Playing in their second-to-last match of the season, the Central Michigan soccer team emerged with a 2-1 victory over the Ohio Bobcats of the Mid-American Conference East Division.

“I’m really quite pleased with how the team responded overall on the weekend,” said Head Coach Peter McGahey. “They responded really well coming off the long road trip to get down here from home yesterday after the difficult game on Friday night.”

The Chippewas enter next week’s season finale with a 6-9-2 record (5-4-1 MAC), giving them 16 points and placing them firmly in third place in the MAC West Division and sixth overall in the conference.

Junior defender Jordan Young scored her first goal of the season just before halftime in the 41st minute, giving CMU a one-goal advantage over the Bobcats.

Ohio responded with a goal of its own less than 10 minutes into the second half, tying the game at a goal apiece.

In the 75th minute, the Chippewas pushed across what turned out to be the difference in the game when junior midfielder Eliza Van de Kerkhove scored her third goal of the season.

Freshman Zoie Reed got back in the win column as well, making her record 6-7-1 through 14 starts in 2015.

CMU wraps up their regular season schedule at 3 p.m. Thursday against Toledo at the CMU Soccer/Lacrosse complex. The Rockets sit one spot below the Chippewas in the MAC West standings with a 8-11 record (4-6 MAC) and 12 points.

“It’s always important to put a good performance out leading into the playoffs,” McGahey said. “You’ve got to go out and earn the three points. Nothing is free in the MAC, that’s the thing we keep telling the players.”

The MAC Tournament begins with the quarterfinals on Sunday, with the top four seeds hosting the fifth through eighth seeds.

Friday: Kent State 3, Central Michigan 2

A final minute bombardment couldn’t even the score, Friday night, as Central Michigan soccer lost its fourth conference game and ninth overall to Kent State, 3-2.

McGahey said his team played well in bits and spurts, Friday, but felt his team was constantly fighting an uphill battle.

“I think Kent (State) did a good job of doing what they did and imposing more of their game than we were able to,” he said. “Sometimes if you’re running uphill on a treadmill all the time, that’s a difficult thing to maintain the whole game. We felt like we were chasing uphill today.”

The MAC leader in goals scored, Kent State scored first early at 7:07 when a lackadaisical Central Michigan defense couldn’t clear the ball from their box.

Reed said she couldn’t see the ball as it bounced sporadically.

“I wasn’t fully prepared enough for the save,” Reed said. “I really feel like I trusted my defense throughout the time period to really get those balls out.”

With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, the hustle of Van de Kerkhove brought the Chippewa offense to life when she drew a free kick.

The free kick sparked a late first half barrage, which resulted in an Alexis Pelafas headed-in goal at 41:32. Junior midfielder Samantha Maher assisted Pelafas on her third goal of her freshman campaign.

The Chippewas couldn’t carry the late first half momentum into the second, as the Golden Flashes found the back of the net twice in less than a minute early in the second half.

“The second goal I was clearly accountable for,” Reed said. “I wasn’t confident enough to make the first save or the second save or the third save. I believe it’s my decisions, my accountability to make certain decisions.”