PHOTO GALLERY

CHENEY, Wash. -- The Eastern Washington University women's soccer team started their 2017 campaign with a dominate 5-1 win over Omaha today (Aug. 18) in Cheney. With the victory, the Eagles start the season 1-0-0 while the Mavericks fall to 0-1-0. This was the third-straight season opening victory for Eastern.

It was night-and-day compared to last year when the teams ended in a scoreless overtime tie in Nebraska. This time, five different Eagles assisted on five different goals to begin the season on a high note. In addition, five freshmen made their debuts for Eastern Washington.

Senior forward Chloe Williams scored first for the Eagles in the second minute for her 33rd career goal. Williams scored on a set play from Aimie Inthoulay after Omaha committed a foul.

"It was good to score early off a set piece that we have been training in practice, it was executed very well," head coach Chad Bodnar said.

Eastern increased its lead to 2-0 in the 22nd minute when Lexi Klinkenberg dished the ball to sophomore forward Saige Lyons following a deflection in the box.

Omaha answered in the 41st minute when junior defender Cydney Skinner dribbled down the field from the left side and crossed to senior midfielder Natalie Johnson, cutting their deficit to 2-1 right before the half.

The Eagles came out hot in the second half and scored three more goals en route to their first win. It started off with an exciting header goal from junior midfielder Jenny Chavez off a corner kick in the 63rd minute from Allison Raniere.

Less than ten minutes later, Alexis Stephenson scored a goal from the top of the box with an assist from Williams in the 71st minute to give the Eagles a 4-1 lead.

In the 86th minute, junior midfielder Brenna Blaser scored her first career goal when she launched a shot inside the box following a pass from Kiley Norkus. The ball hit the crossbar and made its way into the net to put EWU ahead 5-1 and gave them the season opening victory.

"The good thing is that we got every player into the game," Bodnar said. "We have a lot of young kids in the first and second half. It was a very good day for all of us we got some rest on the legs and got in some good goals in the second half."

In net for the Eagles in the first half was sophomore Hadley Bezon. Bezon was supported by a strong defensive backline as UNO only put one shot on frame in the first half. Kelsee Winston made her debut in Red and White in the second half and recorded two key saves. The Eagles put seven shots on goal and out-shot the Mavericks 15-6.

Win-Loss Record

Eastern Washington moves to 1-0-0 on the year, while Omaha falls to 0-1-0. This is just the third season-opening home victory in program history for Eastern, as the Eagles are now 3-2-0 all-time in season openers at the EWU Soccer Field.

What it Means

This marks the second year in a row that EWU opens the season with a win at home and the third straight year that Eastern starts the season off with a victory.

Keys to the Game

Kelsee Winston made her Eagle debut in net. The freshman made two key saves and didn't allow any goals to help keep Eastern in the lead. Eastern outshot Omaha 15-6 and collected five corner kicks in the win.

Top Performers

Senior Chloe Williams had six shots in the game and collected her 33rd career goal and added an assist. Kelsee Winston collected two saves and didn't allow a goal.

Notables

Today's victory marks the 34th win for Eastern Washington under head coach Chad Bodnar. Eastern currently has a winning record at home under Bodnar, as the win pushes his career home record to 19-6-5 at home since he took over in 2014. Five Eagles made their debut in the Red and White and each player made an appearance.

Bodnar Bites

On playing at home:  Especially at home, we wanted to press high and press early and try to create some chances. We knew they had a completely new back line so we wanted to put the pressure on early. It led to a foul and Chloe hit a big shot.

On playing South Dakota on Sunday: They gave us a good game last year. I know they have a game at Gonzaga tonight and they might have a tough game there. We have a few extra hours of rest which is nice for us. But that is how it is with these Friday and Sunday games, we get to celebrate the win tonight and get back to work tomorrow.

On the second half: The kids played really well in the second half. I think the first half was a direct reflection of it being our first outing because it was rough. We just regrouped at halftime and settled in. We did what we do best.

 What's Next

The Eagles play host to South Dakota this Sunday, Aug. 20. The game is set to start at 11 a.m. on the EWU Soccer Field.