Soccer upsets Ohio in double OT
Senior defenseman Maria Kaschalkmaneuvers the ball past a sliding Michigan State defender on Thursday, Aug. 26 in the CMU Soccer Complex.
Hearts pounding, fans standing as all eyes were on Central Michigan's Maria Kaschalk as she approached the ball for a free kick in double overtime.
The ball flies off her foot and the angle is perfect, whistling over the heads of every player and curling right over the hands of the goalkeeper.
The crowd erupts, her teammates and coaches rush over to her as they celebrate a walk-off goal.
“At that point it’s all-guns-blazing," Kaschalk said. "You got to go for it, you’ve got nothing to lose, we just knew we had to work hard."
CMU (8-7-1 overall, 5-4-1 Mid-American Conference) took down conference-leading Ohio (11-4-2, 7-1-2 MAC) in a 3-2 double overtime finish on Sunday.
Three CMU seniors scored today to cap off senior day with a cherry on top.
“I’m sure they’re all dancing and doing crazy stuff, it’s awesome,” said coach Jeremy Groves. “They deserve it, they deserve to have a little bit of fun and enjoy themselves.”
How it Happened
The Chippewas put the pressure on the Bobcats early. Early defensive stops and breakaway opportunities lead to an early goal when senior Samantha Kaye-Toral buried a rebound for a 1-0 CMU lead.
With under 10 minutes left in the first half Ohio tied the game with a well-crossed ball and a well-executed header from junior Regan Berg. CMU came out of the gate in the second half with an energy level unmatched by the Bobcats.
Despite applying tremendous pressure in the second half, CMU found themselves behind late. The Bobcats would take a 2-1 lead late off a goal from fifth year senior Sarina Dirrig, leaving the Chippewas desperate for a goal with five minutes left.
An Ohio foul gave CMU a free kick for redshirt senior Riley Mann. She went top shelf, and Wexell bobbled the ball as the shot went in the net to force overtime.
The tie brought the Chippewas for yet another overtime finish. A back and forth first OT was full of emotion and excitement. But like Thursdays finish, double-overtime was the result.
Midway through double overtime CMU was awarded another free kick, in range of the goal. Kaschalk got the green light from coach Groves to shoot. Her kick was good as her teammates and coaches sprinted onto the field to celebrate a walk-off victory.
“I want them to have full confidence in themselves to be able to go for that (free kick) and shoot,” Groves said. “It’s a big thing the confidence (to shoot) they do it in training all the time and sometimes in games it doesn’t show through, but it was a great free kick.”
Key Stats
OU got 15 shots off and put nine on goal compared to CMU’s 13 shots and six on goal.
CMU had six corners while OU only had one corner opportunity.
There was a total of 23 fouls, 13 on CMU and 10 on OU.
Key Performers
Kaschalk had the game winning goal off a free kick to go along with her stellar defensive play.
Mann had the game tying goal near the end of regulation along with two shots and two on goal.
Kaye-Toral had the opening goal to go along with two shots.
Up Next
With one game remaining CMU will travel out of town to face Eastern Michigan at 3 p.m. Thursday at Scicluna Field in Ypsilanti, MI.
Scoring Summary
1ST (14:58) CMU (1-0) Samantha Kaye-Toral (Chlystun)
1ST (36:13) OU (1-1) Regan Berg (Knorr)
2ND (83:24) OU (1-2) Sarina Dirrig (Townsend)
2ND (85:59) CMU (2-2) Riley Mann
2OT (105:24) CMU (3-2) Maria Kaschalk
