Non-conference play is starting to wind down in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). But there is still a lot to cover from the past week, including some enticing matchups on deck for this weekend.
Let’s break it down:
Kent State University at Louisville:
Coming off a 1-1 draw against Cornell, the Kent State Golden Flashes were going to need star power to pull off a dominant performance against the Louisville team. Coming into this match, the Louisville Cardinals were on a 4-game winning streak and had recently defeated the University of South Carolina Upstate in a stunning 9-0 victory.
This dominance would prevail as the Cardinals go on to win in an 8-0 finish against the Golden Flashes. After this loss, Kent State now stands eighth in the MAC (Mid-American Conference) standings, going 2-2-2 overall.
Northern Illinois University at the University of Wisconsin-Madison:
Northern Illinois’ final season in the MAC is proving to be lackluster so far, as they look for their first win on the road. While the University of Wisconsin-Madison has star power shining through, as Hailey Baumann was named BIG 10 Offensive Player of the week for her performance against Central Michigan and Marquette, helping the University of Wisconsin Badgers extend their perfect record. The Badgers would go on to lose their perfect record against LSU (Louisiana State University) the following week.
But the Badgers’ dominance was undeniable on Thursday, winning in a 3-0 shutout, making Northern Illinois’ away record 0-2-1.
Bowling Green at Robert Morris University:
The odds were heavily in Bowling Green’s favor as they’re 3-0 overall against Robert Morris (RMU Athletics). This last non-MAC conference for the Bowling Green Falcons was a confidence booster, as the Falcons won 2-1, extending their undefeated streak against Robert Morris. After facing a 1-0 deficit and coming back to win 2-1, equalizing by halftime and scoring the winning goal with only 28 minutes left in the match (BGSU Athletics).
With this win, Bowling Green is now on top of the MAC standings, but of course, the true test will be the upcoming matches against the MAC.
Ohio University vs Northern Kentucky University:
Coming off a 3-0 shutout against Oakland University, the Ohio University Bobcats might have felt confident coming into their matchup against an equally skilled Northern Kentucky, after winning a 5-0 shutout against Morehead State.
The equally matched opponents left this match at a stalemate as they drew 1-1, leaving the Bobcats (2-3-1) 12th in the MAC standings.
Miami University at Morehead State:
Miami leads the all-time series 8-1 against Morehead State, who are looking to bounce back after losing 5-0 to Northern Kentucky, going 0-0-3 in their last three. Despite Miami’s dominant record, Morehead State won 1-0 against the Miami Redhawks.
Toledo vs Detroit Mercy:
Toledo is looking to start a hot streak after a slow start to the season, going 1-2-1 in their first four matches. While Detroit Mercy hasn’t been having the best luck, going 1-4 into this game. After this 2-1 victory against Detroit Mercy, Toledo starts a 3-game winning streak in their penultimate non-MAC matchup.
Here are the previews to this Sunday’s matchups:
Central Michigan University at the University of South Dakota – 12:00 p.m.
The Central Michigan Chippewas are hoping to get their first win of the season and end their scoreless streak against the University of South Dakota. This meeting will be the second time these two programs have faced each other, 2024 being the first, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Ball State vs Butler – 1:00 p.m.
Ball State is coming into this match after equalizing their record, winning two of their last three game, and an added confidence boost with the offensive player of last week.
Addie Chester was named MAC Offensive Player of the Week last week for her performance against Eastern Illinois last Sunday. Chester scored two of the four goals for the Ball State Cardinals, including the game-winner. This means Chester has three goals in the three matches this season. Although this marks her first weekly recognition as a Cardinal, Chester was also named to the First Team All-MAC for the 2024 season (Ball State Athletics). You might want to keep an eye on her as the season unravels.
While the Cardinals are racking up a lot of achievements this week, Butler is coming into this game after their first loss of the season. After losing to Northwestern in comeback fashion on Sunday (8/31), Butler may want to rally itself while on their third consecutive game on the road (Butler University Athletics).
University of Massachusetts vs Boston College – 1:00 p.m.
The University of Massachusetts’ (UMass) first season in the MAC has been a little lackluster so far, going 2-1-2 into their final non-MAC conference match-up with Boston College. Boston College has a 3-0-2 record at home and is looking to bounce back after a 0-0 draw. With a 0-1-2 record when playing away, it looks like UMass is going to have to face tough competition ahead of them.
Western Michigan University vs Detroit Mercy – 1:00 p.m.
Western Michigan leads the all-time series against Detroit Mercy 6-5-1, winning three of the last four meetings against the Detroit Mercy Titans. Although the Titans are on a 5-game losing streak, Junior Goalkeeper Eva Hill is having a career season.
After missing out on the 2024 season, Hill has 19 saves on the season so far, making 2025 a productive year for her. But as mentioned before, although Hill has been having an amazing season so far, the Titans offense hasn’t been able to hold her up as the Titans go 1-5 into this matchup.
Ohio University at Indiana University – 1:00 p.m.
After the Bobcats’ disappointing 1-1 draw against Northern Kentucky, they hope to bounce back against Indiana University, which has gone 0-1-2 in its last three games. Will the Bobcats pull it off and get out of the MAC standing limbo, or will they stay snug in 12th place?
Kent State University at Oakland University – 1:00 p.m.
Kent State needs to bounce back against an Oakland team that doesn’t have the best record against MAC teams this season, after suffering the 8-0 in Louisville. Oakland’s record against MAC teams this season has been a swing and a miss, losing to Bowling Green (1-0), Toledo (1-0), and Ohio University (3-0).
This can mean good things for Kent State, giving the Golden Flashes a chance to secure a win and maybe even move up from eighth in the MAC standings to potentially fifth (if the other match results fall in their favor, of course).
Bowling Green vs Duquesne – 1:00 p.m.
The Bowling Green Falcons are standing tall at the top of the MAC conference standings with a 4-1-1 record, but the Falcons will be facing an equally skilled opponent in Duquesne. Duquesne is sitting in second place in the Atlantic 10 conference standings with a record of 4-1.
This game seems like it will be worth keeping an eye on on Sunday, with an equal matchup like this, who knows how things will play out? This will also be the final non-conference game for the Falcons.
Eastern Michigan University at DePaul University – 1:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan is looking to start up a hot streak after going 2-0-1 in its last three games, with a 1-0 record when playing away. While DePaul is on a cool streak, it has lost its last three games. Including falling to rivals University of Illinois-Chicago, despite outshooting 12-4 and holding 60 percent of possession (DePaul University Athletics).
