Central Michigan University Athletics
Soccer Plays Final Home Games Of The Season
10/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Oct. 7, 2003
MOUNT PLEASANT - The Central Michigan University women's soccer team will host its final two home games for the 2003 season this weekend.
The homecoming festivities begin when the Chippewas host the Ohio Bobcats on Friday, Oct. 10. Match time will be at 3 p.m. CMU returns to action and bids adieu to its seniors on Sunday, Oct. 12. Marshall invades the CMU Soccer Complex at 1 p.m.
"This is going to be another huge weekend for our team," head coach Mark Salisbury said. "Our team has played well for a majority of the last three weeks. We didn't play well last weekend and that just shows that this team is not a finished product yet. We still have a long way to go before this team reaches its potential."
Each game does have playoff significance now. With only six points separating second through 10th place, every win and loss will add up quickly. Position is important in the Mid-American Conference standings. Only the top eight teams make it to the conference postseason tournament. And, only the top four get to host first-round games.
Currently, the Chippewas are in a three-way tie for fifth place. At 3-3-1 in the conference, CMU has 10 points in the standings as do Bowling Green and Buffalo.
Friday's opponent, Ohio, will be looking to jump into the mix when it comes to town. The Bobcats have seven points in the standings, and with a win and three points, they would make their way into the race. OU is 2-3-1 in MAC play and own a 4-7-1 overall mark. However, the Bobcats struggle when they leave Athens, Ohio. They are 1-4-1 in road games this season. Ohio was the preseason favorite to win the regular season title in the MAC coaches poll.
Marshall, on the other hand, got off to a slow start and is 1-5 with three points in MAC play. MU is 1-10-1 for the season. The Thundering Herd has a date with Eastern Michigan on Friday, Oct. 10, before venturing into Mount Pleasant.
CMU has enjoyed success against the two teams it will face this weekend. CMU is 9-3 combined versus Ohio and Marshall. The Chippewas own the series lead over Ohio, 4-2, and Marshall, 5-1. However, CMU lost to both teams in 2002. Ohio and Marshall both topped the Chippewas by the same score of 3-1.
The Maroon and Gold enter action this week after splitting two games last weekend. The Chippewas topped Illinois State, 1-0, in overtime and fell to MAC rival Eastern Michigan, 1-0. CMU is now 5-4-2 overall and is 3-3-1 in conference tilts.
"It was not a great weekend for this team in terms of the quality of play in both games," Salisbury said. "The quality of play is the marker of how your team is progressing. And, until we play well and play hard in every minute of every game, we may not see the kind of results that I think this team is capable."
Shutouts Add Up - Anne Decker (Troy/Fr.) tallied her third shutout for the season when she blanked Illinois State, 1-0. The three shutouts is the second most by one player in a season. She needs one more to tie the season record of four, held by Kari Alexander (Midland/Sr.).
Turning It Around - Rachel Snyder (Wadsworth, Ohio/So.) has stepped her game up since her freshman season. Snyder scored only one goal as freshman, in the season-opener. This season, however, the forward is tied for the team lead in goals (four) and has nine points this season.
Stingy Defense - CMU's 10 goals allowed this season are the second fewest in the MAC. Only Kent State's eight goals allowed are fewer. It also has the second-lowest goals-against average in the conference at 0.84. Chippewa backstop Anne Decker has played a big role in the defense. Her 0.70 GAA is third in the conference, her .854 save percentage is second as well as her three shutouts.
Next Week - The Chippewas begin a season-ending five-game road swing. They are at Akron on Friday, Oct 17. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. Action next weekend continues when it plays at Michigan on Sunday, October 19. Match time for the nonconference match in Ann Arbor is set for noon.
