Central Michigan University Athletics
CMU Soccer Hosts Eastern, Bowling Green
10/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Central Michigan soccer team will look to remain in the thick of the Mid-American Conference West Division race this weekend when it entertains Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green in a pair of conference matches at the CMU Soccer-Lacrosse Stadium.
The Chippews face the Eagles Friday at 6 p.m., and entertain Bowling Green Sunday at 1 p.m.
CMU is 3-7-1 overall, 2-2 MAC and in third place in the West. Eastern Michigan is 4-7-1, 1-3; and the Falcons are 6-5-1, 2-2.
The Chippewas will be more than halfway through their MAC schedule after Sunday's game, and it is the final time this season that CMU will play two home matches in a single weekend.
CMU makes a long road trip next weekend for league matches at Akron and Bufflo.
"You should be able to come out and put out good performances on your home field," CMU coach Peter McGahey said. "You obviously want to find positive results here because then you go back on the road next week on the hardest (road trip).
"So you have to make sure you capitalize the opportunities in front of you and that just happens to be two home games."
The Chippewas split two home matches last weekend, topping Miami (Ohio), 1-0; and falling to West-leading and league-unbeaten Ball State, 2-1.
"I think the thing you take away from (those matches) is the things that we need to do to grow are things that we are in control of in terms of a little bit more of this, a little bit more of that, little tweak here, and a little tweak there," McGahey said.
Eastern Michigan defeated Akron, 3-2, on Sunday for its first MAC victory. The Eagles, like CMU, faced some of the league's top teams in the early part of its schedule, falling, 1-0, to both Miami and defending-champion Buffalo, and to Ball State, 2-1.
Bowling Green, which is tied for third place in the MAC East, went 2-0 last weekend at home, defeating Akron, 3-0, and Buffalo, 2-1. The previous weekend, the Falcons fell at home to Miami and Ball State.
Eastern has allowed a MAC-worst 29 goals this season, while the Chippewas have surrendered 15, and Bowling Green has allowed 14. The Falcons are sixth and the Chippewas seventh, respectively, in the league in that category.
Bowling Green is second in the league with 23 goals, while Eastern has scored 13, and the Chippewas have tallied 12.
Bowling Green goalkeeper Lauren Cadel is second in the league with a 5.58 saves-per-game average, while CMU freshman Zoie Reed is third at 5.25.
Any way you cut it, McGahey said, the Chippewas will have to battle for everything they get this weekend, but that's almost always the case in the MAC.
"I think the level of the margin and the parity in the MAC, as I've said many times, is very small," he said. "I think the respect we have for Eastern and the respect we have for Bowling Green, both in terms of where those programs are and are going, is real. That's a critical piece. If you come out and respect your opponent then you'll prepare properly and put a good performance out there."
