Soccer continues search for first MAC win
After four Mid-American Conference games, the Central Michigan soccer team is still winless.
The Chippewas (5-4-3, 0-2-2 MAC) will look to earn conference victories against Toledo (5-4-3, 2-0-2) on Thursday and Bowling Green (7-4, 2-2) on Sunday. Last season, Central Michigan topped Toledo on the road and beat Bowling Green in overtime at home.
CMU enters the third weekend of MAC play as the fifth-ranked team in the West Division, which is currently controlled by Ball State (5-5-2, 3-0-1), with Toledo in second place. The East Division is led by Kent State (7-4-1, 3-1), with Bowling Green in fourth place.
Chippewa Playmakers
The Chippewas’ offense is led by junior forward Lexi Pelafas. She is tied for the MAC lead with eight goals and ranks first with 65 shots. Pelafas has 28 career goals at CMU.
Madison Costner is tied for sixth in the conference with four goals scored. The senior forward also has one assist on the season.
This past weekend, Central Michigan allowed just one goal in two games. Junior goalkeeper Zoie Reed made nine saves and the defense played a huge role in clearing the ball on multiple occasions. Led by Lauren Sherry and Mary Carlson, the back line has allowed just 16 goals on the season. Carlson leads CMU with 1,130 minutes, along two goals and one assist.
Scouting Report
Toledo is 2-0-2 in MAC play, defeating Miami (Ohio) and Northern Illinois and earning a draw against Ball State and Western Michigan. Meanwhile, Bowling Green is 2-2-0 in conference action with wins over Miami (Ohio) and Northern Illinois and losses to Ball State and Western Michigan.
The Rockets are led by junior defender Hannah Scafaria. She is ranked third in the MAC with six goals scored. Along with Scafaria’s efforts, Toledo’s offensive threat comes from seniors Sophie Pohl and Isa Echeverri. Both women have scored two goals and fired over 20 shots in 12 games.
In net for the Rockets will be redshirt freshman Madison Perrin, who has accounted for 64 saves, 13 goals allowed, and five shutouts this season.
The Falcons are offensively led by three standouts in Skylar Fleak, Erica Hubert, and Maureen Kennedy. Fleak, a senior forward, is tied with Pelafas as the top scorer in the MAC with eight goals. Meanwhile, Hubert is knotted with Costner for the sixth-best scoring total with four goals. As for Kennedy, the sophomore defender leads the conference with seven assists.
The goalkeeper for Bowling Green will be redshirt sophomore Victoria Cope. She has made 28 saves and allowed 12 goals in 10 games.
Central Michigan faces Toledo at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5 at the CMU Soccer Complex. Then, CMU travels to play Bowling Green at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8 at Cochrane Soccer Stadium.
