Central Michigan University Athletics
Soccer Faces Early MAC Test at Home this Weekend
9/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
MOUNT PLEASANT — Fresh off a 2-0 road trip to open its Mid-American Conference schedule, the Central Michigan soccer team returns home for a pair of critical MAC contests at the CMU Soccer Complex this weekend.
The Chippewas (7-3, 2-0 MAC) host Kent State on Friday at 4 p.m., before squaring off with Buffalo on Sunday at 1 p.m.
CMU carried over its momentum from a 3-0 home stand on the road last weekend. The Maroon and Gold dropped Ohio, 4-0, off the strength of Molly Gerst’s first career hat trick last Friday and grinded out a 1-0 double overtime victory at Akron on Sunday. The performance earned the Ada, Mich., native MAC Co-Player of the Week honors.
The Chippewas are riding a five-match winning streak in which they’ve outscored their opponents, 9-0. Central is a perfect 4-0 at home this season and enters the week ranked 10th in the Great Lakes Region in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll.
“We have been playing sound defensively,” head coach Tom Anagnost said. “There are things that we continue to strive to improve on. As a staff, we try to instill a mentality in our players to never be satisfied with where they are. We are happy that we have been getting results, but there is always a constant effort to improve on our game.”
Kent State was the only other MAC team that went undefeated in the conference schedule’s opening weekend. The Golden Flashes posted a dominant, 4-0, victory over Ball State on Friday and blanked Miami, 1-0, on Sunday. Both contests took place in Kent, Ohio.
The two shutout victories last weekend earned KSU goalkeeper Kelly Sherwood MAC Co-Player of the Week accolades, sharing the award with Gerst.
Last season, Kent State posted a 6-11-1 record and missed the MAC Tournament with a 3-7-1 league ledger. The Chippewas are 5-6-2 all-time against the Golden Flashes and have won two straight in the series, including last year’s 4-1 victory at Kent State in which Gerst scored two goals.
“We’re obviously playing a very good team on Friday,” Anagnost said. “Kent played us very tough when we went there last season. We need to be very focused, committed and tenacious on Friday.”
Friday’s contest against Kent State will be a part of Chippewa Pride day. CMU Athletics is distributing punch cards for a Field Hockey, Soccer and Volleyball tripleheader that day. Attend all three contests for a chance to win a prize pack courtesy of CMU Athletics.
Buffalo is 1-8-1 through its first 10 matches and went 0-1-1 in the opening weekend of MAC play. The Bulls played Miami to a 1-1 draw at home last Friday before dropping a 1-0 decision to Ball State on Sunday.
UB began the 2008 season 4-0, but went winless the rest of the way to finish 4-10-4 and 0-9-2 in the MAC. The Bulls are 1-18-5 in their last 24 contests and have not won a conference match since they defeated the Golden Flashes, 3-0, on Nov. 1, 2007. Central is 6-3-2 all-time against Buffalo, but has not recorded a win in the series since a 1-0 victory at Buffalo on Oct. 1, 2006.
“Buffalo is a team that we haven’t beaten since I got here,” Anagnost said. “We were in position to beat them twice in the second half last season and they came back to tie us each time. We need to be ready for both of these matches this weekend.”
Live stats will be available for both contests this weekend. In addition, a live blog for both contests can be accessed via the links above. Results will be posted on cmuchippewas.com following both matches.
CMU News and Notes
Gaining Recognition — The Chippewas’ hot start is earning them national recognition this week. Central enters the week No. 10 in the Great Lakes Region in the latest NSCAA poll. This is the third time in the last four seasons that the CMU soccer program has been regionally or nationally ranked in one of the weekly polls.
2006 (Soccer Buzz) — No. 9 Great Lakes (Aug. 28)
2006 (Soccer Buzz) — No. 10 Great Lakes (Sept. 4)
2006 (NSCAA) — No. 10 Great Lakes (Sept. 5)
2006 (Soccer Buzz) — No. 9 Great Lakes (Sept. 11)
2006 (Soccer Buzz) — No. 7 Great Lakes (Sept. 18)
2006 (Soccer America) — No. 20 National (Sept. 18)
2006 (NSCAA) — No. 10 Great Lakes (Sept. 19)
2008 (Soccer Buzz) — No. 15 Great Lakes (Oct. 6)
2008 (Soccer Buzz) — No. 15 Great Lakes (Oct. 13)
2009 (NSCAA) — No. 10 Great Lakes (Sept. 29)
Blanking the Opposition — Central posted a conference-best seven shutouts in its first 10 contests, the second highest total in the nation. CMU’s .700 shutout percentage ranks seventh in the country and only six teams have recorded more shutouts. The Chippewas haven’t allowed a goal in their past five matches, the second most consecutive shutouts in program history. The Maroon and Gold have not yielded a goal in 482:09, also the second longest streak in school history. The 2004 squad holds both records with six straight shutouts with a shutout streak of 669:30.


Gerst Turns the Trick — Senior Molly Gerst recorded the third hat trick in the history of the CMU soccer program in the squad’s MAC opening win at Ohio on Friday. The three goals gives her 17 career tallies (t-fifth in school history).
CMU Hat Tricks
Allison Campbell vs. Buffalo (Oct. 19, 2001)
Jacquie Lacek at IPFW (Sept. 10, 2004)
Molly Gerst at Ohio (Sept. 25, 2009)
Twidle Proving Herself — Freshman Laura Twidle has been the offensive catalyst for the Chippewas this season. The Mississauga, Ont., native leads the MAC with five goals and 12 points in 10 matches (1.20 points per game). She is also tied for the MAC lead with three game-winning goals and her lone assist this season was on the overtime winner against Illinois State on Sept. 13.
Keeping it Tight — The Chippewas have made a habit of playing close matches this season. Six of Central’s 10 matches have been decided by one goal and CMU is 4-2 in those contests. In 2008, eight of the Chippewas’ 20 matches (4-4) were decided by a single goal.
Waugh Named Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Candidate — Senior forward Amanda Waugh is receiving national recognition heading into her final season. The Burlington, Ont., native is one of 30 NCAA Division I women’s soccer players to be named a candidate to the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. The award is for seniors with notable achievements in four areas of excellence — classroom, character, community and competition. A national media committee will narrow the field down to 10 finalists at the end of September.
