It was not the start to 2025 that the Eastern Michigan University women’s soccer team had been hoping for.
The Eagles’ unbeaten streak at Scicluna Field came to an end at the hands of non-conference foe the University of Cincinnati, the Power Four opponent flexing their muscles in the second half to pull away and knock off the green and white 4-0.
Eastern Michigan kept things close in the first half, allowing a goal in the 11th minute to Cincinnati’s Maddie Swingle on a penalty kick to trail 1-0, but otherwise keeping the Bearcats scoreless during the first frame.
The second half, however, was a vastly different story.
Things began to unravel for the home team after Faith Broering put the ball into the back of the net in the 56th minute following a corner kick, giving Cincinnati a 2-0 lead.
Another corner kick just a few minutes later led to Maddie Swingle’s second goal of the day in the 61st minute, putting the Bearcats up 3-0, and Bryana Gaynor’s goal in the 65th minute firmly put the contest out of reach, giving the road team a 4-0 advantage that they would not relinquish.
Cincinnati had 19 total shots throughout the course of the 90-minute match compared to Eastern Michigan’s six, with eight of those Bearcats shots being on goal and four going into the back of the net.
The Eagles suffered their first home loss under head coach Taylor Clarke, also collecting multiple yellow cards in the second half of the match in a season opener to forget for the green and white.
Next week, Eastern Michigan will return to action, aiming to secure their first win of the new campaign at home against the University of Illinois Chicago for “Back to School Night” on Aug. 21 at 4 p.m. Viewers can stream the game live on ESPN+ or attend in person at Scicluna Field free of charge.
