“A Top-of-the-Table Clash”: Arch-Rivals Battle to Scoreless Draw; Soccer Remains Undefeated in MAC Play

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — "A top-of-the-table clash."

Central Michigan Soccer took Western Michigan to a scoreless tie Sunday at the CMU Soccer Complex as the pair of undefeated Mid-American Conference squads stayed that way after 90 gritty minutes in front of a season-best crowd for Hooligans' Day.

"The crowd was awesome," Head Coach Jeremy Groves said. "I think it really helps our team and, obviously against a tough opponent, that may have been the edge to keep us going at times as well. This is the kind of atmosphere we want."

Both the Chippewas (4-4-3, 2-0-2 MAC) and Broncos (5-1-5, 2-0-2 MAC) etched their third straight shutout in league play. While a steady, swirling wind was a notable factor, it was clear there were also some nerves to settle early on.

"I didn't think that we were composed enough in the first half, I felt like we were a little panicky. I thought we defended pretty well throughout but…we gave the ball away too much so that's something we talked about at halftime it to try to 'play our game and do what we do'."

The intermission made the difference as both shots on-goal from the Chippewas Sunday came in the second half. Ashley Scesniak (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / William Fremd) nearly found the advantage in the 56^th minute with a crossing attempt that was tucked inside the upper-left corner of the goal, only to have the Broncos' keeper's fingertips get in the way.

"The first 10-15 minutes of the second half I thought we did really well and then a little bit in spells after that."

CMU and WMU each have a six-goal game on their record in the past few weeks. The Chippewas finished nonconference play with a 6-1 tally at Purdue Fort Wayne (Sept. 11) while the Broncos notched a 6-0 result over Miami (OH) in the MAC's opening week. With back-to-back shutouts in hand for each team heading into Sunday's match, the defensive focus remained.

The CMU defense continued to stand tall as it had in the previous two shutouts (Akron, Sept. 22; at NIU, Sept. 26). Just three attempts on the day were put on-target to leave Allison LaPoint (Royal Oak, Mich. / Shrine Catholic) fresh for the Broncos' best opportunity in the 80^th minute, a two-on-one breakaway.

"They have two or three quality strikers who've scored a bunch of goals this year. Our aim was to shut those people down today and I thought for the most part we limited little thing from them. Obviously, at the end Al makes the big save."

Tempers began to run over as the clock ticked away in the contest, with three cards being issued in the final 10 minutes which only added to the overall tone for the matchup of arch-rivals.

"It kind of had that feel to a tournament game. Real edgy, it was always going to be. If it was going to be won or lost, it was going to be a one-goal game."

Twenty-five of the previous 32 meetings between the in-state foes were decided by one goal, though Sunday marked the first draw in series history to leave the overall mark tied at 16-16-1. The Chippewas and Broncos remain tied in the MAC standings with eight points apiece, now for second by virtue of Buffalo's (8-1-2, 3-1-0 MAC) third league victory at Northern Illinois Sunday, 3-0.

Central Michigan Soccer will remain idle until a visit to Toledo next Sunday (Oct. 6, 1 p.m.) as the Mid-American Conference will take a break from its action Thursday. The Chippewas return to Mount Pleasant Thursday, October 10 to host Ball State.

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“A Top-of-the-Table Clash”: Arch-Rivals Battle to Scoreless Draw; Soccer Remains Undefeated in MAC Play

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Team Stats

Claudia Muessig

Rachel Jackson

Cece Mernatti

Jenna Little

Players Mentioned

Allison LaPoint

Ashley Scesniak