Central Michigan University Athletics
Soccer Closes Its Season at Eastern Michigan on Thursday
10/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
MOUNT PLEASANT - The Central Michigan University women’s soccer team will close the regular season against Eastern Michigan on Thursday, Nov. 1, in its final match of the 2007 season.
CMU entered last weekend holding the eighth and final spot for the postseason event, but a pair of losses at Northern Illinois (3-2) and Western Michigan (1-0) dropped it back to 10th place in the standings and eliminated the Chippewas from contention for the MAC Tournament. It’s the first time since 1998 that CMU will miss out on the tournament, and it ends the longest active streak among conference members of qualifying for the postseason.
“There’s still a lot for us to play for against Eastern Michigan,” CMU head coach Tony DiTucci said. “There is a lot pride in the tradition of this program, and we want to uphold that every time we step on the field. This is the last time we’ll play a match until 2008, and we want our last impression from this season to be a good one.”
The eight-team field is officially set for the tournament, with only seeding to be decided by the six remaining regular season matches to be played on Thursday across the MAC. Ball State can clinch the regular season title for the second year in a row with a win over Miami on Thursday in Oxford, Ohio. Toledo is the only other team with a chance to catch Ball State, and the Rockets need to win and have BSU tie or lose to Miami to take the title away from the Cardinals.
CMU’s opponent, Eastern Michigan, has a lot on the line in tomorrow’s match. The Eagles need only a tie to clinch one of the top four spots in the tournament and earn a home match at Scicluna Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Chippewas have never won a match at EMU, and are 1-8-0 all-time against the Eagles, their worst record against any opponent.
"We know it will be a very difficult match for us," CMU head coach Tony DiTucci said. "It's important for us to be focused and prepared going into the match. Getting a successful result would allow us to take something positive into the offseason."
Thursday’s contest between the Chippewas and Eagles kicks off at 3 p.m. in Ypsilanti, Mich.
