Sports Update: Soccer wins MAC regular season title

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As the time switched to zeros, the entire soccer team joined together on the field to celebrate the first Mid-American Conference championship in program history Friday at the CMU Soccer Complex.

Senior Stephanie Martin found sophomore Chelsi Abbott near the six-yard-box to give CMU the 1-0 win against Bowling Green.

“I saw Steph (Martin) had it and was looking for me,” Abbott said. “So while the defense was pushing up, I dropped back and I knew it would just slide through them because of the messy conditions and I just placed it into the corner.”

The win officially clinched the regular season championship, with Eastern Michigan still being eligible for a championship if Central had lost today.

“Our freshmen came in committed,” said coach Tom Anagnost. “Our returners did a good job of that and that the culture is why it is what it is and it just makes it extremely enjoyable for everyone to be around.”

On a day where rain fell for most of the game and puddles forming on the field, Anagnost credits his team playing to their ability instead of letting the weather get the better of them.

“Although it was horrendous to play in, the women were fantastic and they dealt with the elements really well,” he said. “Surfaces like that even out the playing field normally, but I felt that you could tell that we had the ball a little more.”

With the clinching of the MAC regular season championship, Central also clinches the ability to host both the semi-finals and finals of the MAC tournament as long as CMU advances in its opening round match against the eight seed.

The Chippewas play Toledo at 1 p.m. Sunday in the CMU Soccer Complex.