CHENEY, Wash. – The Big Sky Conference Championship is here, and the Eastern Washington University women's soccer team will take home field advantage against rival, No. 4-seed Montana in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Oct. 2 starting at 1 p.m. Pacific Time.
With an 11-4-3 overall record and 5-3-2 mark in the Big Sky, all the progress the No. 5-seed Eagles have made during the 2016 season comes together in its third-straight tournament appearance. Eastern will be given a chance at the program's first postseason victory and a shot at redemption from last season's semifinals loss to Sacramento State.
Last Time Out
In the final game of the 2016 regular season, Eastern team fell in an overtime heartbreaker to the visiting Montana Grizzlies, 3-2, on Friday, Oct. 28. In typical fashion for this Eastern squad, it only took 11 minutes to put its first points on the board. Off a corner from Allison Raniere, Jenny Chavez headed in a shot above the Montana goalkeeper, giving EWU the 1-0 lead. The Eagles extended their lead in the 25th minute when Chloe Williams rocketed in the goal from outside the 18-yard box on a free kick. UM would later tie the game in the 61st minute, and eventually hit the overtime game-winner in the 93rd minute.
All-Time Series
Montana leads the 20-game series against Eastern with a 14-5-1 record. The Grizzlies currently hold a seven-game win streak against EWU.
Unexpected Hosts
After finishing with the No.5-seed in the league standings, Eastern will still be home to the 2016 Big Sky Championships due to inclement field conditions on Idaho's field. The No. 1-seed Vandals opted to host the championships in Cheney, Washington at the EWU Soccer Field.
Second Chances
Although the Eagles completed its regular on a low-note with a 3-2 defeat against Montana, the team has been granted another opportunity with a second matchup against UM. This time on a grander stage, Eastern could make up for last weekend's loss with a victory when it truly counts, in the quarterfinals of the BSC tournament.
Tournament Outlook
If EWU pulls off the first round win, the team will catch Idaho off its bye with a strong matchup. Earlier this year on Sept. 25, Eastern faced Idaho at home, taking the 2-1 victory in overtime. The Eagles also defeated No. 2-seed Sacramento State 1-0 on the road back on Oct. 2. The semifinal matchup would take place on Friday, Nov. 4 and the finals on Sunday, Nov. 6.
Defensive Importance
Even though EWU sports the Big Sky's highest scoring offense, the defense has been the deciding factor in game this season. When holding its opponents to less than three goals scored, Eastern has an 11-0-2 record.
Team Leaders
Leading the team in points is junior Chloe Williams with 33 on 14 goals and five assists. She leads the BSC in point by 10 and goals by four. Williams is also tied for fifth in the conference for assists, behind team and conference leader junior Aimie Inthoulay with 11 assists. She scored her first goal of the season against Northern Colorado, and is second on the team with 13 points.
Junior Delaney Romero is third on the team in points with 10 on four goals and two assists. In the last two games, Romero has five points, scoring a goal in both games. Sophomore Allison Raniere is second on the team with six assists, and ranks tied for third in the conference. She has recorded four in the last three games.
Big Sky Statistics
The Eagles lead the conference in two categories, goals with 40 and corners with 113. The team is tied first in points and assists, tying Idaho in both categories with 115 and 35, respectively. EWU is fifth in goals allowed, giving up an average of 1.13 a game, and is third in shutouts with six.
National Landscape
Eastern has multiple players who rank on the national level in some of the biggest categories. Aimie Inthoulay is tied third in the nation in assists, and was the NCAA Division I leader for a while. Chloe Williams is tied for 13th for goals and 19th for points.
Averaging 2.22 goals per game, the Eagles are ranked 25th in the nation. With an average of 6.39 points per game, the team is also ranked 25th in the nation. If EWU wins the Big Sky Championship, it earns an automatic bid to the NCAA DI tournament. It would be the first appearance in program history.
Knowing Your Opponent: Montana
On the season, Montana owns a 9-5-5 record and a 5-2-3 record in the BSC. Over its last stretch of six games, the Grizzly defense has recorded four shutouts and a 4-0-2 record. In total, UM has nine shutouts, leading the conference by two. Montana finished the 2015 season at 9-11-2 and 5-4-1 in league play. Head coach Mark Plakorus is in his sixth year with the program and has a 55-48-20 record.
The Grizzlies returned all 11 starters to its squad this season, with only two newcomers. Sophomore Hallie Widner leads the team with 11 points on four goals and three assists this season.
For more information on the Eastern Washington soccer team, follow @EWUSoccer on Twitter.
