Central Michigan University Athletics
Soccer Battles Miami To Scoreless Draw
10/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio - The Central Michigan University women's soccer team played to its first tie of the season, battling through 110 minutes of soccer against Miami University in a scoreless draw. CMU (10-2-1, 3-2-1 Mid-American Conference) was shut out for the first time this season by the RedHawks (5-6-2, 2-2-2 MAC).
Senior goalkeeper Anne Decker added another record to her growing collection by recording the 25th shutout of her career, setting a new standard for shutouts among all Mid-American Conference goalkeepers. Decker broke a tie for the top spot with former Eastern Michigan standout Sarah Willis (1998-2001). The blanking was the third consecutive shutout for Decker and the Chippewas.
"It's great that Anne was able to break that record," CMU head coach Tony DiTucci said. "She made several good saves for us today. She was very poised, and she came up with big plays when we needed them."
Miami had the edge in every statistical category in the match. The RedHawks outshot CMU 18-13 and had a 9-5 edge in shots on goal. Miami earned 11 corner kicks to CMU's four corners, and committed 12 fouls to seven for the Chippewas. Miami goalkeeper Krista Pace made five saves in her second consecutive shutout.
"Both teams had chances today," DiTucci said. "Our defense played incredibly well, and we executed our game plan to limit the chances that Miami's best ofensive players had in the match. There was a good amount of back and forth action in the match, and to come out of it with a tie is a positive result for us.
"We just played two outstanding teams back-to-back on the road this weekend, and to get a win over Ball State and earn a tie today at Miami keeps us in good position in the conference race. Now, we need to have a good week in training this week and get ready for two more tough conference matches next weekend."
CMU will be back at home for its next two conference clashes, beginning with a match against Northern Illinois on Friday, Oct. 13, at 3 p.m.
