Central Michigan University Athletics
Thursday, August 31
Cincinnati, Ohio / Gettler Stadium
7 PM
Central Michigan University
0-0-3, 0-0-0
1
at
1
Cincinnati
1-2-1, 0-0-0
1
2
F
Central Mich.
1
0
1
Cincinnati
0
1
1
Photo by: Sydney Kline '26 - @sydney.kline.photography
Chippewas take Cincinnati’s best in physical draw, 1-1
8/31/2023 9:52:00 PM | Soccer
Little finds the back of the net for the first time at Central Michigan, LaPoint shakes off the remainder of the rust with stellar performance on the line
CINCINNATI — The identity of rebuilding Central Michigan Soccer continued to take shape Thursday night in a no-holds-barred battle with the University of Cincinnati, ending in a 1-1 draw.
The Chippewas (0-0-3) capitalized on Bearcat (1-2-1) mistakes throughout the evening, no greater than Jenna Little's (Portage, Mich. / Central) first goal in the Maroon and Gold as she intercepted a pass from the Cincinnati keeper in the 18' to put CMU on the board first, 1-0, in the 23'.
"Really proud of our group tonight," Head Coach Jeremy Groves began. "It shows how far we've come when we play at a Power Five team and are disappointed we didn't win."
The opening moments of the match gave Chippewa keeper Allison LaPoint (Royal Oak, Mich. / Shrine Catholic) the opportunity to show Cincinnati what it was up against with a pair of saves, including a diving, juggling stop to her right just 13 minutes in.
"When you come to a place like this, your goalkeeper has to play well," Groves offered, "and I thought Allison was outstanding tonight."
While Central Michigan only received credit for two shots in the first half, the Chippewas continued their recent stretch of making a home in the attacking third which left the back line on patrol for the remainder of the first half following Little's strike.
The tides turned quickly after intermission as the Bearcats tucked in a back-post swing through heavy traffic just out of reach of LaPoint, again diving to her right. This only led to the veteran keeper finding another gear as she extended her range in defending the box throughout the half. Back-to-back saves in the 57' and 58' came as LaPoint advanced well upfield to stop two Bearcat breakaways.
A free kick right of the box from Claudia Muessig (Paw Paw, Mich. / Paw Paw) in the 65' put the Cincinnati line back on the alert as the attempt was poised to sneak in under the crossbar, only to be deflected out.
In the 87', Muessig returned with a set piece from a similar to position to her game-tying goal against Detroit Mercy in the season-opener and was ready to fire, only to put too much behind the ball and miss high from long-range.
As time wound down, Rachel Logue (Oak Hills, Calif. / Serrano) was seemingly everywhere to keep the ball either in the air or out of play, drawing heavy contact in the final seconds to break up the final Bearcats desperation attempt.
In all, physicality reigned in Thursday's contest as the officiating crews held the whistles silent in comparison to the 22 combined fouls called in the contest.
"It was a battle all night and we competed well," Groves continued. "We created chances and defended pretty well for the most part."
Central Michigan Soccer finishes its weekend Power-Five road swing with the University of Louisville Sunday night (Sept. 3, 7:30 p.m.) still simultaneously undefeated and seeking its first victory in 2023.
The Chippewas return home Sept. 10 to host Purdue University Fort Wayne, featuring Senior Day celebration. The Mid-American Conference schedule begins Sept. 21 with rival Eastern Michigan University.
The Chippewas (0-0-3) capitalized on Bearcat (1-2-1) mistakes throughout the evening, no greater than Jenna Little's (Portage, Mich. / Central) first goal in the Maroon and Gold as she intercepted a pass from the Cincinnati keeper in the 18' to put CMU on the board first, 1-0, in the 23'.
"Really proud of our group tonight," Head Coach Jeremy Groves began. "It shows how far we've come when we play at a Power Five team and are disappointed we didn't win."
The opening moments of the match gave Chippewa keeper Allison LaPoint (Royal Oak, Mich. / Shrine Catholic) the opportunity to show Cincinnati what it was up against with a pair of saves, including a diving, juggling stop to her right just 13 minutes in.
"When you come to a place like this, your goalkeeper has to play well," Groves offered, "and I thought Allison was outstanding tonight."
While Central Michigan only received credit for two shots in the first half, the Chippewas continued their recent stretch of making a home in the attacking third which left the back line on patrol for the remainder of the first half following Little's strike.
The tides turned quickly after intermission as the Bearcats tucked in a back-post swing through heavy traffic just out of reach of LaPoint, again diving to her right. This only led to the veteran keeper finding another gear as she extended her range in defending the box throughout the half. Back-to-back saves in the 57' and 58' came as LaPoint advanced well upfield to stop two Bearcat breakaways.
A free kick right of the box from Claudia Muessig (Paw Paw, Mich. / Paw Paw) in the 65' put the Cincinnati line back on the alert as the attempt was poised to sneak in under the crossbar, only to be deflected out.
In the 87', Muessig returned with a set piece from a similar to position to her game-tying goal against Detroit Mercy in the season-opener and was ready to fire, only to put too much behind the ball and miss high from long-range.
As time wound down, Rachel Logue (Oak Hills, Calif. / Serrano) was seemingly everywhere to keep the ball either in the air or out of play, drawing heavy contact in the final seconds to break up the final Bearcats desperation attempt.
In all, physicality reigned in Thursday's contest as the officiating crews held the whistles silent in comparison to the 22 combined fouls called in the contest.
"It was a battle all night and we competed well," Groves continued. "We created chances and defended pretty well for the most part."
Central Michigan Soccer finishes its weekend Power-Five road swing with the University of Louisville Sunday night (Sept. 3, 7:30 p.m.) still simultaneously undefeated and seeking its first victory in 2023.
The Chippewas return home Sept. 10 to host Purdue University Fort Wayne, featuring Senior Day celebration. The Mid-American Conference schedule begins Sept. 21 with rival Eastern Michigan University.
Team Stats
CMU
CIN
Goals
1
1
Shots
7
10
Shots on Goal
4
8
Saves
7
3
Corners
6
1
Fouls
15
10
Scoring Plays
Jenna Little (1)
GOAL by CMU Little, Jenna.
22:20
Megan Smith (2)
GOAL by CIN Smith, Megan.
46:39
Game Leaders
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
mid
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
GK
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