OGDEN, Utah – Fresh off clinching the Big Sky Conference Regular Season Championship on Friday, the Eastern Washington University soccer team topped Weber State by a score of 2-1 on Sunday (Oct. 22). After trailing 1-0 at the half, Chloe Williams netted two second-half goals to lead the Eagles to victory.
EWU improves to 14-4-1 overall with an undefeated 8-0-1 conference mark, setting a new program record for wins in a single season. The Eagles have stayed unbeaten for 11 games, which is now the best in program history and also marks the longest unbeaten streak in Big Sky competition for the Eagles in nine games.
"Today was definitely a tough Sunday on the road against a very good Weber State team that played very well. We had to run a lot of people in and had some good performances from players who haven't played a bunch this season," said head coach Chad Bodnar. "Savannah Hoekstra changed the game for us in the second half with her work rate, and Chloe Williams finished two nice goals today."
The first shot on goal for Eastern was in the 22nd minute from Sariah Keister. Williams took another shot shortly after in the 25th minute, but Nikki Pittman was there to collect the back-to-back saves.
In the 31st minute, Morgan Quarnberg scored for the Wildcats off an assist from Madison Garlock, putting Weber State in a 1-0 lead.
At the end of the half, Eastern Washington was outshooting WSU 6-2 and had two shots on goal. This marked the first time EWU did not score in the first half since Oct. 8 in its 2-0 win at Northern Colorado.
In the 61st minute, Savannah Hoekstra ran down the field and eventually dished the ball to Williams at the left side of the net when she netted her 41st career goal and tied the game 1-1. The assist was Hoekstra's fourth of the season.
Following a Weber State foul, the Eagles lined up for a free kick. Aimie Inthoulay passed the ball to Williams on a set piece and she launched it into the back of the net for her 10th goal of the season, giving EWU a 2-1 lead. That also marked Inthoulay's fifth assist on the year.
Hoekstra took the final shot in the 80th minute with Pittman collecting another save, helping seal the 2-1 win for Eastern Washington.
"Today was just an overall gritty win for us and it's nice to see that we can go down in a game and respond with effort and get a result," added Bodnar. "I'm very proud of our group as we keep growing in different areas this season."
Senior goalkeeper Emily Busselman was in net for the Eagles and had one save on the day. She now improves to 12-1-1 overall.
For the Wildcats, Pittman was in net and collected five saves on the day.
At the end of the contest, EWU outshot Weber State 13-5 and had seven shots on goal.
Win-Loss Record
Weber State falls to 3-12-2 on the year and 2-5-2 in the Big Sky. Eastern improved its series record to now 9-13 against the Wildcats. Head coach Chad Bodnar improves to a perfect 4-0 against WSU.
What it Means
Eastern is the only team left undefeated in the Big Sky Conference and has 25 points while sitting in first place. The win was Eastern's 14th of the season, setting a program record for wins in a single season.
Keys to the Game
Despite not being able to score in the first half, the Eagles battled back and were able to collect two goals in the second half to come out with the win.
Eastern's defense was solid as it only allowed five shots when Weber State averages 11 shots a game.
Top Performers
Chloe Williams scored both goals for the Eagles and extended her career goals to 42. She also led the team in shots with six and four of those being on goal. She now has 104 career points, a Big Sky Conference all-time record.
Savannah Hoekstra gave a key assist during the game while also collecting three shots, two of those being on goal. Aimie Inthoulay also had an assist on Williams' game-winning goal in the 79th minute.
What's Next
The Eagles will close out the regular season on the road at Idaho on Oct. 27 at 7 p.m.
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.
