Central Michigan University Athletics
Soccer Hosts Miami on Tuesday for MAC Tournament Match
10/31/2004 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Oct. 31, 2004
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The postseason is next for the Central Michigan University soccer team with the Mid-American Conference tournament this week.
The Chippewas begin the tournament with a home quarterfinal match on Tuesday with Miami. The contest will take place at the CMU Soccer complex and is set to begin at 2 p.m.
CMU enters the tournament as the third-seed while Miami is the sixth-seed. Kent State and Ohio shared the regular season title with KSU as the No. 1 seed and Ohio as No. 2. The tournament semifinals and finals will be held at the highest remaining seed after the quarterfinals, which are played at campus sites.
HEAD COACH Tony DiTucci:
"I am excited that we finally have everyone health and prepared to play. We have prepared for this week all season because of how physically and mentally demanding it is. You expect to get your opponents best match and I am sure Miami will do that on Tuesday.
"Our team is excited to be able to host a tournament match. We earned the right to do so because of the way we played at home this season. Our team takes pride in defending our home turf and performing well in front of our home fans.
"It is important our team enters this week focused on the things we have done well and why we have been successful this season, especially at home in the conference. I know our team knows its potential when we play with heart, so it is important we do so this weekend."
THIS WEEK • Miami:
The RedHawks enter Tuesday's match with a three-match unbeaten streak. The streak started with a 0-0 tie at Akron. Miami then defeated CMU, 3-1, and Eastern Michigan, 2-1, to move into a tie for fifth-place in the MAC standing with Ball State and EMU.
Ashley Swinehart, the 2003 MAC "Player of the Year," leads Miami with 13 goals and 29 points. She ranks second in the conference in both categories. The Miami goalkeeper is Megan Ortner, who has a 1.31 goals against average and .779 save percentage.
In their meeting earlier this season, Swinehart single-handedly defeated the Chippewas as she scored all three RedHawk goals in their 3-1 victory. The teams have met three times in the MAC tournament with the RedHawks coming away with the victory each time. The last time these teams met in Mount Pleasant, CMU came away with a 2-1 victory. Miami leads the all-time series, 4-5-1.
HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE:
One of the main reasons the Chippewas are able to host a quarterfinal match is its dominance at home in conference matches. CMU went 4-0-1 at home in the conference and never allowed a goal, outscoring opponents, 9-0.
CMU IN THE MAC TOURNEY:
CMU is 3-2 in quarterfinal matches of the MAC tournament. CMU was a 2-0 victor at Ball State in the quarters last season. The Chippewas are 2-1 at home in the tournament with its last home postseason match being a 2-1 victory over Marshall in 2001. CMU is 4-5 overall in the tournament after falling to Bowling Green in a shootout in the semifinals last season.
CLOSING NUMBER - 2.8:
In home conference matches this season, CMU is only allowing its opponents an average of 2.8 shots on-goal per match.
