Soccer Blanks Eastern Michigan in Season Finale, 2-0

Wednesday, October 29

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

3 p.m.

Central Michigan University

1-14-3, 1-8-3

Eastern Michigan

6-8-4, 4-4-4

Eastern Michigan

Central Michigan

Photo by: Lauren Verellen '26 - @laurenverellen_photography

Photo by: Lauren Verellen

Photo by: Kailey Hill '26 - @rahsignz

10/29/2025 7:06:00 PM | Soccer

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Chippewas tally pair between the 60th and 70th minutes

By: Harrison LaLone

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Central Michigan Soccer took down in-state rival Eastern Michigan, 2-0, at the CMU Soccer Complex Wednesday. The result ended the 2025 season for both programs.

"I'm so happy for our players, they deserve this," Head Coach Jeremy Groves said. "These young ladies, they show up every day to train. They could have mailed it in a long time ago, but that's their character. I think that showed through today."

The Chippewas finally got over the hump after multiple close calls in the Mid-American Conference schedule. A missed penalty at Ball State, late chances against Kent State—both MAC Tournament qualifiers—and a slip late against Toledo left three potential victories as draws.

"There's been other games where it's fine margins. We've been really close all season. So, to get one over the line when it's the last game of the season is positive."

The Eagles were still alive in the MAC Tournament chase as well on Wednesday, a fact well-known in the CMU locker room.

"We were playing for ourselves at this point, but they were playing for a playoff berth. We knew that they were coming here with a lot on the line, so it wasn't going to be a nothing game. We wanted to come in with a chip on our shoulders to make sure we end the season on a high note going into the spring.

"[Eastern Michigan] had a decent season, and I think that shows the frustration that we should have been right there because we just beat a team who was almost in the tournament 2-0. It's a barometer for us of where we should be and not where we are right now."

Freshman Jimena Perez Ayala (Monterrey, Mexico / ASF Monterrey) struck the game-winner in the 63^rd minute, junior Jordan Bailey (Huntington Beach, Calif. / Huntington Beach) provided insurance in the 68^th. Both scores were serviced by sophomore Ella Betzold (Essexville, Mich. / Garber).

A young roster needs time to gel. With so many newcomers in the fall, the program missed out on having a spring session in 2025 to expedite the process after the previous was derailed due to injury.

"We haven't had a spring season for two years. In your spring season, you get to play different players, you get to figure out formations, you get to figure out what you've got. Unfortunately for us, we haven't had that and with so many new players in the fall, it was almost like we were trying to find ourselves during the season."

Perez Ayala is part of a seven-member freshman class that accounted for over one-third of minutes logged by the Chippewas this season, and led the offense with three goals on the season—all in matches that led to points in the MAC standings. Kylee Weed (Jackson, Mich. / Northwest) led the team with over 1,400 minutes, Sofia Spano (Bloomfield Hills, Mich. / Bloomfield Hills) and Liv Moulton (Manchester, England / Sixth Form) each eclipsed 1,000 as well.

"We have a lot of young players that have a huge amount of experience from this fall, which hopefully now can really kick on from this."

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