Martin's Two Goals Hands Nebraska First Loss, 2-1

Box Score

LINCOLN, Neb. – A pair of second half goals by freshman Stephanie Martin kept the Central Michigan University women’s soccer team perfect at the expense of previously unblemished Nebraska, lifting the Chippewas to a 2-1 victory. CMU (7-0-0) came from behind to win for the fifth time in seven matches this season and handed Nebraska (4-1-2) its first loss this season.

“This was a great win for us, and a huge statement for our team and our program,” CMU head coach Tony DiTucci said. “Nebraska is a tremendous team, ranked 32nd in the nation by Soccer Buzz, with some pretty special players. It has a tradition of success, and for us to come in here and beat Nebraska is really big for Central Michigan.”

CMU, the No. 9-ranked team in the Great Lakes region, and Nebraska, the No. 6-ranked team in the Central region, battled to a scoreless tie through one half of play. Nebraska broke through just over a minute into the second half, getting a goal from Jessie Bruch to grab a 1-0 lead.

Faced with a 1-0 deficit for the third time in its last four matches, CMU responded three-and-a-half minutes later when Martin notched the first of her two tallies. Katy Boggan played a long ball over the top to Martin, who beat Nebraska goalkeeper Jamie Klages with a blast from ten yards out to even up the match.

Martin’s second goal, which proved to be the match-winner, came just over nine minutes later. After collecting a pass from Jacquie Lacek, Martin cut the ball back to create some space and then buried a shot into the back of the net to give CMU the lead.

After that goal, the Chippewas had to hold on over the final 30 minutes of the match. Nebraska earned 10 corner kicks in the second stanza and fired 12 shots, six of which were on target. CMU goalkeeper Anne Decker made five of her six saves in the second half.

For the match, Nebraska had a 25-6 edge in shots, with a 7-2 advantage in shots on goal, and a 16-2 advantage in corner kicks.

“We came in here with a plan to limit the quality of opportunities that we gave them, and we did a pretty good job of executing the way we wanted to play today,” DiTucci said. “The numbers show a pretty big disparity in the number of shots taken, but the edge in shots on goal (7-2) was much less overwhelming.

“Our defense played strong, and Anne made some big saves when we needed them. This team continues to play well together, and everyone is contributing to the success we’ve had so far. Tonight, Martin scores both goals, Decker plays solid, and Erin Douglas plays a great game for us on defense. I couldn’t be more proud of the way this team continues to fight and play hard for 90 minutes each and every time we take the field.”

CMU extended its winning streak to seven matches and tied the program record for the longest unbeaten streak set in 2004 (5-0-2). It completed a perfect run through its non-conference matches in 2006.

The Chippewas open Mid-American Conference play next weekend. CMU will host Ohio on Friday, Sept. 22, at 3 p.m. and Akron on Sunday, Sept. 24, at 1 p.m. at the CMU Soccer Complex.

Central Michigan University Athletics

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