The Eastern Michigan University women’s soccer team travels to Akron, Ohio Oct. 21 to take on the Zips.
As of press date, the Zips are currently fifth in the Mid-American Conference East Division with a 5-10 (1-7 MAC) record, and the Eagles are 8-6 (5-3 MAC) and currently sit second in the MAC West Division.
EMU sophomore forwards Angela Vultaggio and Bianca Rossi lead the team with six goals so far this year tying them for sixth in the conference. Junior midfielder Cara Cutaia is right behind them with five. If they can get the Eagles on the board quickly, they have a good chance of beating Akron. The Zips are second worst in the MAC in goals allowed with 28 in 15 games.
The Eagles will also need to improve on defense as they are coming off a rough game against Kent State University, in which they allowed three goals in seven minutes. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Jenna O’Dell allowed all three goals before leaving the game in the first half.
Those goals were the only real mishap in an otherwise outstanding first year in goal for O’Dell. She still leads the conference in saves with 82, but her goals against average fell to .804 in the Oct. 14 game, dropping her to second in the MAC.
Akron has a player who may prove to be a challenge on offense: Ashley Hughes is tied for fourth in goals with seven on the season. Hughes is also tied with Eastern’s Vultaggio for sixth in assists with six on the year.
Despite their poor record, Akron’s goalkeeper may still prove to be a challenge for the Eagle offense. Alex Luevano-Harden has 50 saves and 14 goals against for a .781 save percentage. She is fifth in the MAC in both categories.
The Eagles have one game remaining after their matchup against Akron. They will take on Western Michigan University at home Oct. 25 to round out the 2012 regular season. The game is scheduled to start from Scicluna Field at 3 p.m. The MAC tournament is scheduled to begin Oct. 28.
