Thursday's Women's Soccer Results
Championship Page 2014 Women's Soccer Tournament Bracket
Buffalo 2, Akron 1
Miami 3, Ball State 1
Eastern Michigan 3, Bowling Green 0
Kent State 3, Ohio 2
Western Michigan 2, Northern Illinois 0
Toledo 0, Central Michigan 0
Courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications
Buffalo 2, Akron 1
Box Score
BUFFALO, NY – The State University of New York, Buffalo women's soccer team preserved their unbeaten Mid-American Conference season with a double overtime victory over Akron on Thursday afternoon, 2-1. Jackie Hall scored the game-winning goal for the Bulls who will enter the MAC tournament on Sunday as the #1 overall seed.
"I give a ton of credit to Akron," stated first-year head coach Shawn Burke. "It's a testament to how good the MAC is because Akron was a quality team that gave us fits all afternoon. I'm proud of the way the girls responded after a slow start and fought back to get a result. Going undefeated in conference is such an amazing accomplishment and these girls deserve all the credit.
With the win, UB improved to 13-2-3 overall and 9-0-2 in MAC play, their first unbeaten conference season in program history and only the third in MAC history. The Bulls also closed out the regular season unbeaten at home with a record of 8-0-1.
The game-winning goal came off the head of the Bulls best defensive player, Hall. After some nice work by UB in the attacking third that earned a corner kick, Julia Benati sent a pretty ball into the box where Celina Carrero controlled it, passed it to Hall and she headed it into the net for her second goal of the season. The goal in the 102nd minute was UB's third overtime winner of the season including two in double overtime.
The assist for Carrero was her team-leading sixth assist on the season while Hall notched her second game-winner of the season from her center back position, both off set pieces.
The Zips opened the scoring in the first half as leading scorer Lani Smith found the back of the net in the fifth minute after a bad bounce off one of UB's defenders. Smith took the shot that was defensed by the UB player but it went into the left corner of the net. Bull goalkeeper Laura Dougall had no chance after the deflection, allowing just her seventh goal of the regular season.
Once the second half began, the Bulls looked like a different team as they opened things up offensively and began creating chances. In the 54th minute, the Bulls were finally rewarded with the game-tying goal after a great shot by Kassidy Kidd. Kristin Markiewicz started the play down the right sideline as she found a streaking Kidd who danced into the middle of the field and took a rocket of a left-footed shot from 20-yards out that snuck inside the left post and cross bar for her second goal of the season. The shot by Kidd was a thing of beauty and the assist for Markiewicz was her first of the season.
The Bulls dominated the overtime periods and they were rewarded with the game-winner off the corner kick by Benati in the 102nd minute of action. UB outshot Akron 2-0 in the overtime periods.
In goal, Dougall made four saves en route to her 13th win of the season. Akron had a pair of goalkeepers play on Thursday; combining to make 12 saves in the defeat. The For the 13th time this season, the UB defense held their opponents to five shots on goal or less for the game, most in the MAC. UB has held their last five opponents to five shots or less.
For the match, UB held the 23-11 advantage in shots and the 4-1 lead in corner kicks. Kidd and Benati led the way offensively with five shots each in the victory while Carrero and Katie Roberts each finished with three.
Following the match, Carrero was awarded the "Player of the Match" award by the UB coaching staff after another dominant offensive effort as she picked up her team-leading sixth assist. Carrero has now earned the award twice this season.
Miami 3, Ball State 1
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Miami University soccer team ended the regular season on a high note with a decisive 4-1 victory at Ball State on Thursday.
Kelsey Dinges scored twice and the RedHawks (14-3-1, 8-2-1 Mid-American) rotated 20 players onto the pitch to finish with 25 points in league play.
Miami held off a trio of early corner kicks by Ball State to leave the contest scoreless. In the eighth minute, Dinges gathered a loose ball at midfield, dribbled it into the 18-yard box and blasted a shot that beat Alyssa Heintschel high to the upper 90 to make it 1-0.
Ball State’s Jasmine Moses answered in the 15th minute when her shot from the right wing went over Vic Maniaci and in on the far post to even the score at 1-1.
The Cardinals had several more set piece opportunities between their 5-2 edge in corner kicks and a couple dangerous free kicks that were fired off the mark. At one point in the half, BSU held a 6-3 advantage in shots, but MU fired the last three of the first 45 minutes. It appeared that the contest would remain tied at the break, but Chloe Knue hustled down the right sideline to create a turnover and get behind the defense where she set up a cutting Rachel Marble for her second goal of the year. Marble’s tally in the 43rd minute gave the Red and White a 2-1 lead at the break.
Ball State attempted the first six shots of the second half and Danielle Wiseman had to make four saves after subbing into the net at halftime. Gabby Veldman had perhaps the best opportunity about 20 minutes in when she got open down the right side and fired a blast that Wiseman caught.
The RedHawks scored on their first shot of the half on a weird play. A Cardinal foul just outside the box set up a free kick for Kelsey Dinges, who cleared the wall and beat Heintschel to the low left post, but the strike was waved off because she took the shot too early. After resetting for another attempt, Dinges cleared the wall of defenders and scored low to the right post for her second goal of the day.
After yielding the first six shots of the frame, Miami outshot Ball State 10-2 the rest of the way. The Red and White capped the scoring with 4:59 left when Knue got a step on the defense, drove down the right side and slipped a shot inside the far post for her first-collegiate goal.
Miami outshot Ball State16-14 overall and the Cardinals finished with a 7-4 edge in corner kicks. Twenty RedHawks saw the field and played at least 21 minutes. Vic Maniaci and Wiseman split time in goal, with Maniaci stopping two of the three shots she faced and Wiseman turning aside all five Cardinal attempts in the second half.
The RedHawks begin the MAC Tournament as the No. 2 seed and host seventh-seeded Northern Illinois on Sunday at 1 p.m. General admission is $5 and kids get into the contest for $3.
Eastern Michigan 3, Bowling Green 0
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – In the final game of the 2014 regular season, the Eastern Michigan University soccer team captured the outright Mid-American Conference West Division title for the second-straight year with a 3-0 victory over Bowling Green State University Thursday, Oct. 30, at Cochrane Stadium. With the victory, the Eagles (11-6-1, 7-4-0 MAC) stand alone atop the division while also clinching the No. 3 seed for the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Chelsie Oddan, Angela Vultaggio and Megan Trapp all scored goals for the Green and White, while Megan McCabe made four saves to earn her second-straight shutout and eighth of the season. The junior goalkeeper now has 13 clean sheets for her career, passing Erin Norton for fourth in EMU history. Along with Oddan and Trapp both scoring their third goals of the season, Vultaggio tallied her team-leading eighth goal of the 2014 campaign.
"I am very proud of this team earning back-to-back MAC West titles, which is a first in our program's history," exclaimed EMU Head Soccer Coach Scott Hall. "This team did not really celebrate what it accomplished, but instead took a professional focus that will move forward as we prepare for our MAC Tournament quarterfinal game on Sunday."
As a team, the Green and White held the advantage in shots, 19-15, over the Falcons (4-13-1, 3-7-1 MAC). Eastern also kept BGSU keeper Lauren Cadel busy all afternoon with 10 shots on goal; Cadel stopped seven of them, but could not prevent three from reaching the back of the net.
The Eagles did not waste any time putting on an effective offensive attack, firing multiple shots at the goal. Rossi attempted a pair of shots within the first 10 minutes of the contest, before Oddan struck for the Green and White. In the 11th minute, Rachel Washburn passed to the redshirt senior in the middle of a crowded box. Calmly controlling the ball, Oddan buried the shot into the right side of the net to give Eastern the early 1-0 advantage.
EMU continued the pressure, attempting the first six shots of the match before the Falcons finally took their first shot in the 24th minute on a free kick. The Eagles quickly flipped the field and got back in attack mode before adding another goal in the 37th minute. Ellie Tillar sent a long pass to Vultaggio in the right side of the box. As the team's leading scorer, the Chesterfield, Mich. native knew what to do from the spot on the pitch, blasting the ball across the box and into the opposite side of the goal to double up the Eagles lead, 2-0, with 8:19 left in the opening half.
The Falcons tried to slice the margin in half as the first 45 minutes came to a close, but McCabe stopped a pair of shots to keep EMU in front by two. Eastern out-shot Bowling Green 10-4 in the first half, including a 6-3 tally for shots on goal. Cadel stopped four shots for the home team, but allowed the two goals. McCabe's two saves combined with a team save by the EMU defense, accounted for BGSU's three shots on target.
Bowling Green opened up the second half with a shot just 73 seconds into the final 45 minutes of play; however, the attempt missed and the Eagles proceeded to regain control of the contest by taking the next five shots. On the fifth shot, Trapp took the ball off a deflection, dribbled to the middle of the box and scored the third goal of the match. At the 57:28 mark, EMU found itself ahead, 3-0.
For the remainder of the match, Eastern kept the Falcons off the scoreboard to record its second clean sheet in as many games. Washburn, Emily Dzik and Hallee Kansman played all 90 minutes at the back of the pitch to help record the shutout, while Marisa Kozikowski and Julia Lombardi contributed to the effort as well.
The Eagles will begin postseason play at home, hosting No. 6 seeded Western Michigan University on Sunday, Nov. 2. Kickoff from Scicluna Field is set for 1 p.m. as the two rivals meet for the second-straight Sunday. EMU won the previous match against the Broncos 1-0, Oct. 26. Tickets for Sunday's MAC Tournament quarterfinal will be $5 for adults and $3 for students and youth.
Kent State 3, Ohio 2
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio- Junior Madison Helterbran scored with just 30 seconds left in the first overtime period to lift the Kent State women's soccer team to a 3-2 victory over Ohio University on Thursday afternoon. The win improved the Golden Flashes to 10-6-3 overall while finishing MAC play with a 5-4-2 record.
Kent State will now take on Ball State in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament. The teams will square off at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2 in Muncie, Ind.
"I am very proud of our effort to finish the game," said Head Coach Rob Marinaro. "We showed a lot of heart to ensure we ended the regular season on a positive note."
The Golden Flashes were able to take an early lead over the Bobcats as freshman Doni Capehart played the ball into sophomore Abbie Lawson who knocked one in past Rachel Fryman at the 12:57 mark.
However, the Bobcats evened the score less than eight minutes later when Annie Beard tallied her third goal of the season on a header off a corner kick from Carly Manso.
Ohio then gained a one-goal advantage just before halftime when Alexis Milesky scored on a penalty kick with 39:50 on the clock. At the intermission, Ohio led Kent State in shots, 6-3, and 3-0 in corner kicks.
The Flashes' came out inspired in the second period and tied up the score at 2-2 when senior Stephanie Haugh sent a pass over to sophomore Jenna Hellstrom who curled a shot in from the left side over Nicole Amari's head in goal at the 56:29 mark.
Kent State led 11-7 in shots during the final 45 minutes and also led 3-1 in corner kicks. The Golden Flashes had a few nice looks on the goal, but could not find the game-winner in regulation.
Just before time ran out in the first overtime period, Haugh passed the ball to Helterbran who put in the game-winner.
Junior Stephanie Senn earned the win in net for the Golden Flashes. She tallied three saves in 99:30 of play and improved to 10-6-3 on the year. Ohio's Fryan had no saves and allowed one goal in the first period, while Amari posted three saves for the remaining 54:30.
Western Michigan 2, Northern Illinois 0
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan women's soccer team wrapped up the 2014 regular season with a 2-0 win over Northern Illinois on Thursday afternoon at the WMU Soccer Complex.
After a scoreless first half in which neither team had a shot on goal, the Broncos took control in the second and Rachel Chaney netted the game-winning goal in the 62nd minute. Lacey Zahn looped a ball to the opposite side of the box to Chaney and the senior fired it into the top-right corner of the box for her team-best fifth goal of the season.
Senior forward Ariana Donahue was taken down in the box in the 79th minute to earn a penalty kick. Sophomore forward Liz Abro stepped up and fired it into the lower-left corner of the goal for her third of the season to push WMU's lead to 2-0.
After holding the Huskies to three shots in the first half, the Broncos allowed just one shot total in the second half. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Stephanie Heber didn't have to make a single save on the day to earn the shutout.
Western Michigan heads on the road for the opening round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament on Sunday, traveling to MAC West rivals Eastern Michigan for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Eagles bested the Broncos in a 1-0 contest in Kalamazoo during the regular season.
Toledo 0, Central Michigan 0
Box Score
TOLEDO, OH - Toledo managed a 0-0 tie with Central Michigan on Thursday evening at Scott Park to advance to the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The No. 8 seeded Rockets will travel to the No. 1 seed Buffalo on Sunday for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff in the MAC quarterfinals.
UT dominated the box score despite not registering a score. Toledo held a 20-8 shot advantage and a 9-2 edge in corner kicks. Redshirt freshman Isa Echeverri led the team with seven shots while junior midfielder Geri Siudzinski followed closely with six.
Junior goalkeeper Sam Tiongson moved into fourth place in program history with her 10th career shutout. The Carmel, IN native tallied three stops in the nil-nil tie.
UT opened the game with an up-tempo offense and controlled the match from the first whistle. Toledo had numerous opportunities to break through in the first half including in the 9th minute as freshman forward Chiara Paradiso found space from 25 yards out and ripped a shot but it sailed over the cross bar.
Siudzinski had her best chance of the first half in the 35th minute after dribbling through the CMU defense but her blast was wide of the net.
UT forward Brooke Maletic also had a quality chance in the 39th minute after beating a defender on the left side. Maletic found space just outside of the box but her arcing shot missed wide.
The Chippewas defense held steady and kept the Rockets attack at bay in the first half and nearly took the lead early into the second half.
CMU forward Eliza Van De Kerhkove broke free behind the UT defense and found herself one-on-one with Tiongson. Van De Kerkhove fired a shot that slipped by Tiongson but rolled wide of the goal.
Following the brief mishap defensively, UT settled back in and regained possession down the stretch of regulation. Toledo tallied 11 corner kicks in the second half and Echeverri put a pair of headers on goal but the Central Michigan keeper was able to make the necessary stops to send the game into overtime.
In the first OT, Toledo’s best chances came on a pair of corner kicks as Siudzinski sent crosses into the box in hopes of finding an unmarked teammate but the Chippewas defense was sound once again.
The second overtime found the Rockets playing keep-away to perfection with forwards Kika Hernandez and Bethany Thomas playing balls deep into the Central Michigan corners.
The Chippewas final attempts in the waning minutes went unsuccessful as Tiongson and the UT defense stood tall to clinch the Rockets spot in the MAC tournament.
