Eastern Michigan’s Women’s soccer team split a pair of matches on the road against Western Michigan and Northern Illinois. EMU shutout NIU on their way to a 1-0 victory and attempted a valiant comeback against Western that came just shy as they suffered a 1-2 defeat. EMU now sits at a 8-9 record overall and a 3-5 record against MAC opponents.
Against Northern Illinois, goalkeeping was the highlight of the day for both sides. Both keepers dominated the day shutting out the opposing team through the first half. It wasn’t until the 81st minute of the match that Eastern’s offense found the back of the net. EMU scored off an unassisted shot from freshman Kylie Frantz. The shot came from the right side of the box and found the left side of the net just beating the keeper. The goal was Frantz’s first of the season also her first of her young career. EMU goalkeeper Mabel Dunn finished the job from there. Dunn stopped six shots on the match and earned herself a clean sheet in the process.
After the match with Northern Illinois, EMU headed north to take on in-state opponent Western Michigan. Compared to the match against NIU, both offenses were firing at a much higher rate. Western found the back of the net within the first ten minutes of the match off a corner kick that was headed in for the goal. The 1-0 lead carried into the second half until EMU’s Parys Kerr tapped in the equalizer. The goal was assisted by Kristin Nason and Sabrina McNeil. The two teams continued to battle back and forth until Western scored late in the second half. Eastern had multiple chances to respond but failed to tie the game before the final whistle. They suffered defeat by a final score of 1-2.
Only three games remain for EMU during the regular season. Luckily for Eastern all three will be played at Scicluna Field. Miami (Ohio), Ball State, and Central Michigan all make the journey to Ypsilanti as the four teams fight for an opportunity to play post-season soccer in the MAC tournament. Up first on the schedule is Miami who makes the trip up on Thursday, October 14th for a 4 p.m. kickoff.
