Soccer Falls, 2-1, to Miami (OH); Chippewas Squarely in the Middle of MAC Standings

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Central Michigan Soccer dropped a 2-1 result to Miami (OH) in Mid-American Conference play Thursday night as the battle to qualify for the MAC Championship tournament rages on league-wide.

"These games are fine margins," Head Coach Jeremy Groves said. "We just have to make sure we take care of the little details."

Lauren Walker (Essexville, Mich. / Garber) broke up the impending shutout against the Chippewas in the 90^th minute, heading in a corner served in by Claudia Muessig (Paw Paw, Mich. / Paw Paw). It extended Walker's career high to five goals for the season, tied Muessig for the team's top tally and proved the team's willingness to rally yet again.

"I know we have a bunch of fighters; I know we have people that can grind things out."

The result at the CMU Soccer Complex has blurred the line of MAC Tournament contention even further, as the Chippewas and RedHawks now meet in a four-way tie for fifth in the conference standings alongside Bowling Green and Northern Illinois, both of whom Central Michigan defeated earlier on.

"We're right in the mix. We're in a strong position."

With a trip to Ohio (third in the MAC) Sunday and the home finale against Buffalo (second in the MAC) next Thursday, the Chippewas can not only clear the hurdle of the six-team cut line but make up ground at the top of the league leaderboard.

"Our conference is kind of nuts. The results have shown all year, from every conference game that's been played, that anybody's capable of beating anybody on the day and anything can happen."

Miami scored twice within the first 15 minutes of the second half, both via set plays. Allison LaPoint (Royal Oak, Mich. / Shrine Catholic) marked seven saves, tied for the most on-target shots faced from a MAC opponent this season (Eastern Mich.; Sept. 19).

The RedHawks attempted 23 shots overall, the third-most faced by the Chippewa defense this season, having only seen 20-plus from power-conference opponents (Kentucky, TCU, Texas) to this point.

Central Michigan Soccer faces its final road game of the regular season Sunday, visiting the Bobcats for a 1 p.m. kickoff, followed by the Bulls (Oct. 31; 3 p.m.) for the home finale.

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Soccer Falls, 2-1, to Miami (OH); Chippewas Squarely in the Middle of MAC Standings

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Team Stats

Lauren Walker

Claudia Muessig

Ashley Scesniak

Kerry Northcott

Players Mentioned

Allison LaPoint

Claudia Muessig

Lauren Walker