2023 MACtion on the Pitch: Week 3

Welcome back to MACtion on the Pitch, where we take a look at what happened over the course of the week in women’s soccer.

Week 3 saw plenty of Power Five action for the Mid-American Conference. Let’s take a look at what went down:

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Akron (1-4-0)

8/31 vs Dayton (L)
9/3 vs Boston College (L)

Akron welcomed in-state foe Dayton to FirstEnergy Stadium. At 5 minutes and 3 seconds sophomore Emma King got the Zips on the board first. That was her first of the year. Akron wasn’t done yet as junior defender Katie Stafford scored from the penalty spot 1:24 later. That was her first of the year, as well. Dayton scored in the ninth minute to continue a quick scoring pace. Dayton would find the equalizer in the 44th minute to bring the score to 2-2. Dayton would find the go-ahead goal in the 58th minute to go up 3-2. Dayton would go up two in the 63rd minute. Dayton would really blow it open in the 71st minute to make the score 5-2. Akron would not find the net in a very tough second half and would lose their third contest.

Akron would then take on Boston College in their only power 5 game of the year. Boston College would hold the shot advantage 6-1, but Akron goalkeeper Sara Bower saved both of the Eagles’ shots on goal to keep the game tied 0-0 at half. Akron’s defense would not be able to hold the Eagles out of the goal, as Boston College scored two in 30 seconds to go up 2-0 in the 53rd minute. Another tough second half for Akron would give them their fourth loss on the year.

Upcoming matches:

9/10 at Wright State

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Ball State (1-3-0)

9/3 at Loyola Chicago (L)

Ball State traveled to Chicago to take on the Ramblers. Ball State hammered the Ramblers in shots 9-1, but Loyola’s second shot would find the net in the 24th minute to go up 1-0. Ball State held the 10-2 shot advantage, but would go to the break with that 1-0 deficit. Ball State would find the equalizer in the 54th minute, with Lexi Fraley scoring the equalizer. The Ramblers would find the go-ahead goal in the 58th minute to go up 2-1. Ball State held the shot advantage 14-7, but could not find the equalizer. The Cardinals fell to 1-3 on the year.

Upcoming matches:

9/7 at Vanderbilt
9/10 vs Austin Peay

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Bowling Green (2-3-0)

8/31 at Detroit Mercy (W)
9/3 at Pittsburgh (L)

The Falcons traveled to Detroit to take on the Titans. Senior forward Lacee Bethea scored her first of the year in the 12th minute. Detroit scored the equalizer in the 17th minute. The score would hold at 1-1 going into the break. BG would only need 6:24 to break the deadlock. Senior Ellie Pool scored her first of the year to make it 2-1. Freshman Emma Stransky would come up with the assist. BG held the shot advantage 15-9, and came away with their second straight win.

BG then traveled to take on the nationally ranked Pitt Panthers. Pitt would score the first goal of the game in the 13th minute. Pittsburgh already had 13 shots through the first 39 minutes, while Bowling Green could not get a shot off until the 42nd minute. Despite the 17-1 shot disadvantage, the Falcons kept the deficit at 1-0. Bowling Green would give up a penalty in the 56th minute, and Pittsburgh would take advantage to go up 2-0. Pittsburgh added a third goal in the 59th minute. Bowling Green got on the board in the 61st minute. Emma Stransky scored her first collegiate goal, with an assist from the veteran Katie Cox. The Panthers would make it 4-1 with 15 minutes to go. Pitt would make it 5-1 to cap off a tough day for the Falcons. The Falcons fall to 2-3.

Upcoming matches:

9/10 vs Notre Dame

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Buffalo (3-1-1)

8/31 at Canisius (D)
9/3 at Niagara (W)

Buffalo hopped on over to nearby Canisius for a cross-town contest to start the week. Buffalo held the shot advantage 14-5, but couldn’t get the ball in the goal. Canisius held tough, and the game would end in a 0-0 draw. Senior Rebecca Winslow kept the clean sheet, playing the full 90 minutes.

Buffalo made the short trip to Niagara to begin the month of September. The Bulls didn’t need very long as Katie Krohn would score her second of the year in the sixth minute. The Bulls would go up 2-0 almost 90 seconds later. Guess who? Katie Krohn again, her third of the year on a great shot from outside the box. Leading in shots 11-8, Buffalo would take the lead into the half. Mika Marolly assisted both of Krohn’s goals. Buffalo was really grooving offensively, as they held a 27-13 shot advantage. The Bulls won their third of the year by a final of 2-0. Lexi Thompson kept the clean sheet for the Bulls with five saves on the day.

Paul Hokanson/UBBulls.com

Upcoming matches:

9/10 vs Cornell

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Central Michigan (0-1-3)

8/31 at Cincinnati (D)
9/3 at Louisville (L)

The Chippewas took a trip down to Cincinnati on the last day of August. While the Bearcats had the shot advantage, the Chippewas scored first. Junior transfer Jenna Little would score her first goal of the year to take the lead. The score would be 1-0 at the half. Cincinnati only needed 1:39 of the second half to score the equalizer. It was a back and forth battle, but the score would hold at 1-1, for the Chippewa’s third straight draw.

Central Michigan concluded this tough stretch with a contest down in Louisville, looking for another positive result. The Cardinals only needed 13:01 to get on the board. Louisville held a significant shot advantage through 28 minutes. Despite being outshot 10-3, the Chippewas were only down 1-0 going into the break. On their 12th shot, the Cardinals increased their lead to two. Louisville would make it 3-0 in the 57th minute. That would be all, as Louisville outshot Central Michigan 20-5.

Upcoming matches:

9/10 vs Purdue-Fort Wayne

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Eastern Michigan (0-4-2)

8/31 at Michigan State (L)
9/3 at Eastern Kentucky (L)

Eastern would take a trip to East Lansing. Michigan State took the lead in the 14th minute. The scoring would spiral out of control, as Sparty would go up 4-0 in the 29th minute. The score would remain 4-0 at half. Goalkeeper Rebecca Przybylo made a career-high nine saves in the half, despite the offensive onslaught. Michigan State added a fifth in the 79th minute. The Spartans would add a sixth from the PK spot in the 82nd minute. It was an all-around tough game for the Eagles as they will continue to search for win number one.

The Eagles, still in search of win number one, traveled to take on Eastern Kentucky. Eastern Michigan had four shots on goal through 26 minutes, but Kate Robinson scored her second of the year to put the Eagles up 1-0 on the fifth shot. Eastern Kentucky would hold a 10-9 shot advantage, but couldn’t put one on the board, and the halftime score was 1-0. Eagles goalkeeper Ella Holland made three saves in the half. Eastern Kentucky only needed less than seven minutes in the second half to find the equalizer. The Eagles would give up another goal to go down 2-1 in the 67th minute. The score would hold, as Eastern Michigan will continue to search for that first win.

Upcoming matches:

9/7 at Purdue-Fort Wayne
9/10 vs Valparaiso

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Kent State (2-2-2)

8/31 at Arizona (L)
9/3 at Arizona State (D)

Kent State traveled to Tempe for both their contests this weekend. The game was delayed due to heat, but would eventually be played. First, they’d take on the Wildcats. The Flashes held strong for 30 minutes, until 30:43 when the Wildcats got on the board first. It ended up being a tough day for Kent, as they would end up losing 5-0. Congratulations are in order for Sarah Melén, as she became the sixth player in Flashes history to record 200 career saves.

The Flashes stayed in Tempe to take on the Sun Devils. Arizona State scored at the tail end of the 15th minute to go up 1-0. Arizona State held the shot advantage 6-3. Kent State would not have a shot on goal, and would go into the half down. The Flashes only needed less than eight minutes for Alanna Raimondo to score her second of the year to equalize. Alisa Arthur came up with the assist. The defense would hold strong, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Tough stretch of games, but to come out with a result in one match is a positive.

Upcoming matches:

9/10 vs Duquesne

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Miami (2-2-1)

Akul Pappajohn/Miami Athletics

8/31 vs Southern Indiana (W)

Miami welcomed Southern Indiana to Bobby Kramig field on Thursday night. Miami took the lead on freshman Julia Kure’s first career goal in the 43rd minute. Sydney Thompson came up with the assist. That was all the scoring they needed, as the final was 1-0. Miami absolutely dominated in shots the whole game, 20-4. Freshman goalkeeper Dominique Popa played all 90 and kept the clean sheet for Miami’s second straight win.

Upcoming matches:

9/7 at Marshall
9/10 vs Eastern Kentucky

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Northern Illinois (2-2-1)

9/3 at Indiana (L)

The Huskies traveled to Bloomington for their only P5 game of the year. Indiana would hold a 10-3 shot advantage through 35 minutes. Just a few seconds later, the Hoosiers would score the opener to go up. Indiana would have the first half shot advantage at 13-3, but NIU held the deficit at 1-0 going into the halftime break. Indiana would increase their advantage to two in the 64th minute. That would be enough, as the Hoosiers outshot the Huskies 20-5. Goalkeeper Sadie McGill made seven saves in the 2-0 loss.

Upcoming matches:

9/10 at Southern Indiana

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Ohio (2-1-2)

8/31 at Marshall (L)
9/3 vs Northern Kentucky (D)

Ohio made the trip south to Huntington to take on the Thundering Herd. Ohio held a 7-5 shot advantage throughout the half, but could not put one in the net. The score would be 0-0 at half time. The Herd only needed 2:03 to score the first goal of the game. Ohio led the shot advantage 18-10, but would fail to get a goal. Ohio walked away with their first loss of the year, 1-0.

Ohio welcomed the Norse for senior day. Congratulations to Carsyn Prigge, Shae Robertson, Izzi Boyd, Aubrey Rea, Juliana Farina, and Isabella Ginocchi. Ohio held a 12-2 shot advantage in the first half with seven shots on goal. The Bobcats would fail to put one of those seven in the net, and would go into the break level with NKU, 0-0. It was much of the same story for the second half. The Bobcats ended the game with a 24-6 shot advantage, but NKU stopped all 12 shots on goal, and the Bobcats and Norse walked away with the draw

Upcoming matches:

9/7 at Ohio State
9/10 at James Madison

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Toledo (1-2-1)

9/3 at Detroit Mercy (W)

Toledo, still looking for win number one, traveled to Detroit to take on the Titans.

Detroit would hold a 5-4 shot advantage through 40 minutes, but couldn’t break through. The Rockets got the prime opportunity when their 5th shot would break the ice. Madison Medalle scored her fourth of the year, with an assist from McKenna Schultz. Toledo would take the lead into the half. Detroit would keep up in shots but Toledo would score their second of the day in the 64th minute. Guess who? Madison Medalle again, emerging as an early candidate for Offensive Player of the week (maybe of the year)! Her fifth of the year put Toledo up 2-0. Grace Turski and Kaema Amachree would tally assists on that goal. Toledo would ice the game at the tail end of the 83rd minute. Grace Turski would be the goal scorer, assisted by Madison Medalle. The Rockets would win 3-0, finding the win column for the first time in 2023.

Head coach Mark Batman earned his first win at Toledo.

Jacob Tracy/Toledo Athletics

Upcoming matches:

9/7 vs Northwood (D-II)
9/10 vs Oakland

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Western Michigan (3-1-0)

9/3 vs Wisconsin (L)

In a highly-anticipated matchup, the Broncos welcomed the Badgers for their first Power Five game of the season. Both teams accumulated a shot on goal, but Wisconsin made theirs count. Wisconsin would go up 1-0 in the 11th minute. Both teams had the same amount of shots, and shots on goal, through the first 45. The Badgers kept the 1-0 advantage going into the half. Wisconsin would go up 2-0 in the 63rd minute. Western finally got on the board with less than 10 minutes to go. Reagan Wisser, assisted by Drew Martin, would cut the deficit to one. Western would put up a valiant effort, but could not find the equalizer. They fall to 3-1 on the year.

Zoltan Cohen/Western Michigan Athletics

Upcoming matches:

9/7 at Oakland
9/10 at Michigan

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MAC Players of the Week

Offensive Player of the Week

Madison Medalle, redshirt senior forward, Toledo

Medalle had a great game against Detroit scoring two goals, and notching one assist. Medalle has a MAC-leading five goals on the year, solidifying her case as a player of the year candidate.

Co-Defensive Players of the Week

McKenna Schultz, junior defender, Toledo

Schultz was a critical part of the shutout of Detroit Mercy, while notching an assist on Toledo’s first goal. Schultz has played every minute of the season so far, that’s 360 minutes if you’re counting at home.

Ellie Simmons, Sophomore Defender, Buffalo

The reigning DPOY (Defensive Player of the Year) played all 180 minutes for the week, and has been crucial for the Bulls in three straight shutouts.

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Goals of the Week

Our first goal of the week belongs to Jenna Little of Central Michigan, for taking advantage of the Cincinnati error. (Credit: CMU Women’s Soccer/X)

Reagan Wisser scored this header to bring the Broncos back against Wisconsin. (Credit: WMU Women’s Soccer/X)

Other Goals of the week

We give a nod to goals that happened, but could not find video to share.

Katie Krohn, Buffalo
Her second goal from outside the box cemented the 2-0 victory over Niagara.

Emma Stransky, Bowling Green
Stransky’s first career goal got the Falcons on the board in the loss to Pittsburgh.

Alanna Raimondo, Kent State
Raimondo’s equalizer against the Sun Devils notched a huge result for the Golden Flashes.