Thursday’s Women’s Soccer Results
Ball State 2, Ohio 0
Western Michigan 5, UMass 2
Buffalo 1, Akron 0
Northern Illinois 1, Central Michigan 0
Eastern Michigan 1, Kent State 1
Bowling Green 0, Toledo 0
Stories Courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Ball State 2, Ohio 0
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio – The Ball State soccer team rode a pair of second half goals by Addie Chester to a 2-0 win over Ohio on Thursday afternoon at Chessa Field.
The Cardinals (5-4-2, 2-2-1 Mid-American Conference) won for the second time in three road MAC games with the decision over the Bobcats (3-6-4, 1-2-3).
Chester got the scoring started early in the second half when she blasted a shot off the left foot from outside the box that went inside the left post to give the visitors a 1-0 edge in the 48th minute.
About 20 minutes later, the senior broke away for another goal after a long pass off a free kick from Kate Pallante was headed by Emily Roper to Chester who scored two goals in a game for the third time this season. Chester now has eight goals on the year and 20 for her collegiate career.
Pallante was credited with the assist and made three saves in goal on the way to her first career solo shutout.
Chester tallied three total shots, while Roper, Izzy Ross, Tori Monaco and Jess Fernau also put shots on goal that forced the Ohio goalkeeper to make saves. Delaney Ahearn, Kira Verburg and Jordyn Klaasen joined Pallante as Cardinals playing the full 90 minutes.
Ohio recorded more shots (18-8), but Ball State had more on goal (6-3). The Bobcats generated more corner kicks (9-2) and were whistled for more fouls (9-8) and offsides violations (6-0).
Western Michigan 5, UMass 2
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's soccer team continued its winning ways, downing UMass by a final score of 5-2 on Thursday evening at the WMU Soccer Complex.
The Broncos got goals from Heidi Thomasma, Drew Martin, Madi Canada, Meredith Vance and Abby Werthman. Outside of those five, June Mullen, Mira Pierre-Webster, Abigail Baldridge and Avery Peters also had a point in the game.
FIRST HALF
The Broncos controlled much of the first half, getting things started with a goal in the fifth minute. The Brown and Gold earned a corner kick and Martin served a ball into the box for Thomasma. She headed the ball by the goalkeeper for an early 1-0 lead.
From there, Werthman had a pair of looks just miss the net. Peters then fired a shot that missed over top of the goal. That offensive persistence would pay off, as Martin got a nice pass from Baldridge for the game's second goal. Martin's tally was her fourth of the season and pushed the home team in front 2-0 in the 25th minute.
Western Michigan stayed on the attack, with Peters and Justina L'Esperance having looks at the goal. Goalkeeper Reagan Sulaver was finally tested in the 35th minute, and she was there to maintain the two-goal advantage.
UMass had one last chance late in the first half, but Sulaver was able to make a diving save on the attempt. WMU controlled the game going into the second 45 minutes of action.
SECOND HALF
Western Michigan kept its foot on the gas, getting a third goal in the 60th minute, courtesy of Canada. She got a pass from Pierre-Webster and buried a shot into the back of the net. The Broncos continued to build on that lead, as Vance scored her fourth goal of the season in the 61st minute to make it 4-0.
UMass made things interesting, scoring a pair of goals in the middle portion of the second half to make it 4-2. However, WMU was able to punch right back, getting a goal from Werthman in the 81st minute to put the game out of reach.
The Minutewomen had a couple chances down the stretch, but Western Michigan slammed the door on a 5-2 victory.
Buffalo 1, Akron 0
Box Score
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo women's soccer team (8-2-1, 4-1 MAC) defeated Akron 1-0 at UB Stadium on Thursday night. With the victory, the Bulls extended their winning streak to four games.
Graduate student forward Jasmine Guerber was the hero of the night, recording a top-play worthy game-winner in the 63rd minute. She has now scored in three straight games and has five goals on the year.
The Zips controlled possession to start the game and had a pair of good looks in the 19th minute as Allie McMillen ripped a shot from point blank range, but Lexie Thompson made a great sliding save and then was there to make another stop 30 seconds later.
The Bulls then went on the attack a few minutes later as Sarah Woods weaved around her defender and put a shot on target, but Ariana Vakos made the save. Later, Adriana Victoriano cut back across to her right and fired a shot in stride, but Vakos came up with another save. Buffalo had two shots late in the half, but they were knocked away by Vakos and the Akron defense and the game remained scoreless at the half.
Buffalo came out and played aggressively out of the locker room as Liv Johnsen found space at the top of the box and drilled a shot, but Vakos made the save. Later, Maya Galko took a corner kick and played a great ball on target that grazed the far post, but the Bulls could not convert on the rebound.
The Bulls broke through in the 63rd minute as Guerber spun away from her defender and rifled a shot into the top left corner of the net from 20-yards out to give UB a 1-0 lead.
Akron had a scoring chance in the 69th minute as they took a corner that got knocked around the box by several players before the Bulls were able to clear the ball out of play and thwart the attack and that would seal the victory as UB held the Zips to just one shot attempt over the final 20 minutes of play.
The Bulls doubled up the Zips in total shots, 19-8, including a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal and a 5-3 edge in corner kick opportunities. Thompson made two saves on the night while Vakos made eight stops for the visitors.
Northern Illinois 1, Central Michigan 0
Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Aubrey Robertson (Fishers, Ind./Fishers) scored the lone goal in the 36th minute as the Northern Illinois University women's soccer team topped Central Michigan, 1-0, on Thursday night (Oct. 2) at the CMU Soccer Complex. NIU goalkeeper Lauren Pearson (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) made a pair of saves to pick up her second consecutive shutout.
The first chance of the contest came for the Huskies in the 11th minute as Tyra King (Menifee, Calif./Metea Valley) eluded a defender on the left side before firing a shot from a tight angle that was smothered by Central Michigan goalkeeper Jadia Kershaw.
Pearson was called into action for the first time in the contest in the 26th minute as she comfortably scooped up a long distance shot from Alyssa Di-Campli.
Central Michigan (0-9-2, 0-3-2 MAC) had an excellent chance to open the scoring in the 28th minute as the ball ping-ponged around in the NIU box before falling to Sofia Spano who fired high from about 10 yards out.
In the 36th minute, a shot from Zoe Mclauchlan (Gatineau, Quebec/Collège Nouvelles Frontières) was tipped around the post by Kershaw for a NIU corner.
From the ensuing corner, Elle Wainscott (Oswego, Ill./Saint Francis HS) got a touch on the ball before it hit a Central Michigan defender and fell to Robertson about eight yards from goal. Robertson poked it past Kershaw for her first goal of the season to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead. The assist for Wainscott was the first point of her collegiate career.
NIU (3-4-3, 1-1-2 MAC) nearly doubled its lead from another corner just two minutes later as King fired a shot from close range that was well saved by Kershaw as the Huskies took a 1-0 lead into the interval.
A Central Michigan corner kick early in the second half led to a scramble in front of the Huskie goal that was cleared by NIU.
The Huskies then had a chance in the 50th minute after a foul led to a free kick from Mclauchlan just over 20 yards from goal that was fired high.
In the 65th minute, Ella Betzold had an opportunity to even the contest for Central Michigan, but she whistled a shot just high.
NIU nearly doubled its advantage through Mckayla Harsley (Union, Ky./Randall K. Cooper) in the 83rd minute as her right-footed effort from outside the box went just wide of the post to the right of Kershaw.
The Huskies saw out the final minutes of the contest as they picked up their first conference win of the season, and their third win in the last four meetings against Central Michigan.
