Offense comes to life with three goals in road win
Playing in their first road match since the final week of September, Central Michigan soccer took down Akron 3-0 Friday evening at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Three goals are the most CMU has scored against an opponent in a single match this season.
“I'm quite proud of the team,” said Head Coach Peter McGahey. "I thought we showed really good resilience against a really inspired and motivated Akron team. They showed good character and grit throughout the game."
After a weekend that saw CMU attempt 52 shots, attacking chances weren’t as plentiful against the Zips. On Friday they were able to put away the Mid-American Conference opponent with just 12 shots and four shots on goal.
The Chippewas are now 5-7-2 (4-2-1 MAC) following the victory over the Zips. They have now won four of their last six games while starting a modest two-game winning streak in the process.
“We did a good job of capitalizing on our opportunities. I thought the team was really prepared and they did a good job of executing,” McGahey said.
CMU’s first goal came in the game’s opening moments, with junior midfielder Eliza Van de Kerkhove scoring her second goal of the season in the second minute of play.
Resuming the scoring in the second half was freshman forward Madison Pogarch. Scoring in the 60th minute, it was her career college goal.
Capping the busy offensive showing in the 72nd minute for the Chippewas was sophomore midfielder Meghan Sweeney. Like Pogarch, it was Sweeney’s first of her career as well.
“All we really try to do is get a good performance,” McGahey said. "I think it's about how the team feels with what they're trying to do and they believe in each other. That, for me, is much more important than momentum."
Freshman goalkeeper Zoie Reed earned the victory in her 11th start of the season in net. It was also her sixth shutout of the season thus far. She made five saves and faced 10 shots in the winning effort.
CMU has 13 points this season. They came into the weekend third in the MAC West just behind Western Michigan. The top eight teams in the conference will make the MAC Tournament, which begins Nov. 1.
The Chippewas will remain on the road for Sunday’s game against Buffalo. It is scheduled for a noon start at Buffalo’s UB Stadium.
