Rowe took the loss, allowing three goals in 80 minutes with the final goal being scored against backup keeper Kendell Ellis.
The Huskies and Tommies both had seven shots on goal in the match.
NIU returns to action next Thursday, Aug. 29, as they host Southern Indiana. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex. Admission is always free for NIU Soccer.
