YPSILANTI, Mich. — One record streak was snapped, but another was extended in the Central Michigan soccer team’s regular season finale against Eastern Michigan on Thursday afternoon at Sciciuna Field.
The Chippewas’ saw their 13-match shutout streak (t-second longest in Division I history) ended, but rallied to a 1-1 tie with the Eagles to extend their school-record unbeaten streak to 14 matches (12-0-2). Central finishes the Mid-American Conference season with an unblemished 9-0-2 record, becoming the first team in league history to finish the regular season without a conference loss.
The 29 points in league play are the most any MAC team has recorded in an 11-match conference season and the third most in any season in MAC history.
Both teams created plenty of scoring opportunities in the first half, though Central held a slim 10-9 edge in shots through the opening frame.
EMU’s Paige Sheridan drew first blood with her third goal of the season at the 10:57 mark. The tally was the first CMU has allowed since the 77th minute of its contest against Michigan State on Sept. 6, a streak that elapsed 1238:23.
The Chippewas answered with a goal of their own with 5:06 remaining in the opening frame. A header found
Claire Horton at the doorstep and she buried a shot for her first collegiate goal.
Valerie Prause and
Bailey Brandon each assisted on the play as the teams were tied, 1-1, at the break.
“It was a very back and forth game,” head coach
Tom Anagnost said. “I was proud of how the team responded to getting scored on and tying it up. As the game wore on, I thought we played better. Obviously, we didn’t get the result we wanted, but we managed to come back and tie it.”
The offense continued to attack on both ends in the second half as Eastern took 11 shots compared to Central’s 10 attempts. Both goalkeepers were sharp in the final regulation period as
Shay Mannino knocked away six shots while EMU’s Maggie Manville made five saves of her own.
CMU had the better of the opportunities in overtime, outshooting EMU, 4-1, in the extra sessions, but neither team was able to find a second goal.
The teams combined for 45 shots in the match, with the Chippewas owning a 24-21 advantage. Central also took four corner kicks while allowing Eastern to take only one.
Mannino had her busiest match of the season in goal and was stellar with the added action. The junior stopped 12 of 13 shots. The 12 saves are tied for the third most recorded in one match by a CMU goalkeeper. The goal allowed ended her personal shutout streak at 1134:36, the third-longest streak ever recorded by a Division I goalkeeper.
The regular season MAC champion Chippewas return home to begin their quest for the program’s first MAC Tournament championship. Central hosts Western Michigan, the conference’s No. 8 seed, at the CMU Soccer Complex on Sunday. Kickoff is slated at 2 p.m.
Courtesy: Tim Fitzgerald/CMU Athletics
