Sunday's Women's Soccer Results
Central Michigan 3, Akron 0
Bowling Green 1, Kent State 0
Buffalo 3, Toledo 0
Eastern Michigan 2, Ohio 1
Miami 1, Western Michigan 0
Ball State 1, Northern Illinois 0
Courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications
Central Michigan 3, Akron 0
Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Senior Day success for the Central Michigan women's soccer team.
Kaelyn Korte scored two goals and Emily Cooksey had one Sunday as the Chippewas defeated Akron, 3-0, on Senior Day at the CMU Soccer Complex.
The victory lifted CMU to 4-11-1, 2-6-0 Mid-American Conference. The Chippewas are 3-3-0 at home this season. Akron is 6-9-1, 2-6-0.
Sunday's win came after the Chippewas dropped a tough 1-0 home decision to MAC East-leading Buffalo on Friday.
"I'm just very proud of them today," CMU coach Peter McGahey said. "I think to bounce back after the frustration from Friday and the emotion of Senior Day and recognizing three players that are so important to the program and creating the championship culture here - it's nothing but positives today."
Cooksey, one of three seniors on the Chippewa roster, scored unassisted on a breakaway in the 57th minute to extend CMU's lead to 2-0. Laura Gosse and Jennifer Gassman are the other seniors.
The three goals is the most CMU has scored in a game this season and it marks the first time the Chippewas have scored multiple goals in a game since a 2-0 win on Sept. 19 over Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne.
"It's nice to get a win on Senior Day," Cooksey said. "It's always nice to get a win and get some momentum moving forward."
Korte, a sophomore mid, broke the ice when she scored on a header from near point-blank range off a Christen Chiesa corner kick. Korte notched her second goal when she dribbled through a pack of Zips and rifled a shot into the lower left corner past Akron keeper Alex Luevano-Harden. Korte has three goals on the season.
"I thought (Korte) did a very good job of bossing the game," McGahey said. "Bossing the game defensively with her tackles and her interceptions and closing out their attack and again helping us generate our rhythm and our buildup to create further chances.
"Very proud of her performance today."
The Chippewas outshot Akron, 14-12. The Zips held a 6-3 edge in corner kicks.
Sophomore Heather Laeufer made one save in goal for the Chippewas, posting her second shutout in five starts this season.
"It was a team effort today and the back line was good," McGahey said. "I thought Heather was steady in goal and we did not give away chances. We played well and we'll just continue to raise that bar and see where we go"
The Chippewas' home finale is Friday, Oct. 24, against Ohio (6-10, 3-5). On Sunday, Oct. 26, the Chippewas play at Kent State (8-5-3, 3-3-2). Both are MAC matches.
Bowling Green 1, Kent State 0
Box Score
Bowling Green, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team got a goal from freshman Skylar Fleak in the 27th minute and 10 saves in between the posts by redshirt-sophomore Lauren Cadel to shutout the Golden Flashes of Kent State 1-0 on Senior Day Sunday afternoon at Cochrane Stadium.
The 2014 seniors of Kylie Briem, Ashley Garr and Sidney Huth were honored pregame, while a number of BGSU women's soccer alumnae were recognized at halftime.
It is the second straight win for the Falcons who defeated Ohio 2-1 on Friday night at Cochrane Stadium.
"I'm really proud of the grind and the work that we have put in. I mean, this was a hard fought six points for us," commented head coach Lindsay Basalyga. "We definitely gained some more confidence I think Friday night in terms of how to manage the tail end of a game and you could see that in the tail end of today's game. But for them overall to finally feel the emotion that comes from the work and the process, and their commitment - to actually feel that, I am ecstatic for our team."
The Falcons' two wins this weekend marks the first time the women's soccer team has posted back-to-back MAC wins since 2010 when the Falcons defeated Buffalo 4-0 on Sept. 24 and Kent State 1-0 on Sept. 26. That is also the last time the Falcons won two straight matches prior to this weekend's wins over Ohio and Kent State.
The win also pushes BGSU to 4-11-0 overall and 3-5-0 in MAC, while the loss drops Kent State to 8-5-3 overall and 3-3-2 in league play.
"I think it is very exciting for us as a team, as a program in general. We haven't had two wins back-to-back in a really long time. I think it is a really big step in our process and what we are trying to accomplish," added freshman defender Rachel Winters. "I think it was really important to get these (two wins). We had a really good weekend last weekend, but we fell short. I think we had a good week of practice. We kept finding the space that we have been working on and I think that really helped us with our success this weekend."
Kent State looked to get on the scoreboard first in the early minutes of the first half, as the Golden Flashes picked up three attempts from Abbie Lawson, two shots from Madison Helterbran, as well as a shot from Doni Capehart, over the first 20 minutes of play, only to see two fly wide, one sail high, another shot blocked and the other two stopped by Cadel to keep the match scoreless early.
During that time, BGSU's Fleak put not just one, but two headers online, one in the 10th minute and the second in the 18th minute, while fellow freshman Madison Schupbach took a shot from just outside of the top of the box in the 18th minute that was hauled in by Kent State goalkeeper Stephanie Senn.
After two stops by Cadel in goal in the 21st and the 24th minutes, the Falcons next shot came on a counter off of a Kent State corner kick, as Mikaela Couch played a cleared ball up the field, across the midline and through the Golden Flashes backline. The pass found a streaking Fleak racing down the field, who placed a shot just out of the reach of Senn and into the right top corner of the net to put the Falcons up 1-0 in the 27th minute.
The goal was Fleak's team-high fifth of the season, while the assist was Couch's second in an as many games.
Following a shot from Schupbach in the 30th minute, off a defensive mistake in the defensive third by Kent State, the Golden Flashes finished the final 15 minutes of play out with four unanswered shots of which three flew off target and the fourth was blocked by the BGSU defense.
Both teams would come out of the halftime break looking to score, as Kent State's Stephanie Haugh had a shot halted by Cadel in the 46th minute, while Schupbach's third attempt of the game was once again stopped by Senn in goal in the 47th minute to keep the score at 1-0 in favor of the Orange and Brown.
BGSU nearly doubled its lead minutes later, as Elisa Baeron played a cross from the left side of the field to the right front post to Couch, who came sliding in and chipped the ball just over the crossbar and out of play in the 49th minute.
Over the next 15 minutes, the Golden Flashes looked for the equalizer, as Capehart had a shot blocked in the 53rd minute and both Haugh and Briana Bartolone watched their scoring chances stopped by BGSU's Cadel, including a last second punch out of a ball that hit off the crossbar on Haugh's shot in the 54th minute.
Kent State refused to go away, however, as the Falcons' defense and Cadel stopped four straight shots in a two minute stretch, two of which were blocked and two of which were saved by Cadel, as the Golden Flashes begin putting pressure once again in the Falcons' defensive third.
Bowling Green's Huth placed a shot on frame in the 76th minute, a shot which was saved on the front near post, and another shot on target in the 80th minute on a ball that was played through the Kent State defense.
Fleak looked for her second goal of the game less than 20 seconds later on the rebounded save, yet put the contested shot into the arms of a waiting Senn.
With the second half winding down, the Falcons refused to relinquish the lead, as Kent State missed wide right in the 80th minute, wide left in the 82nd minute, had a shot blocked by Winters in the 87th minute and saw Cadel register her 10th save of the game in the 87th minute on a shot from inside the box.
Despite Kent State outshooting the Falcons 25-11 overall, both teams put 10 shots apiece on goal in the 90 minute contest. Kent State also held a huge 9-2 advantage in corner kicks over the Falcons; however, Bowling Green totaled 10 saves compared to the Golden Flashes' nine.
Both teams were called for eight fouls for the game.
Bowling Green will hit the road for its next MAC contest, as the Falcons will take on Western Michigan on Friday, Oct. 24, at 3 p.m. in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Buffalo 3, Toledo 0
Box Score
TOLEDO, OH - The State University of New York, Buffalo women's soccer team (10-2-3, 6-0-2 MAC) stayed hot on Sunday afternoon as they extended their program record unbeaten streak in MAC play to eight matches with a 3-0 win at Toledo. Celina Carrero was a force for the Bulls all afternoon long, netting a career-best two goals in the victory.
"I was really pleased with the dominant performance by everyone involved today," said head coach Shawn Burke. "It was a collective team effort for the entire 90 minutes and we were able to earn three points in a tough road contest. The exceptional play of Celina Carrero, Courtney Mann and Jackie Hall led the way but we also received tremendous help off the bench and our entire backline was brilliant this afternoon."
The Bulls started fast as they got on the scoreboard just 14 minutes into play. Courtney Mann started the play for UB as she sent in a perfect lead pass that led Carrero in on a partial breakaway which she buried in the right corner of the net. The great feed from Mann earned her the assist, the second of the season for the Bulls captain.
UB continued to press on down the stretch of the first half and they were rewarded with their second goal of the game in the 35th minute off the head of Megan Abman. Entering as a replacement midway through the half, Rachel Cook and Abman connected on a pretty goal. Kristin Markiewicz started the play with a great defensive breakup and she then sent Rachel Cook in alone down the right sideline with a good feed. Cook then sent a perfect crossing pass which was headed into the top of the net just under the cross bar by Abman. Abman notched her third goal off the bench for the Bulls while Cook recorded her first assist of the season.
Toledo tried to respond with a goal of their own in the 38th minute but Laura Dougall made her best save of the contest as she laid out to the right to make the big save and preserve the scoreless half.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair as the Rockets clung to a slim 5-3 advantage in shots but Carrero was able to seal the deal for UB in the 88th minute. Benati pushed a great pass through the Rockets backline to a streaking Carrero who used some pretty moves to beat the keeper and bury her second of the match. The two-goal effort for Carrero was the first of her career and she now has six goals on the season, ranking second on the team.
Dougall continued her stellar play between the pipes as she finished the game with four saves in her 10th clean sheet of the season, tying Ainsley Wheldon for the most shutouts in a season in program history. Dougall now has an overall record of 10-1-3 on the season and owns a goal-against average of 0.34 and a save percentage of .921, ranking her second in the NCAA in that category.
The UB defense of Hall, Sophie Therien, Kristin Markiewicz and Angel Hart were outstanding once again in the win for the Bulls as Toledo had a tough time getting anything going offensively from start to finish. The UB defense has now notched 11 shutouts on the season, one shy of tying the program record for most shutouts in a season, and currently lead the MAC in that category.
The stats did not begin to describe the story of the game for the Bulls as they held the slim 11-9 advantage in shots and the 2-1 lead in corner kicks while dominating most of the play. Three Bulls, Benati, Katie Roberts and Carrero, finished off their afternoon with two shots for UB.
Following the match, Jackie Hall as awarded the "Player of the Match" award by the UB coaching staff after another strong performance at center back for the Bulls. Hall was aggressive in the back end and didn't allow any dangerous attempts by the Toledo forwards.
When asked about the play of Hall, head coach Shawn Burke stated, "I thought start to finish that Jackie was the best player on the field this afternoon. Her ability to make tackles and start the attack were key for us. She set the tone early and continued it throughout the game."
Eastern Michigan 2, Ohio 1
Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – It should be no surprise that the seniors led the Eastern Michigan University soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Ohio University Sunday afternoon, Oct. 19, on Senior Day. Seniors Bianca Rossi and Chelsie Oddan scored goals for the Eagles (9-5-1, 5-3-0 MAC), while Jenna O'Dell made five saves against the Bobcats (6-10-0, 3-5-0 MAC) in the final 2014 regular season contest at Scicluna Field. With the win, the Green and White finish the home slate with an impressive mark of 6-1-0.
All eight seniors started the contest and were recognized in an on-field ceremony at halftime: Emily Dzik, Marisa Kozikowski, Molli Krick, O'Dell, Oddan, Roissi, Martha Stevens and Angela Vultaggio.
Rossi provided the game's first goal in the 11th minute after a nice pass from Vultaggio, while sophomore Rachel Washburn found Oddan from just outside the 18-yard box for the game-winning goal with just eight minutes remaining in the contest. The Eagles controlled the match throughout, holding an advantage in shots, 20-14, as well as corner kicks, 10-2. EMU fired six shots on goal compared to five for the Bobcats. Playing all 90 minutes in goal, O'Dell (1-1-0) made five saves to pick up her first win of the season.
OU's leading scorer, Alexis Milesky, notched a goal in the first half for the Bobcats, finishing a rebounded shot that clanked off the crossbar. Meanwhile, Ohio goalkeeper Rachel Fryan (0-1-0) stopped three EMU shots in her first action of the 2014 campaign.
Eastern wasted no time in scoring the first goal of the game. After Rossi's first shot on goal was denied, she struck the back of the net minutes later. Coming down the left side of the field, Vultaggio caught the OU defense napping with Rossi open at the top of the box. With the crisp pass, Rossi blasted the ball into the left side of the net for 1-0 lead in the 11th minute.
The Bobcats answered back 13 minutes later, posting the equalizer that knotted the game at one goal apiece. OU's Annie Beard fired a shot off the crossbar that bounced directly to the feet of Milesky, who beat a diving O'Dell to tie the contest. The score remained at a 1-1 standstill following the first 45 minutes of play.
EMU out-shot Ohio, 10-9, in the first half, but the Bobcats sent four shots on goal compared to just two for the Eagles. O'Dell chalked up three saves, while four different Eagles each attempted two shots.
Following the Senior Day festivities at halftime, the Eagles came out of the break inspired to give the upperclassman another home victory. Eastern began the second half firing shot-after-shot towards Fryan, including a pair of near-misses by Megan Trapp. EMU had consecutive opportunities on corner kicks, but the OU defense stood tall to prevent a goal.
With 22 minutes left in the game, Ohio came close to taking the lead on a shot from the left side of the box; as the ball tried to curl into the right side of the goal, O'Dell lunged for the stop to keep the game at a tie. Then, 15 minutes later, Washburn dribbled down the field before passing to Oddan in the center of the pitch. Blasting a shot 20 yards away from the goal, Oddan floated a perfect ball barely over the outstretched keeper to propel the Eagles in front, 2-1, with less than eight minutes to go. The score was the second goal of Oddan's career, and it could not have come at a better time.
As the clocked ticked down, all eight seniors were on the field, using their veteran presence to close out their 35th victory as Eagles.
The final three games of the 2014 regular season will be on the road for the EMU soccer team. Eastern will first take on the two teams closest in pursuit of the Eagles for the top spot in the MAC West division. The Eagles flock to DeKalb, Ill. Friday, Oct. 24, to battle the Huskies of Northern Illinois University in a primetime matchup set for 7 p.m. CT. On Sunday, Oct. 26, the Green and White returns to the Great Lakes State to square off against rival Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich. at 1 p.m.
Miami 1, Western Michigan 0
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio – Kat Zalar broke a scoreless tie with 6:43 remaining to lift the Miami soccer team to a 1-0 win over defending Mid-American Conference Tournament champion Western Michigan on Sunday.
The victory extends the RedHawks’ (12-2-1, 6-1-1 MAC) unbeaten streak to seven matches as they pick up their 19th point in conference play, one behind MAC leader Buffalo.
“I couldn’t be more pleased or proud of this team,” head coach Bobby Kramig said. “Western is a fine team and we knew it would be a tough game. Our team responded well and played quality soccer, got better as the game went on and scored a very nice goal at the end.”
The Broncos (9-6-1, 3-4-1 MAC) had the first good chances of the afternoon and fired the first three shots of the contest. Gina Maddi’s blast in the 14th minute forced Vic Maniaci to make a leaping save and led to consecutive corner kicks for Western Michigan, but Miami managed to clear both away.
After spotting the first three shots to the Broncos, the RedHawks started to create a few chances of their own. A throw-in to Shannon Stearns was flicked far side to Haley Walter, but her header went wide of the cage in the 29th minute. Miami’s best chance came when Kelsey Dinges fed Amy Malone behind the defense for a sharp angle shot that Stephanie Heber stopped. That left the contest scoreless at the half with MU holding a 7-4 edge in shots.
Western Michigan attempted five of the first seven shots over the first 23 minutes of the frame. The Broncos had some particularly good looks off corner kicks, with Megan Ross’ header going just wide and Kylie Nylen getting another opportunity in the box, but firing a shot just wide of the net.
Miami created a golden opportunity to draw first blood when Walter slipped the ball to a cutting Maggie Scott in front of the net, but Stephanie Heber made a diving stop and then recovered to stop Amy Malone’s 20-yard attempt that followed in the 69th minute.
Both teams tried to shuffle their lineups over the next 15 minutes, with only one Miami shot being fired and possession alternating between both squads. That finally changed in the 84th minute when Zalar forced a turnover by a Bronco defender and raced by herself down the left side. The freshman didn’t miss, slipping a low shot past Heber for her sixth goal of the season and third of the weekend to put the Red and White on top 1-0.
Nursing its first lead of the day, Miami’s defense shut things down and only yielded one shot by Ariana Donahue, which Vic Maniaci stopped to finish off the solo shutout.
Miami outshot Western Michigan 14-10, though WMU had a 6-4 advantage in corner kicks. Maniaci stopped all three shots that she faced to pick up her fifth solo shutout of the year.
The RedHawks have three road matches remaining in the regular season and if they win all of them, they will claim the 2014 regular season MAC title. The first match of that road trip is at Akron on Friday.
Ball State 1, Northern Illinois 0
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State soccer team shut out its third straight opponent Sunday with another 1-0 victory, this time over Northern Illinois at the Briner Sports Complex.
Victoria Jacobs scored for the second time in three games and Alyssa Heintschel continued her impressive shutout streak in goal, while Cailey Starck moved within one of the Ball State single-season assists record.
“We are delighted with the victory,” Ball State coach Craig Roberts said. “I thought the girls played very well today. We haven’t played many teams that drop into low pressure as much as NIU did. We really pushed to an offensive system in the second half, and it finally paid off with us getting down there and finishing off a set play.”
The Cardinals improved to 9-4-2 (5-3 Mid-American Conference) and maintained a tie with Eastern Michigan for the best record among West Division teams. NIU fell to 5-9-2 (3-3-2 MAC).
Heintschel made her third consecutive start and controlled the action between the posts. The freshman from Oregon, Ohio, recorded four saves and came out to collect numerous crosses. With just one goal allowed in six total appearances this season, Heintschel owns a 0.23 goals against average and a .962 save percentage.
Like Friday’s game against Western Michigan, Sunday’s contest was scoreless through the first half. Neither team put together much of a threat over the opening 45 minutes.
The Cardinals broke through nine minutes into the second half on a corner kick when Jacobs got her head on the ball and put it into the bottom of the net. Starck and Gabby Veldman recorded assists on the play. It was Starck’s sixth assist of the season, one shy of Angie Heyer’s school record from 2005.
Ball State held NIU off the scoreboard the rest of the way. The Huskies threatened on a corner kick in the 68th minute when the ball got loose in front of the net, but Heintschel was able to secure it to maintain the clean sheet.
Sunday’s shutout was the eighth of the season for Ball State and the 17th for the Cardinals over the past two years. The school record for shutouts in a season is 10.
Ball State now owns 15 points in the MAC standings, tied with Eastern Michigan for the third-most in the league. Buffalo (20) and Miami (19) are the top two teams. Three conference games still remain, and the Cardinals will have a shot at both the Bulls and RedHawks in the next two weeks.
Ball State hits the road next weekend to face Buffalo at 5 p.m. Friday and Akron at noon Sunday. The Cardinals will then conclude the regular season at home Oct. 30 against Miami.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State soccer, follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateSoccer on Twitter.
