CHENEY, Wash. – The Eastern Washington University women's soccer team is championship bound, as it knocked off No. 1 seed Idaho 1-0 in the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference Championship on Friday, Nov. 4.

The team continues to roll after its first ever postseason win against No. 4 Montana on Wednesday, Nov. 2. Now No. 5 seed Eastern will face No. 3 Northern Arizona in the Big Sky Championship finals match on Sunday, Nov. 6. The game will be held on the EWU Soccer Field starting at 12 p.m. Pacific Time.

After a physical first half that saw only eight combined shots and none on goal, the tensions began to rise in the second half as the clock started winding down. Tough play was delivered back and forth on both sides as teams finally got good looks at the goal. With a save apiece, both Eastern and Idaho were holding steady with the clock running under five minutes.

With the season on the line in the 88th minute, the Eagles would answer the call on the postseason stage. Receiving a throw in, junior Aimie Inthoulay popped the ball up field to a sprinting Chloe Williams. With a three-on-two matchup, Williams hit a beautiful cross to Allison Raniere in position, who nailed the game-winning shot. With just two minutes remaining, the Eagles held tight and took the 1-0 victory, narrowly avoiding overtime.

"It was a total team effort," said head coach Chad Bodnar. "Our kids worked extremely hard and did what we asked them to do. We got a clutch goal from Allison and a great ball from Chloe to finish it, and in those last three minutes we had a lot of defending to do because you know Idaho will never back down."

Win-Loss Record
Eastern Washington improves to 13-4-3 with the win, while Idaho falls to 10-5-4.

What it Means
EWU will advance to the championship round of the Big Sky tournament for the first time in the program's 19-year history. The Eagles took advantage of another matchup in Cheney against the rival Vandals, defeating them for the second time this season after their 2-1 overtime finish on Sept. 25.

Keys to the Game
The defense was on display in primetime, as the EWU backline earned its second straight shutout in the tournament. Idaho was kept to just nine shots, and limited them to only one on goal. Goalkeeper Mallory Taylor and the rest of the defensive unit also survived six corner kicks on its way to the clean sheet.

Top Performers
Sophomore Allison Raniere scored the game-winning goal of the semifinals on her first goal of the 2016 season.

Junior Chloe Williams recorded an assist on the lone goal of the contest, and posted four shots with one on goal.

Senior Mallory Taylor has shined as the Eagles goalkeeper, posting her second shutout of the postseason. She had one save in her seventh clean sheet of the year.

Turning Point
In the 88th minute, Inthoulay hit a perfect ball to Williams up-field, giving her position in front of the UI defense. As Williams hit the endline, she crossed the ball past two Vandal defenders and the goalkeeper, giving Raniere an open look at the net. With great position, Raniere would sink the only score that was needed to send Eastern to the BSC Championship.

Team Highlights
There was physical play on both sides of the ball, with the teams tallying a total of 21 fouls. This relentless push for the ball is what allowed the Eagles to take the advantage on the game-winning attack.

Notables
EWU will make its first Big Sky Championship appearance in program history.

With the win, Eastern is now at a school record 13 wins on the season.

In the first semifinal matchup of the day, Northern Arizona took the win over No. 2 Sacramento State in a 3-2 finish.

Allison Raniere scored her first goal of the season and the fourth of her two-year career. Today's  game-winner was also the first of her collegiate career.

Chloe Williams added on to her season and career assists total with her sixth of 2016 and the 18th of her career. She holds the EWU all-time record in assists.

Aimie Inthoulay continues to put up assists in her historic season. With a team-leading 12 assists on the year, she has now passed the second place all-time mark in just one season of work. She holds the single-season record at Eastern for assists, leading the second place mark by four.

Mallory Taylor earned her seventh shutout of the season. With nine in two season of work, she is tied second on the EWU all-time career shutout list. She also set the single-season record for most shutouts in program history.

Bodnar Bites
On championship matchup with NAU: "We have a lot of work to do between now and Sunday, and it's going to be nothing but a dogfight like the last two games have been. They are very well coach and have been hot lately."

What's Next
The Eagles will take on Northern Arizona in the conclusion of the Big Sky Conference Championship on Sunday, Nov. 6 starting at 12 p.m. Pacific Time.

For more information, and exclusive content, on the Eastern Washington soccer team, follow @EWUSoccer on Twitter.