Ithaca, N.Y. – The Eastern Washington University women's soccer team defeated Cornell 3-1 today (Sept. 3), moving the Eagles to 3-3-0 overall on the year. Cornell falls to 0-2-0.
"We have asked a lot of the last two weeks of our group," head coach Chad Bodnar said. "We put them in all different kinds of tough situations to try and prepare for our conference season. We had some challenges in front of goal the past three games and are trying to figure out what our backline and team shape will look like this season. I was proud of our group for responding through some adversity today. We played well in front of goal and defended well for the most part."
Senior forward Chloe Williams scored the first goal of the game from a shot inside the far post in the second minute of the contest, with an assist from senior Savannah Hoekstra, putting Eastern in an early 1-0 lead.
With this goal, Williams is now tied with Amanda Ellsworth from Idaho State (2011-14) for the Big Sky record in career points with 87. This also marks Williams' 34th goal, which ties her for No. 4 all-time in the Big Sky. She is now one goal away from a tie for third and two away from second place.
The next goal came in the fourth minute, with an own goal scored following a corner kick from Aimie Inthoulay, making it 2-0 in favor of the Eagles.
Cornell had its first shot on goal in the eighth minute from Jessica Ritchie, with a save by senior Emily Busselman for Eastern. Its next shot came in the 16th minute of the first half.
In the 31st minute, junior Allison Raniere scored for Eastern by lofting a shot over the 6-foot goalkeeper and under the crossbar, making it 3-0 for EWU.
With this goal, it marks Raniere's fifth career goal and 19th career point, putting her tied for 11th for most all-time points, two points away from cracking the top 10. Her fifth goal also puts her at 19th overall for most goals scored.
Senior M'Kenna Hayes took a shot in the 39th minute, but could not notch it past goalkeeper Meghan Kennedy.
The Eagles ended the first half up 3-0 on the scoreboard.
In the second half, the first shot on goal came from junior Jenny Chavez in the 53rd minute of the contest, with a save by Kennedy.
In the 69th minute, Cornell got on the scoreboard with a goal from Paige DeLoach and an assist from Katerina Weikert, making it 3-1 in favor of EWU, which ended up being the final score of the game.
Senior Emily Busselman was in net for Eastern and had three saves in the contest. Two goalies were in net for Cornell, with Meghan Kennedy playing for 71 minutes and collected two saves while Chrissy Mayer collecting four saves in 19 minutes.
Eastern Washington outshot Cornell 17-5 in the contest. EWU has currently outshot every opponent so far this season.
"We had a good performance at Cornell and we are looking forward to getting back home and trying to continue to improve this week," Bodnar added.
Win-Loss Record
Eastern Washington moves to 3-3-0 on the year, while Cornell falls to 0-2-0.
What it Means
This marks the first game and victory against an Ivy League team for EWU. It is also the furthest away from Cheney, Wash., that the Eagles have notched a win.
Keys to the Game
The Eagles were able to score early with a goal from Chloe Williams in the second minute and keep the lead for the rest of the game.
Eastern outshot Cornell 17-5 and also had nine shots on goal from six different student-athletes.
Top Performers
Senior Chloe Williams scored the first goal for Eastern and had two shots during the contest, one being on goal.
Coming off the bench, Allison Raniere scored the other goal for EWU and had four shots shots, two of them being on goal.
Junior Devan Talley had four shots, with two on goal for the Eagles.
Emily Busselman did not allow a goal in the first half and had three saves during the 90 minutes.
Notables
The Eagles outshout Cornell 17-5, making EWU outshoot every opponent so far this season.
Senior forward Chloe Williams scored the first goal of the game for Eastern. With this goal, Williams is now tied with Amanda Ellsworth from Idaho State (2011-14) for the Big Sky record in career points with 87. This also marks Williams' 34th goal, which ties her for No. 4 all-time in the Big Sky. She is now one goal away from a tie for third and two away from second place.
Junior Allison Raniere scored her fifth career goal and 19th career point, putting her tied for 11th for most all-time points, two points away from cracking the top 10. Her fifth goal also puts her at 19th overall for most goals scored.
What's Next
The Eagles play host to Gonzaga this Friday, Sept. 8. The game is set to start at 3:30 p.m. on the EWU Soccer Field. This marks the first of seven straight home games for Eastern. All contests are free and open to the public.
