CHENEY, Wash. – The Eastern Washington University women's soccer team went into double overtime today (Sept. 22) and ended in a 0-0 tie against Sacramento State. The Eagles are now 6-4-1 on the year and Sacramento State moves to 5-4-1. Both teams are now 0-0-1 in the conference.
"I thought we came out really slow. The first half was a grind for us and I don't think we were very sharp. I think in the second half we created some good chances, and we were unlucky not to capitalize on some of them," said head coach Chad Bodnar. "I thought our backline and our goalkeeping today was tremendous and that's a good Sacramento State team. Overall, it wasn't a bad day. Obviously we want to get three points at home but I take a lot of positives out of it."
Delaney Romero took the Eagles' first shot on goal in the first minute of play but goalkeeper Aaliyah Fesili was there to stop the score.
The next shot on goal came in the 17th minute from Sacramento State when Caitlin Prothe put one on frame, but goalkeeper Emily Busselman made the save. Eight seconds later, Sacramento State took another shot on goal from Caitlin Prothe and Busselman collected another save.
There were only three shots on goal in the first half of regulation and the teams went into halftime tied at 0-0. The Eagles were also outshooting the Hornets by 5-4 going into the second half.
Junior Allison Raniere came off the bench to take the first shot on goal in the second period at the 65th minute, but Fesili was there to collect another save.
Senior M'Kenna Hayes was the next Eagle to take a shot in the 74th minute, but was not able to come out with a goal. Sacramento State quickly responded with a shot on goal in the same minute from Kylee Kim-Bustillos with another save from Busselman.
The second period of regulation ended with a shot from Sacramento State's Julia Herrera with Busselman recording another save.
The two teams ended regulation at a scoreless tie.
In the first overtime, Eastern had two shots while Sacramento State had zero. In the second overtime, the Hornets had five shots compared to EWU's one shot. Sacramento State put two shots on frame in the final five minutes, but Hayes stepped up and made two team saves. Neither team could capitalize on any opportunities as the game ended in an 0-0 draw.
Eastern Washington was able to outshoot Sacramento State 16-13, marking the 11th game in a row that the Eagles have outshot their opponents.
Busselman was in net for Eastern throughout the entire competition, earning her first complete shutout of the season while Fesili made the saves for the Hornets.
Win-Loss Record
Eastern moves to 6-4-1 on the year while Sacramento State is now 5-4-1. Both of the teams are now 0-0-1 in the Big Sky Conference. The overall series is now 10-8-3 in favor of the Hornets.
What it Means
This marks EWU's first competition in the Big Sky and its first tie of the season. Their last tie was on Oct. 14 at Southern Utah ending at 3-3.
Keys to the Game
Eastern Washington was able to outshoot Sacramento State 16-13 with nine different student athletes taking a shot.
The Eagles were able to keep the Hornets from scoring throughout the entire competition despite them having six shots on goal.
Top Performers
Senior M'Kenna Hayes had two back-to-back team saves in the second overtime. Emily Busselman was able to collect six saves and her first complete shutout of the season. Senior forward Chloe Williams led the team in shots with six. Allison Raniere and Delaney Romero both had two shots and one on goal.
Notables
This was Eastern's first tie since Oct. 14 which was at Southern Utah, ending at 3-3. This tie takes head coach Chad Bodnar's overall home record at 23-7-6 since he took over in 2014.
Bodnar Bites
On Sacramento State's Defense: I think we just didn't start well. We're usually a team that comes off and presses right off the bat and takes our style and tempo to the opponent and today we started slow. We allowed them to have possession and feel a little bit comfortable in the first half. That being said, the last fifteen minutes of the second half was okay and we were able to do some good things.
On the Defense: Emily made two huge saves in the first half that kept us in it because we didn't start well. She made some really good saves, she was steady throughout the match and didn't make any mistakes. Our backline with M'Kenna, Grace, Meghan and Lexi were solid for us today and locked it down in the back.
On Facing Northern Arizona on Sunday: It's going to be another battle, that's a good Northern Arizona team. We get two of the top teams in the conference right off the bat. NAU is going to come in ready to play with an up-tempo style of soccer to us. We're going to have to rest and rehab because that was a lot of minutes on some legs and we'll probably use some depth on Sunday. It will be another good test for us and we're looking forward to it.
What's Next
The Eagles take on Northern Arizona this Sunday, Sept. 24 at noon. After that game the Eagles close out their seven game home stand against Southern Utah on Oct. 1 at noon. EWU then travels to North Dakota and Northern Colorado to continue Big Sky competition before returning home on Oct. 13 to play Portland State. All home games are complimentary to the public.
