Watch: Soccer Insider with Coach Stafford and senior Claire Horton
Live Stats | "Like" on Facebook | Follow on Twitter
MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan's chances for a third-straight Mid-American Conference regular season title are still alive, as it will travel to Eastern Michigan Thursday to close the regular season.
The Chippewas (13-2-3, 7-1-2 MAC) sit just two points behind MAC West leader Toledo for the top spot in the conference. The Eagles (3-12-2, 3-6-1 MAC) currently sit just outside the final spot for the MAC Tournament, but have been hot as of late, winning three of their last five contests.
A win versus its in-state foe and a Toledo loss to Ball State would give the Maroon and Gold an outright MAC regular season championship, while a win and Toledo tie would split the title between the two teams for the second-straight year. Toledo will win the championship outright with a win versus the Cardinals.
Kickoff for Thursday's match in Ypsilanti is set for 3 p.m.
CMU vs. Eastern Michigan
- Central
Michigan trails the all-time series, 3-9-2
- The Chippewas are undefeated in their last five contests versus the
Eagles, going 3-0-2.
Last Meeting: Central Michigan 3, Eastern Michigan 0 (October 28, 2010)
Last Meeting in Ypsilanti: Central Michigan 1, Eastern Michigan 1 (2OT)
(October 29, 2009)
Scouting the Eagles
- EMU
has turned it on as of late, recording all three of its wins on the season in
its last five contests while outscoring its opponents, 9-5. Its two losses in
the five-game span have come to MAC West leader Toledo, 2-1, and in-state foe Western
Michigan, 1-0, in double overtime.
- Freshman forward Angela Vultaggio has paced the Eagles' offense,
scoring a team-high six goals. Fellow freshman Bianca Rossi is the team's
second-leading goal scorer on the season with four.
- Senior Maggie Manville has started 15 of 17 contests between the pipes
for the Green and White in 2011, allowing 25 goals in 1413:48 of play for a
1.59 goals-against average.
None Better
Seniors
Liesel Toth, Claire Horton, Chelsi Abbott and Bethany Allport became the
all-time winningest class in Central Michigan soccer history with a win over
Miami Oct. 7. The four players have compiled a 58-16-10 overall record (.750 winning
percentage) during their careers, surpassing the 2010 senior class, which
finished with 53 career wins.
MAC Tournament Looming
Thursday's
match marks the final contest of the regular season for the Maroon and Gold. CMU can
move as high as the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Mid-American Conference
Tournament and can only fall as low as the No. 4 seed, guaranteeing a home
quarterfinal match on Sunday, Oct. 30. The Chippewas have claimed the last two
MAC Tournaments to represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament.
Slaughter Named "Primetime Performer"
Junior
defender Katie Slaughter was named a "Primetime Performer" by
CollegeSoccer360.com Monday after her performance over the weekend in wins over
Toledo, 1-0, and Ball State, 1-0. Slaughter tallied the game-winning assist
Friday versus the Rockets to help pull the Chippewas within two points of UT
and keep their chances for a third-straight MAC regular season title alive.
Iron Women
Toth
and Horton each extended to 84 their consecutives matches started streak last
weekend. Each player has started every game of her respective career at CMU.
Only Notre Dame's Jessica Schuveiller (96) and North Dakota State's Abbey Moenkedick
(85) have started more consecutive matches than Horton and Toth.
33 and Counting
With
two wins in their final home regular season contests of the 2011 season, the
Maroon and Gold extended their unbeaten streak at the CMU Soccer Complex to 33
matches. CMU is 29-0-4 during the span, with their last loss coming to Toledo,
1-0, on Oct. 19, 2008, and has not lost at home in its last three seasons.
