Ohio 1, Wright State 0
Western Michigan 1, Cleveland State 0
Kent State 1, St. Francis 0
Buffalo 0, Duquesne 0
Hawaii 3, Northern Illinois 2
Michigan State 3, Eastern Michigan 0
Pittsburgh 1, Toledo 0
Virginia Tech 3, Akron 0
Purdue 2, Ball State 0
Evansville 2, Bowling Green 0
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Ohio 1, Wright State 0
DAYTON, Ohio - An early goal by sophomore Alexis Milesky helped the Ohio women's soccer team pick up its first victory of the season by defeating Wright State, 1-0, Friday evening at Alumni Field.
The Bobcats (1-2-0) wasted little time getting on the board. In the second minute, while falling to the ground, Milesky fired the ball with her left foot into the upper left corner of the goal, giving Ohio the early 1-0 lead.
In the end, that was all the offense the Bobcats would need. Senior starting goalie Nicole Amari held the Raiders (0-3-0) scoreless, registering six saves, three in each half.
The Bobcats had eight shots on the night. Senior Annie Beard had two, with six others all registering one shot apiece.
The Bobcats return to action Sunday when they travel to Lexington, Ky., to take on the University of Kentucky at the Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m., and the game can be seen on the SEC Network Plus.
Western Michigan 1, Cleveland State 0
CLEVELAND -- Freshman Emma Kahn netted her second goal of the season in the 76th minute and the Western Michigan women’s soccer team held Cleveland State to just four total shots as the Broncos blanked the Vikings, 1-0, at Krenzler Field on Friday night.
Senior Diana Dedvukaj played a through ball to Kahn along the right wing and the Mount Pleasant, Mich., native slotted it home with just 14:01 remaining in the second half. The assist was Dedvukaj’s team-best second of the season.
“This was a really tough game,” said head coach Nate Norman. “I thought we did a good job of keeping possession in the first half but didn’t create a lot of chances. I give credit to Cleveland State for limiting us in those chances, though. In the second half I thought we played with much more energy and became much more dangerous. We created some really good chances and got a great goal from Emma after a great ball from Diana.”
The Vikings held the Broncos (2-0-0) to just three shots in the first half, but were also limited to just one themselves. In the second half WMU turned up the pressure and was able to fire off 10 shots, including five on goal.
Redshirt freshman Stephanie Heber needed to make just one save in her collegiate debut to earn her first career shutout.
Western Michigan returns to Kalamazoo to take on Wright State on Monday at 4 p.m.
Kent State 1, St. Francis 0
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Freshman Karli Paracca (Valencia, Pa.) tallied her first collegiate goal in the 96th minute to help Kent State to a 1-0 overtime victory over St. Francis on Friday afternoon during the UNLV Nike Invitational. The victory improves Kent State to 2-1-0 overall, while the Red Flash drop to 0-3-0.
Both squads battled during the 90-minutes of regulation, but Kent State led 10-9 in shots heading into the overtime period. The Golden Flashes had two looks on goal in the first period, including a shot by rookie Doni Capehart (Orient, Ohio) from the top of the 18 in the 32nd minute, and another look by Paracca in the 37th that was sent away by goalkeeper Romina Kunze.
Kent State kept the shots firing in the second period, out-shooting the Red Flash 7-5, including three on goal. Sophomore Abbie Lawson's (Stow, Ohio) shot was collected by the keeper in the 47th minute and senior Stephanie Haugh (Richmind Hill, Ontario) had a long blast in the 53rd minute that was collected by Kunze.
Kent State had all three shots in the six minutes of overtime, and finally found the back of the net on Paracca's unassisted goal.
Senn earned the win in net for the Golden Flashes and picked up her second shutout of the season. She tallied six saves in 96:47 today and is now 2-1-0. Kunze had six saves in goal for Sr. Francis and drops to 0-3.
Kent State will now play Colorado at 1 p.m. (PT) on Sunday, Aug. 31. Live stats and video will be available.
Buffalo 0, Duquesne 0
PITTSBURGH, PA – The University at Buffalo women's soccer team extended their unbeaten streak to three games to open the season on Friday night at Duquesne as they tied the Dukes, 0-0. The Bulls are unbeaten through three games for the first time since the 2011 season.
"Duquesne was the toughest test we have had so far this season" said first-year head coach Shawn Burke. "I am happy with how we battled tonight to earn one point. We will make some adjustments tomorrow and we will be ready to take on Drexel at home on Sunday."
Freshman goalkeeper Laura Dougall continued her solid play for the Bulls as she made five saves to preserve her third straight shut out to start her collegiate career. The Bulls defense and Dougall have held their three opponents scoreless through 290 minutes.
UB had a majority of the chances to score in the two overtime periods but they were not able to beat the Dukes goalkeeper. Katie Roberts had the best chance of the first overtime for the Bulls as she took a Courtney Mann pass but her right-footed shot went wide of the goal.
In a half that saw the Bulls maintain most of the possession, Julia Benati proved to be the most effective player for UB as she recorded three shots in the opening 45 minutes. Benati had a chance in the 11th minute that just missed the lower right corner and then in the 39th minute her blast from 20 yards out just missed the top left corner, floating just over the cross bar.
Dougall was solid in the first half as she was asked to make three saves on Duquesne chances, most of which coming from non-threatening positions because of solid defense from the likes of Jackie Hall, Sophie Therien and Kristin Markiewicz.
The Dukes came out strong in the second half as they outshot the Bulls 8-5. Their best chance of the period came in the 59th minute following a questionable foul call just outside the box. Kahli Hale took the ensuing free kick and hit the cross bar and went out of play.
The Bulls best chance to score in the second half came in the 79th minute as Kassidy Kidd sent a header just wide of the open goal following a perfectly placed free kick off the foot of Therien.
For the game, the Bulls held the 14-13 advantage in shots while the corner kicks were even at three. Playing in 31 minutes off the bench, Alex Lambert gave the Bulls a nice spark off the bench as she recorded one shot and multiple other chances.
Following the game, Therien was awarded the "Player of the Match" award by the UB coaching staff after a great game defensively to preserve the clean sheet for Dougall.
The Bulls will return to UB Stadium on Sunday afternoon as they will play host to Drexel at 12:00 pm.
Hawaii 3, Northern Illinois 2
WAIPAHU, Oahu – Despite goals from sophomore defender Alex Elias (Phoenix, Ariz./Boulder Creek) and junior forward Nicole Gobbo (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett), the Northern Illinois women’s soccer team dropped an exciting encounter against the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Friday night at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium, 3-2.
On a beautiful evening in the Hawaiian islands, the Huskies (0-3) took the lead – their first this season – against Hawaii (1-2) when Elias scored from senior midfielder Gwen Sabo (Alton, Ill./Alton)’s corner kick delivery in the 31st minute. It was Elias’ first goal of the season and the second of her NIU career, with the other coming against Lewis on Sept. 1, 2013.
But the Rainbow Wahine response decided the match in their favor. The hosts scored twice before halftime and once soon afterwards to turn the early deficit into the 3-1 lead by the 48th minute.
However, the Huskies didn’t give up. After Hawaii defender Lidia Battaglia received a red card for her second bookable offense left the Wahine down a player for the remainder of the match, NIU kept attacking until Gobbo scored in the 82nd minute with her first goal of the season and ninth of her career.
NIU couldn’t find an equalizer though, and Sabo was also sent off in the second half for her second yellow card, leaving both teams with 10 players to finish the match.
Freshman goalkeeper Amy Annala (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) again impressed, recording six saves to increase her three-game total for the season to 25 stops.
After the match, NIU head coach John Ross said he was pleased with his team’s effort, but he rued the 20-minute stretch around halftime when Hawaii scored three times as the deciding factor in the match.
“Our energy level was good and we had a lot of fight tonight,” Ross said. “We were able to score a couple of goals, but we need to have urgency in every moment of the match to solidify a win.”
The Huskies now have a day to rest and recover before they face the Seattle University Redhawks for the first time in school history on Saturday night at 7 p.m. locally, 12 a.m. CT (Sunday morning) at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium.
Michigan State 3, Eastern Michigan 0
EAST LANSING, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – In the first road contest of the 2014 campaign, the Eastern Michigan University soccer team fell 3-0 to Michigan State University Friday afternoon, Aug. 29, at DeMartin Stadium. The Spartans (3-0-0) scored once in the first half and added a pair of insurance goals in the final 45 minutes to hand the Eagles (2-1-0) their first loss of the season.
Reigning Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Week Angela Vultaggio took a team-high four shots for Eastern Michigan, while fellow seniors Bianca Rossi and Martha Stevens each fired two shots on goal. In her first start since 2012 after missing last season due to injury, EMU keeper Jenna O'Dell (0-1-0) made three saves for the Green and White.
The Eagles were held scoreless for the first time in 2014 by Courtney Clem (3-0-0), the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Clem stopped all five shots on goal to record the shutout. To help the MSU goalkeeper get the win, Megan Marsack, Allyson Krause and Rachel VanPoppelen scored goals on the offensive side of the field. The Spartans took 15 shots, while EMU attempted 12; MSU ended the contest with a 6-5 advantage on corner kicks.
While each team took a corner kick in the early stages of the contest, the first quality scoring opportunity came in the 14th minute as Michigan State's Lisa Vogel clanked a shot off the crossbar. However, the pressure continued to be applied by the Spartans, and another corner kick gave MSU the game's first goal. On the set piece, Alexandra Gjonaj sent the ball in from the corner, finding Marsack in the far side of the box. The senior midfielder re-directed the ball into the upper corner of the net out of O'Dell reach. The goal in the 15th minute was the first allowed by the EMU defense, snapping a 194-minute scoreless streak.
The Eagles put on a solid counterattack in the 29th minute but could not find the net. Emily Dzik blasted a long ball to Rossi, who made a run down the center of the field. The senior dished off to Vultaggio, and the EMU forward saw an opening before a Spartan intervened for the potential goal-saving block.
With less than four minutes remaining in the opening half, Stevens fired a shot on target, but Clem made the save to give her team the one-goal lead going into halftime. The Spartans had the advantage on the scoreboard, but Eastern out-shot MSU by a 7-5 margin, including 3-2 in shots on goal. EMU also had four opportunities on corner kicks, compared to just three for Michigan State.
Four minutes into the second half, MSU tried to increase its lead, but O'Dell got her fingers on a shot to make a diving stop and knock the ball out of harm's way. The ensuing corner kick was unsuccessful as the EMU defense stood strong to keep the Eagles in the contest.
In the 61st minute, the Spartan attack continued as Krause placed the ball into the back of the net, giving Michigan State a 2-0 lead with 29:41 left in the contest. Krause later provided an assist on another MSU goal in the 78th minute, and the Eagles were kept off the scoreboard for the first time this season.
The Eagles will look to get back to their winning ways, flocking south to South Bend, Ind. for a contest against No. 16 Texas Tech University, Aug. 31. The Sunday morning game, set to begin at 11 a.m., will take place at Alumni Stadium on the campus of the University of Notre Dame as part of the Notre Dame Invitational.
Pittsburgh 1, Toledo 0
TOLEDO, OH - Toledo suffered a 1-0 setback against Pittsburgh on Friday night at Scott Park. With the loss, UT falls to 1-1-1 in the young 2014 season.
Despite the loss, the Rockets controlled most of the match and finished with a 17-8 shots advantage and a 5-3 edge in corner kicks.
“I thought we got more quality chances today than we did in our last game,” UT head coach Brad Evans said. “Then again, finishing is finishing and we haven’t finished our chances. We missed our chances in the first half, we knew it could potentially hurt and it did at the end. I think we will improve at that as we move along.”
The lone goal came on a freshman connection for Pittsburgh as Shaina Ashouri found Taylor Pryce with a cross from the left side in the 30th minute of play. Pryce was able to flick the ball with her head just out of reach for Toledo junior keeper Sam Tiongson.
“I was making a run to the back and just didn’t get there quick enough,” senior defender Alexis Tice said. “Our keeper came out but neither of us was able to make a play and a goal was the result.”
Freshman forward Sophie Pohl led the UT attack with four shots while redshirt freshman Isabella Echeverri was close behind with three blasts of her own. Pryce led Pittsburgh with six shots while no other Panther registered more than one.
The Rockets attack wasted no time and fired three shots in the first five minutes of play. Their best chance came on a pass from junior captain Megan Connor to an open Hannah Scafaria but the redshirt freshman’s shot sailed just over the crossbar.
Toledo continued to apply the pressure in the first half and nearly had a score on their first corner kick of the game. Senior captain Kirsten Catloth launched a ball into the box which found the head of Tice but the senior defender flicked it too high.
After the Pitt goal, Toledo nearly responded as freshman forward Bethany Thomas found free space in the box and gave it blast but the Panther keeper made a nice diving save to keep the Rockets trailing.
“We are creating opportunities but we just aren’t finishing,” Evans said. “Once we finish, I will say that we are producing. This is a step in the right direction though.”
The second half was more of the same story for UT as the offense continued to onslaught the Pittsburgh defense with crosses and quality opportunities.
Their best and final chance in the second half came in the 89th minute. Nifty footwork from Connor gave her enough space to find Pohl on the near post but the header fired wide of the net.
“We had a lot of good looks but we would just bash them over or wide,” Thomas said. “We just need to stay composed on the ball. Once we do that we are going to beat good teams like Pittsburgh all day.”
The Rockets will have their opportunity to finish their chances on Sunday as Xavier visits Scott Park for a 1:05 p.m. kickoff. The game will be carried live on BCSN.
Virginia Tech 3, Akron 0
Recap still to come…
Purdue 2, Ball State 0
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Ball State soccer team suffered its first loss of the season Friday night, dropping a 2-0 decision to Purdue at the Boilermaker Soccer Complex.
The game was delayed by lightning for more than 90 minutes late in the first half. It was scoreless at the time of the delay and remained scoreless into the middle of the second half before Purdue broke through with two goals in a three-minute stretch.
Ball State fell to 2-1 on the season and will now return home to host Morehead State at 2 p.m. Sunday. Purdue improved to 2-1 on the year.
The Cardinals had a streak of 246 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal until Purdue's Maddy Williams, one of the top offensive players in the Big Ten, scored in the 66th minute Friday.
Williams unloaded six shots in a span of two and a half minutes with Ball State surviving the first five, including one on a post-to-post save by Brooke Dennis. But the sixth one proved to be too much with Williams finding the right corner of the net from the middle of the box.
The Boilermakers then tacked on a second goal just minutes later when Soraya Toppin-Herbert scored on a rebound after a corner kick.
Ball State managed a couple looks over the final 20 minutes and Franziska Sottner forced a sliding save from Purdue keeper Maddy Olsen, but the Cardinals could not break through. Olsen played the final 53 minutes of the game and combined with starting keeper Jordan Ginther on the shutout.
Kelsey Wendlandt led Ball State offensively with two shots on goal, while Dennis finished the night with six saves between the posts.
Evansville 2, Bowling Green 0
Evansville, Indiana – The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team posted 10 shots overall on Friday night, including two shots apiece from four different players, yet couldn't find the back of the net as the Falcons fell on the road in non-conference play to the Evansville Purple Aces 2-0 at Black Beauty Field at Arad McCutchan Stadium in Evansville, Indiana.
The loss drops BGSU to 0-2-0 all-time versus the Purple Aces and 0-3-0 on the young season. Evansville improves to 2-1-0 on the year with the victory.
"We gave up an early unfocused goal off a corner and found ourselves chasing the entire game. We switched our formation at halftime to try and work ourselves back in and I'm really proud of the way the team responded," stated head coach Lindsay Basalyga. "The work rate and soccer was there overall tonight, but we lacked focus at a few key moments in the game and Evansville was able to capitalize. I've said it before, winning is the toughest thing to do in sports, especially when you are working on building confidence and self-belief. With that being said, I wouldn't want to go through this part of our process with anyone other than these 22 players. Eventually they'll get tired of this outcome and I'm really excited for that moment."
Bowling Green looked to get on the scoreboard first in the early minutes, as senior Ashley Garr sent a header toward the goal which sailed wide left in the fourth minute for the first shot of the contest.
However, it would be the home standing Purple Aces that would score first when Emily Richardson played a short corner to Tatiana Pagan at the top left corner of the box. Pagan lined up a shot from 20 yards out and put it past BGSU goalkeeper Lauren Cadel to put the home team in front early at 1-0 in the 11th minute.
After the BGSU defense blocked an Evansville header attempt out of play in the 12th minute and then saw a Purple Aces' shot sail high in the 16th minute, the Falcons looked for the equalizer only to see another Garr shot fly wide of the post in the 17th minute of the opening half.
The rest of the first half saw the Falcons' Cadel make two stops in goal for BGSU, one in the 22nd minute and another in the 41st minute, as the Orange and Brown were outshot 4-0 during that span and 9-2 overall in the first 45 minutes of play and trailed the Purple Aces 1-0 at the halftime intermission.
Looking for the tying goal early in the second half, BGSU got a shot from freshman forward Skylar Fleak in the 50th minute which was on target and forced Evansville goalkeeper Simone Busby to make a stop on the play, her first of the match.
Yet the shot attempt was just one to the Purple Aces' seven scoring looks to start the half, as Cadel made not one, not two, but three saves over the first 14 minutes of the second period, including back-to-back stops on two Evansville opportunities within 30 seconds of each other in the 51st minute.
BGSU would register three shots over the next 17 minutes of play from Elisa Baeron, Sidney Huth and Leah Runkle, but not before Evansville increased its lead on an insurance goal from Nicki Baham on a rebounded shot in the 64th to put the Falcons down 2-0.
Runkle looked to score again in the 74th minute, this time putting the shot on frame only to see it hauled in by Busby in front of the goal to keep the Falcons off the scoreboard.
Refusing to quit, Bowling Green continued to attack the goal offensively, getting shots from Fleak in the 78th minute and another shot from Baeron in the 82nd minute, both of which went wide of the goal, as Evansville held off the Falcons for a 2-0 win.
BGSU's Cadel made six saves in the first 69:37 minutes of play, while junior transfer Alexis Smith made her Falcon debut on Friday night, picking up one save over the final 20:23 of the contest.
Offensively, four Falcons in Garr, Baeron, Runkle and Fleak each tallied two shots apiece for the game, while Huth and Kara Ross added one shot apiece in the loss.
Evansville outshot the Falcons 21-10 for the contest, as nine of those Purple Aces' shots were on goal compared to just two by BGSU. The Purple Aces also held a slight 5-1 advantage in corner kicks on the night.
Bowling Green (0-3-0) will return home to host Cleveland State on Friday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. at Cochrane Field.
