Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Settle for Tie With EMU
10/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. â€" Sometimes, a tie leaves a team with a good feeling.
This was not one of those times.
Central Michigan posted a season-high 23 shots Friday but couldn't find the back of the net in settling for a 0-0 double-overtime draw with Eastern Michigan in a Mid-American Conference match at the CMU Soccer-Lacrosse Stadium.
The Chippewas are 3-7-2, 2-2-1 MAC. Eastern is 4-7-2, 1-3-1. The Chippewas play host to Bowling Green (6-6-1, 2-3-0) in a MAC match Sunday at 1 p.m.
"Is the result what we wanted? No, not exactly," CMU coach Peter McGahey said. "But we didn't give the game away either. Was it the performance we wanted? I don't think so.
"Eastern is a good team. I think they made life difficult for us. But I thought particularly in the first half we didn't come out with enough eagerness and excitement. As the game went on and as our eagerness and excitement got better, our game improved dramatically.
"Sometimes there's good ties and sometimes there are not-good ties and I would say tonight we didn't lose, but we probably left points on the table."
After being outshot, 6-5, in the first half, the Chippewas held an 18-6 edge in that department the rest of the way. Eastern Michigan finished with a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks.
The Chippewas created the majority of the game's good scoring opportunities after halftime, but simply couldn't connect as EMU goalkeeper Megan McCabe made nine saves.
CMU had the game's best scoring opportunity with seconds remaining in the first overtime when the Chippewas put the ball within inches of the goal line, but an Eagle defender swooped in to knock it away.
"We created enough chances tonight to score," McGahey said. "Hats off to their goalkeeper, hats off to their girl at the end of the first overtime to clear the ball off the line. Sometimes you've got to do just a little bit more, and tonight we had a little bit more to do."
CMU keeper Zoie Reed, a freshman, finished with four saves in posting her fourth shutout. Eliza Van de Kerkhove had seven of CMU's shots, including three on goal, while Madison Costner had five shots.
The Chippewas finished with 10 shots on goal compared to four for the Eagles.
CMU's previous season-high for shots, 18, came three weeks ago in a 1-0 double-overtime loss to Illinois State. In its four matches since, the Chippewas had averaged 6.5 shots per.
They had a combined 11 shots last weekend in splitting league matches with Miami (Ohio) and Ball State.
"I thought the number of chances that you saw tonight, some shots served in from distance, some shots from different spots, and some off-the-ball movement â€" I thought there was a good variety in the attack that kept Eastern off balance in a way that I thought last week we did lack," McGahey said.
The key on Sunday against Bowling Green, and for the remainder of the season is to bring the intensity from the opening kick and continue to play within the system, McGahey said.
"Respond, respond here now and try to put a better performance out," McGahey said. "Don't get fixated on result, look just to put out a better performance.
"We've got to stay within the context of what our teams does and be humble and approach the game in a humble workmanlike way."
Bowling Green saw its two-game win streak snapped Friday with a 2-0 loss at Toledo.
