POCATELLO, Idaho -- For the first time since 2004 and just the second time in program history, the Eastern Washington University soccer team clinched the Big Sky Conference Regular Season title today (Oct. 20) with a 4-2 win over Idaho State. With the victory, the Eagles earn home field advantage and will host the Big Sky Conference Tournament on Nov. 1-5 in Cheney.
"It's great to see our players accomplish our goal of hosting the tournament, and I'm extremely proud of all of them as well as our staff," said head coach Chad Bodnar. "We have more goals to accomplish this season and a lot of work left to do. We will enjoy this tonight and get back to work tomorrow."
EWU improves to 13-4-1 overall with an undefeated 7-0-1 conference mark. The Eagles have stayed unbeaten for 10 games, which ties for first in program history and also marks the longest unbeaten streak in Big Sky competition for the Eagles in eight games.
Chloe Williams got the monumental day for the EWU soccer program started in the third minute. After receiving a pass at midfield from Aimie Inthoulay, Williams scored from the right side of the net to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. The goal was the senior's 40th of her career as she became the Big Sky's All-Time leader in career goals. The previous record was held by Amanda Ellsworth (2011-14) from Idaho State who had 39.
Three minutes later, Devan Talley got the ball past the goalie from the right side of the net with a pass from Williams, giving EWU a 2-0 lead. In the 27th minute, Jenny Chavez scored her seventh goal of the season from 25 yards out, extending Eastern's lead to 3-0.
Idaho State eventually got on the board with a goal from Makena Bambei with a shot into the upper left corner. At the half, Eastern held a 3-1 lead and were outshooting the Bengals 11-7, including seven shots on goal.
In the 71st minute, Saige Lyons beat a defender and the goalkeeper and launched the ball into the back of the net, pushing EWU's lead to 4-1. Talley was credited for the assist as she totaled three points on the day.
The Bengals responded in the 79th minute with a header goal from Brooke Kortekaas in the middle of the box after a cross from Kathryn Leachman, making the score 4-2 in favor of the Eagles. Eastern Washington held strong for the final 11 minutes, en route to the program's first Big Sky Regular Season Championship since 2004.
"I'm extremely proud of our group and their performance today in a tough environment," added Bodnar. "Huge credit to Idaho State for playing extremely hard today and making it tough on us. We were very sharp in front of the goal today and did some nice things going forward."
Eastern outshot ISU 23-10 and had 13 shots on goal. Senior goalkeeper Emily Busselman had one save on the day and now improves to 11-1-1 overall.
Win-Loss Record
ISU falls to 3-13 on the year and 2-6 in the Big Sky. Eastern improved its series record to 9-12-1 all-time against the Bengals.
What it Means
Eastern remains the only undefeated team in the Big Sky and now has 22 points overall. The win gives Eastern Washington home field advantage for the 2017 BSC Championship.
Keys to the Game
The Eagles scored within three minutes of the game and kept their lead from there with four different Eagles scoring.
Eastern's offense was aggressive throughout the entire match as they outshot the Bengals 23-10 and recorded a season-high 13 shots on goal.
Top Performers
Chloe Williams scored the first goal of the game, tallying 40 career goals. The senior forward also collected an assist for three points on the day. The assist was the 20th of her career, which is sixth all-time in Big Sky history.
Devan Talley also totaled three points on the day with one goal and one assist. Jenny Chavez and Saige Lyons also scored for the Eagles in the victory.
Freshman Emma Vanderhyden led the team in shots with five, two of those being on goal.
Notables
Chloe Williams now holds the record of the most career points and goals in the Big Sky. The senior has 100 points and 40 career goals. Amanda Ellsworth (2011-14) from Idaho State previously held both of the records. She also moved into a tie for sixth-place all time in conference history for career asssits with 20.
As a team, Eastern has scored 38 goals on the year which is second all-time in program history for goals in a single season. The record is 44, set by the 2016 team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Fourth-year head coach Chad Bodnar is now 3-1-0 against Idaho State and earns his first regular season champion title in his time at EWU.
What's Next
The Eagles continue their Big Sky road trip as they travel to Weber State on Sunday, Oct. 22 for an 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time matchup. Eastern will then close out the regular season on the road at Idaho on Oct. 27.
The Big Sky Conference Championship is set for Nov. 1-5 in Cheney at the EWU Soccer Field. Since EWU clinched home field advantage, they will have a bye in the first round and have its first game of the tournament on Friday, Nov. 3.
