CHENEY, Wash. – For the second season in a row, the Eastern Washington University women's soccer team opens its season with back-to-back home games, as they host Omaha and South Dakota at the EWU Soccer Field. The first game against Omaha begins at 4 p.m. on Aug. 18 while the contest against South Dakota starts at 11 a.m. on Aug. 20. Both games are free and open to the public.
Eastern is coming off a historical season, as the team was crowned the Big Sky Tournament Champions and went on to play the first NCAA Postseason game in program history. EWU finished the year 13-5-4 overall and 5-3-2 in the Big Sky to finish fifth in the conference standings. With nine starters back on the pitch, expectations are high this season for Eastern Washington, as they enter the fourth year under Chad Bodnar ranked as the No. 1 team in the Big Sky Preseason Poll.
These two games will be just the tip of the iceberg for home field advantage for the Eagles this year as they are hosting a program record 11 games. Eastern is 18-6-5 (.707) at home since Bodnar took over in 2014.
The Returners
Senior forward Chloe Williams highlights the group of returners, as she heads into her senior season a back-to-back Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year and a three-time All-Big Sky First Team selection.
Other players entering their senior season are goalkeeper Emily Busselman, All-Big Sky First Team defender M'Kenna Hayes, forward Savannah Hoekstra, All-Big Sky Honorable Mention midfielder Aimie Inthoulay, forward Lexi Klinkenberg, forward Kiley Norkus and All-Big Sky Honorable Mention forward Delaney Romero.
This group of seniors is also the first recruiting class from the Bodnar era.
The Newcomers
The new Eagles are freshmen forward Brittany Delridge (Missoula, Mont.), forward McKaley Goffard (Kennewick, Wash.), midfielder Sariah Keister (Lakewood, Wash.), midfielder Grace Klinkenberg (Renton, Wash.), forward Taylor Matheny (West Richland, Wash.), defender Nia McFerrin (Portland, Ore.), midfielder Emma Vanderhyden (Murrieta, Calif.), midfielder Brittany Wiehe (La Mirada, Calif.) and goalkeeper Kelsee Winston (Pasco, Wash.).
All-Time Series
Omaha: This is Eastern's second time taking on Omaha. Last year, the squad traveled to Nebraska to take on the Mavericks and the contest ended in a scoreless tie in overtime. In the contest, the Eagles had 19 shots, but could not breakthrough with a goal.
Sophomore goalkeeper Hadley Bezon earned a shutout in her first collegiate start. The Maple Valley, Wash. native picked up four saves in the 110 minutes of action.
Senior forward Chloe Williams collected eight shots while putting five on goal. Senior Delaney Romero also was involved offensively as she had three shots with two on goal.
South Dakota: The Eagles have played the Coyotes three times in program history with the series record at 2-1. EWU won the last contest 3-1 on Sept. 16, 2016 on the road.
During the game, Chloe Williams made history yet again as she became Eastern's all-time points leader. The record-setting goal was the fifth of the season for her as it pushed her career points total to 57, breaking a tie with previous record holder Cassie Black (55).
Junior midfielder Alexis Stephenson also scored her first collegiate goal while junior goalkeeper Emily Busselman recorded her first career save in an EWU uniform.
Season-Opening Matches
2017 marks the 20th season for women's soccer at Eastern Washington. EWU is 4-14-1 all-time in season openers, collecting a 1-0 overtime victory against Grand Canyon in last season's opener that was also on the home field. Friday's contest against Omaha is also just the fifth time in program history that Eastern opens its season in Cheney. The Eagles are 2-2-0 in season openers at home, winning its first season-opening home match 4-1 against McNeese State in the 2009 opener.
Knowing Your Opponent: Omaha
Omaha is coming off a 5-11-3 campaign. The team was recently picked fifth in the 2017 Summit League Preseason Poll. The Mavericks return 12 letterwinners this season, including six starters, after finishing seventh in the league standings last season.
The student-athlete leading Omaha is senior midfielder Lydia Holtmann as she was named to The Summit League's Players to Watch List after finishing 2016 with 10 points on four goals and two assists.
The Mavericks have had a taste of competition as they lost 3-0 to No. 17 Arkansas in an exhibition match. The game against the Eagles is their regular season opener.
Knowing Your Opponent: South Dakota
South Dakota finished last season with a 5-13-1 overall record. The team was also recently picked fifth in the 2017 Summit League Preseason Poll as they tied with Omaha with 22 points.
USD has a game lined up against Gonzaga University on Aug. 18 before taking on the Eagles. The Coyotes have also competed in an exhibition game against Drake where they lost 1-0.
Senior defender Katlin Ptack was named to The Summit League's Players to Watch List. She ranks 10th all-time in minutes played at USD after her junior season where she logged log 1,739 minutes. She also earned All-Summit League second team last season after playing in all 19 games.
How to Watch: Pluto TV
All home soccer matches will be streamed for free via Pluto TV. To watch live events from the Big Sky Conference download the Pluto TV app and tune to Channel 230. For mobile and tablet, the Pluto TV app is available on iPhone and iPad from the App Store and on Android devices from Google Play. The Pluto TV app is also available on any connected living room device such as Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation or Xbox as well as most smart TVs, including those from Samsung, Vizio, Sony and Hisense. Additionally, Pluto TV can be accessed via web at pluto.tv/watch.
Eagsperience Eagle Soccer:
Mark your calendars! The Eastern Washington University Athletic Department is inviting fans to "Eagsperience" Eastern with over 40 complimentary home events during the 2017-18 athletic seasons. All events take place on the campus of Eastern Washington and include volleyball, a program record 11 home soccer matches, and two women's basketball games. Men's and women's tennis home matches, track and field meets and football scrimmages are also open and complimentary to the public.
