Soccer ties Toledo 0-0 in 2 OT; extends shutout streak

The CMU soccer team tied Toledo on Sunday at the CMU Soccer Complex after locking up the regular season Mid-American Conference championship on Friday.

With the draw, CMU’s 12-game winning streak comes to an end, but its shutout streak continues to grow. Now at 13 games, it is tied for the second longest streak in NCAA Division-I history.

Though the team earned the shutout and held two-time reigning MAC Player of the Year Molly Cornwell to three shots, sophomore defender Liesel Toth said the team was disappointed with its concentration level.

“It’s frustrating,” she said. “Mentally, we were almost ready for it because, before the game, we were ready for it. But during the game, I don’t know what happened. It stinks that we couldn’t play a good team when we were at our best.”

Toledo (9-6-3, 5-3-2) came into the game in fourth place in the MAC and now is fifth. It was the preseason pick to win the MAC.

The Rockets had only two shots before the second overtime, but those two shots came within the first 20 minutes.

Toth said CMU (14-3-1, 9-0-1) was not ready to play at the level where Toledo started the game, and the team cannot let the opponent come out stronger than it.

“I didn’t think we came to compete, really,” she said. “Toledo came out hard, and we were ready for that because we had played teams that came out just as hard with high pressure, but it didn’t happen.”

With the shutout, junior goalkeeper Shay Mannino added to her school-record 12 shutouts on the season. She now has 24 in her career, three short of tying Anne Decker for first in school history.

Celebrating a First

The soccer team celebrated its first MAC championship of any kind Friday with a 1-0 win against Bowling Green.

Sophomore Chelsi Abbott scored the game-winner for the fourth consecutive game, with an assist from senior Stephanie Martin, to move her into fourth place in the MAC with four goals during MAC play.

“I saw Steph (Martin) had it and was looking for me,” she 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.”

Coach Tom Anagnost said the commitment level of the team is what has allowed it to lead the MAC This season.

“It is the most committed group of players since I have been here in three years,” he said. “We don’t have a high quantity of players, but the quality of who they are is of very high nature.”

Central also clinched home-field advantage in the semifinals Nov. 6 and finals Nov. 8 of the MAC Tournament.

The Chippewas next play at 3 p.m. Thursday at Eastern Michigan to end the regular sesaon.