LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Freshman Saige Lyons helped the Eastern Washington soccer team make history on Friday afternoon, as her golden goal in the 104th minute of the second overtime lifted the Eagles past UC Davis, 3-2, to give them their first 3-0-0 start in program history.
It was yet another thrilling finish for EWU, as they had to play in its second overtime contest of the season just three games into 2016. It took two overtimes to determine a winner between the Eagles and the Aggies, as Eastern Washington had to overcome a 2-0 deficit after allowing back-to-back goals in the 49th and 51st minute.
Eastern would begin its comeback in the 75th minute, as sophomore Jenny Chavez collected her first goal of the season. The Eagles offense kept pushing for the equalizer over the next few minutes, and they finally found it with nine minutes remaining in regulation with a Lexi Klinkenburg goal. Eastern's defense stood tall for the remainder of the second half to force extra time.
Neither team could break through with a goal in the first 10-minute overtime period, but four minutes into the second 10-minute overtime frame, Lyons, who was making her first career start at Eastern, rewarded Chad Bodnar's decision to insert her into the starting eleven with her first career game-winning-goal in the 104th minute of action on Friday.
"We wanted to anticipate the heat, so we switched formations in preparation," Bodnar said after the game. "We were playing a really good team today, and I thought we did a nice job in the first half and we had a few opportunities early, but didn't finish. We need to do a better job at finishing goals early and make games a little bit easier on us. We came in the second half and had seven bad minutes and they punished us for it. We had to dig and fight our way out of it and the players stepped up to the challenge. Once we got that first goal, they wanted to go get the second and that's good the see. Our team put in a lot of work today."
Win-Loss Records
Eastern Washington improves to 3-0-0 on the season, while UC Davis falls to 1-2-0.
What it Means
The victory today marks the first 3-0-0 start in program history for Eastern Washington soccer. Similar to last season, EWU was unbeaten (2-0-1) heading into a matchup with UC Davis. The script would be different in 2016, as they avenged a 3-0 road loss last season with today's neutral site victory.
Keys to the Game
EWU played a well-rounded match, gaining contributions from the whole team. Three different players scored a goal, and five total players earned points in this evening's contest.
UC Davis' goalkeeper recorded six saves in the match, keeping the Eagles from potentially running away with the game.
Top Performers
Junior Aimie Inthoulay was a key offensive distributor, recording key assists on both the equalizing goal in the 81st minute and then again on Lyon's golden goal.
Junior Lexi Klinkenberg and sophomore Jenny Chavez both scored their first goals on the season, while freshman Saige Lyons scored her very first collegiate goal in the biggest moment of the game.
Turning Point
The Eagles rallied back from behind 2-0 and scored two goals in just six minutes, giving them the opportunity to win the match. The defense quickly regrouped and kept the Aggies from scoring again over the next 54 minutes of play to give the offense a chance for the come-from-behind win.
Team Highlights
EWU outshot UC Davis 16 to 12, and earned nine corner kicks compared to just six for UCD.
Notables
Eastern Washington earned its first 3-0-0 start in program history with the 3-2 overtime win today.
The team earned its first win against UC Davis in program history, moving the all-time series up to 1-2.
Bodnar Bites
On Picking Up Their Third Win in Thrilling Fashion: "We knew going into the year our schedule would be tougher. We wanted to challenge the kids early on, and we've been able to get some victories. I think the positive thing is that there are still things to fix. You always want to get better and try to win, and give the players a lot of credit for their heart and determination."
First 3-0-0 start: "You always want to reach milestones and keep pushing the program forward, but we need to continue to focus and move onto the next one. 3-0-0 doesn't get us where we want to be at the end of the season. We have a quick turnaround and play a good UNLV team on Sunday, so we have to rest up and get ready for that one."
What's Next
The Eagles stay in Las Vegas, continuing the UNLV Invitational against the hosting Rebels on Sunday, August 28, starting at 1 p.m. PST.
Tweet of the Game
For more information and exclusive content on the Eastern Washington soccer team, follow @EWUSoccer on Twitter.
