Chippewas aim to extend shutout streak through weekend

• Tweet
• 

The Central Michigan women’s soccer team has given up only five goals during 10 games this season.

The Chippewas (7-1-2, 1-0-1 MAC) try to uphold that number in the stat books as they put their three-game shutout streak on the line as they host Buffalo on at 4 p.m. on Friday and Kent State at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday at the CMU Soccer Complex.

“I think how well we are doing defensively stems from the pressure we get on teams from our forwards on back,” said CMU head coach Neil Stafford. “Without the forwards and midfielders, the defenders and goalkeepers would be exposed very much.”

CMU will encounter a Buffalo defense anchored by sophomore goalkeeper Ainsley Weldon. Weldon comes in with a 0.50 goals-against average and has recorded six shutouts through its first ten games.

“If we come out with a strong presence, that will be extremely important,” said junior defender Katie Slaughter. “And then scoring, I think that’s something we struggled with last weekend and that’s something we have been working on; just connecting and getting the ball up the field and putting it in the net.”

The Bulls (8-2, 1-1) avenged their 2-1 loss against Bowling Green last Friday with a 1-0 overtime victory against Miami of Ohio on Sunday.

Kent State (7-3, 1-1) features an offensive attack led by three players with four or more goals. Sophomore Jessacca Gironda has a team-high five goals, good for third in the Mid-American Conference.

Kent State leads the MAC with 20 goals.

“We just need to keep ourselves organized,” Stafford said. “If we focus on what we do well, then we will be successful.”

The Golden Flashes are coming off a 1-0 victory against BGSU on Sunday after losing to Miami 2-1 on Friday.

After freshman forward Morgan Wilcoxon’s goal against Ohio on Sunday, she joins Emily Cooksey and Laura Gosse as all three true freshmen have scored this season.

“They are definitely a dynamic group,” Slaughter said. “It’s really special that they can just come in and help our team. They all want the ball all the time and are always working really hard.”

The goaltending for the Chippewas has continued to be a major strength for their team. Junior Stefanie Turner was named a MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week, posting 155 minutes of shutout play over the weekend.

Redshirt freshman Grace Labrecque has started her career with a scoreless streak of 266:26.

CMU is unbeaten in its last 27 games at home and looks to extend that streak. Both games this weekend are part of alumni weekend.

The Chippewas are 8-3-2 against Buffalo all-time and 7-6-3 versus Kent State, including a four-game winning streak.