Akron Women's Soccer Takes Off For Final Road Trip Of Regular Season

Thursday, October 24

Ypsilanti, MI

4 PM

University of Akron

Eastern Michigan

Akron Women's Soccer Takes Off For Final Road Trip Of Regular Season

October 23 | Women's Soccer

Follow Akron Women's Soccer on Twitter and Facebook

Akron vs. Eastern Michigan Gamenotes (PDF)

Akron (6-9-1, 3-4-1 MAC) vs. Eastern Michigan (4-10-2, 3-5-0 MAC)
Friday, Oct. 24
Ypsilanti, Mich. • Scicluna Field • 4:00 p.m.
Live Stats: GoZips.com

•••
Akron vs. Central Michigan Gamenotes (PDF)

Akron (6-9-1, 3-4-1) vs. Central Michigan (7-3-3, 4-3-1 MAC)
Sunday, Oct. 27
Mount Pleasant, Mich. • Central Michigan Soccer/Lacrosse Complex • 1:00 p.m.
Live Stats: GoZips.com
Watch: GoZips.com

What's Ahead
With three games remaining in the 2019 Akron women's soccer regular season, the Zips hit the road for its final regular-season road trip. Akron heads to Ypsilanti, Mich., for an afternoon matchup against Eastern Michigan at 4 p.m., before traveling to Mount Pleasant, Mich., for a showdown with the Central Michigan Chippewas at 1 p.m.

Scouting The Eagles
Sitting at 3-5-0 heading into the fifth week of Mid-American Conference play, Eastern Michigan holds on to 10th place overall in the league standings and just outside of making the cut for the 2019 MAC Tournament. The Eagles three conference victories came against Northern Illinois (3-1), Western Michigan (3-2), and Kent State (3-2, OT). EMU's last three contests to close out the regular season is scheduled against Akron, Buffalo, and Central Michigan.

As an offense, the Eagles have scored 16 goals, registered 226 shots, 117 shots on goal, and has recorded 12 assists. The top offensive scoring threat for Eastern Michigan, Lindsey Shira, paces EMU with 10 points, four goals, and two assists while taking 21 total shots and 13 shots on goal. Additionally, Sabrina McNeill and Amanda Cripps have tallied a combined six goals, 12 points, 78 shots, and 37 shots on goal. Five other Eagles have scored at least one goal on the campaign.

Mabel Dunn, the Eagles junior goaltender, has seen a bulk of the minutes inside the net for Eastern Michigan. In 13 starts and 1,150 minutes, Dunn owns a 2.27 goals-against average having allowed 29 goals and making 70 saves.

Scouting The Chippewas
With three games remaining in the regular season, Central Michigan will look to secure a top-4 seed in the upcoming MAC postseason tournament. The Chippewas league record stands 4-3-1 totaling 13 points with up to as many as nine points up for grabs with matches against Buffalo, the Zips, and EMU in the next eight days. CMU has captured league victories against Ball State (1-0), Miami (1-0, 2OT), Northern Illinois (2-0), and Toledo (3-0).

In 13 overall matches, the Chippewas own 18 goals, 12 assists, and 48 total points while taking 179 shots and 75 shots on goal. Marlee Bringard, Central Michigan's leading scorer with six goals, ranks tied for fourth in the league in goals scored. Her teammates, Alina Miagkova and Lauren DeBeau, have each scored three goals and tallied an assist on a combined 50 shots and 21 shots on goal including a team-high 20 by DeBeau.

In the net, senior Zoie Reed, returns for CMU. In her final campaign in a Chippewa uniform, Reed has made 64 saves, allowed 11 goals, and turned in a 0.78 GAA which ranks second in the MAC.

Series History
Since the Zips inaugural season in 2001, Akron has posted just a 3-13-2 record against Eastern Michigan. Akron's last victory over the Eagles was in 2011 by a score of 2-1. When in Ypsilanti, Mich., UA is 0-7-1.

Akron looks for its second win against the Chippewas in program history as CMU owns a 14-1-3 mark against the Zips since 2001. Akron's last win against CMU came in 2016 with a 3-2 double-overtime victory. The Zips are also looking for their first victory in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

Coaches
Eastern Mich.: Scott Hall, one of the longest-tenured coaches in the Mid-American Conference is in his 21st season at the helm of the EMU women's soccer program. Hall has been a part of the Eagles program since its inception as an assistant coach for four seasons before being named head coach in 1999. Since then, Hall has accumulated an overall record of 194-174-59, led the Eagles to three MAC regular-season championships and one Tournament Championship.

Central Mich.: Jeremy Groves, is in his first season at the command of the Central Michigan women's soccer program. Groves was named the sixth head coach in CMU history after spending one season at Kentucky and four seasons leading Murray State to a 50-21-6 record.

Akron: Noreen Herlihy is in her fifth season on the sidelines as the head coach of The University of Akron's women's soccer program. She owns a 26-55-13 record leading the Zips since taking over the program. Since taking over the program in 2015, Herlihy has led Akron to the Mid-American Conference postseason tournament twice and advanced to the semi-final round for the first time in program history in 2015. Herlihy has coached seven All-MAC honorees, 25 student-athletes have been named to the Academic All-MAC team, and her team has been recognized as a Collegiate Team Academic Award winner by United Soccer Coaches for four straight seasons.

Zips Tidbits

The Zips roster consists of seven players from Ohio, eight from Pennsylvania, one from Kentucky, two from Germany, two from England, one from Minnesota, and one from Ireland.
The Zips roster consists of two student-athletes who is a dual-citizen Kat Costa (Germany) and Lucia Lobato (Ireland).
Lexie Kolano competed for The University of Cincinnati in her freshman season before transferring to Akron for a fresh start. Kolano scored one goal in 14 games for UC and four goals in her first season at Akron for a total of five collegiate goals scored.
The Zips return its starting defensive backline from 2018 including senior Ashley Amato (Pittsburgh, Pa.), junior Abigail Brown (Batavia, Ohio), junior Ryley Watt (Irwin, Pa.), and freshman Kayleigh Penton (Vermilion, Ohio). The quartet played a combined 6,774 minutes of action and aided in the Zips five shutouts.
Junior Anya Donelan (Warrington, England) competed at Monroe College for two seasons (2017-18), scored two goals and eight assists in her career. Donelan and Monroe College captured the 2018 National Junior College Athletic Association championship and went undefeated.
The six international student-athletes are the most on an Akron roster in program history.
Lucia Lobato and Aislinn Meaney are the first Irish student-athletes to compete on a Zips women's soccer squad in program history.
Seven Zips made their Akron debuts against Charlotte, including Aislinn Meaney, Vanessa Berlin, Lucia Lobato, Libby Harper, Anya Donelan, Bailee Bowers, and Emily Clopp.
Despite the two results, Akron registered 20 shots in its first two contests including nine shots on goal.
Redshirt sophomore Charley Kale scored her first career goal and the first goal of the season for the Zips against Cleveland State.
Freshman Lucia Lobato earned her first collegiate assist and registered the first assist of the season for the Zips in Akron's match with Cleveland State.
Despite the result, Akron outshot CSU, 15-9, and owned the advantage in corner kicks, 4-1.
Akron picked up its first win of the 2019 campaign against Niagara while also earning its first victory over the Purple Eagles in program history.
Senior Ashley Amato scored a goal in back-to-back contests against Niagara and Morehead State.
Meaney scored her first Akron goal and game-winning score against the Purple Eagles.
Junior Anya Donelan notched her first Akron assist in the Zips lone goal against MSU.
Win #2 came in Youngstown, Ohio as the Zips took down Youngstown State, 1-0.
Freshman Bailee Bowers scored her first career goal and the first career game-winning goal in the Zips win over YSU.
Akron is 3-3 in its last six games and has tallied seven goals by four different players in the four-week span.
Amato scored her third goal and second penalty kick score of the season against Eastern Kentucky.
UA picked up its third win of the campaign in the 2019 non-conference finale against Robert Morris.
Libby Harper picked up the first solo shutout of her career against the Colonials.
Akron's goal against RMU went down as an own goal, however, the play was set up by Ryley Watt sending a free kick into the box and Carly Pcholinsky heading the ball on goal.
UA picked up three non-conference victories in back-to-back seasons (2018-19) and for the sixth time in program history.
In program history, Akron picked up three wins in a MAC season opener (07, 08, 13) while also playing to one draw (16).
Sophomore's Carly Pcholinsky and Sydney Worthy scored their first goals of the season in the Zips win against Toledo. Worthy notched the seventh score and second game-winning goal of her career, while Pcholinsky notched her fifth career goal.
Worthy recorded her first assist of the 2019 campaign and third of her career.
The Zips registered a win in the opening weekend of league play in back-to-back seasons and for the eighth time in program history.
Worthy registered her second goal and second game-winning tally of the season in the matter of one week against Miami. The Zips forward found the back of the net in the Zips 2-0 win over Toledo and again struck gold for the Akron offense in a 2-0 victory over Miami.
Sophomore Kayleigh Penton scored the first goal of her career to cap the 2-0 W versus Miami.
Libby Harper completed her third clean sheet of the campaign as the Zips keeper blanked the RedHawks and made three saves.
Aislinn Meaney tallied her second goal of the season as the equalizer against the Bobcats. On the play, Kayleigh Penton notched the first assist of her career.
Akron garnered its first draw oft he 2019 campaign against Ohio. In 2018 alone, the Zips played in six overtime matches and went 0-4-2
The Zips have registered four multi-goal performances in 2019 with all four resulting in wins; Niagara (2-1), Toledo (2-0), Miami (2-0), NIU (3-0).
Akron's defense has limited the opposition to one goal or less on nine occasions including five of six Mid-American Conference contests.
Through 14 matches, the Zips and its opponents are all squared in total shots, 140-to-140, overall, while the Zips own the advantage in shots on goal, 63-to-59 on goal.
When ending a match with the advantage in shots, Akron is 3-4.
Meaney now ranks 130th in the country in shots per game (2.94).
Freshman goalkeeper Libby Harper's goals-against average (0.98) ranks 93rd in the NCAA and her total minutes (1,196:55) are rated 141st in the nation.
The Zips team 1.02 GAA is rated 98th in the nation.
Since the beginning of the campaign, Ashley Amato has jumped to tied for third in career goals scored (16) and sixth in career points tallied (32).
Dating back to 2012, Ashley Amato has scored the most goals off a penalty kick in a single-season (3).
Akron recorded a season-high three goals in its match against NIU.
Carly Pcholinsky registered her second-career multi-goal performance.
For the second time this season, Pcholinsky and Worthy posted a goal in the same match.
Pcholinsky's score in the 11' was the second-fastest goal scored of the 2019 campaign for UA behind the Zips goal in the 4' against Morehead State.
The Zips earned their sixth win of the campaign against NIU while picking up its third conference victory.
Team Highs: Points, 8 (vs. Northern Ill.), Goals, 3 (vs. Northern Ill.), Assists, 2 (vs. Northern Ill., vs. Miami, vs. Toledo), Shots, 18 (vs. Miami), Shots on Goal, 9 (vs. Miami), Saves, 7 (vs.
Ohio), Corner Kicks 7, (vs. YSU).

If The Tournament Started Today
If the 2019 Mid-American Conference tournament started today, the Zips would be the No. 8 seed in the postseason tournament with 10 points. However, with three games remaining, only three points separate the Zips from the No. 4 seed and just one point stands between UA and the 9th/10th place squads making the final stretch of the season crucial to the Zips.

Up Next
The 2019 Akron women's soccer regular-season finale looms for the Zips as Akron prepares for its 19th match of the season. On Thursday, Oct. 31, the Zips host their travel partner, Buffalo, in front of its home crowd at FirstEnergy Stadium with the first touch schedule for 3 p.m.