CHENEY, Wash. – The Eastern Washington University women's soccer team is coming back home for competition after taking its longest road trip to New York last weekend. The first game is against local foe Gonzaga (4-0-1) on Friday, Sept. 8 at 3:30 p.m. The next game is going to be on the following Sunday, Sept. 10 against California State Northridge (2-0-4) with a start time of 11:30 a.m.
Last Time Out
After being on the road since Aug. 25, the Eagles return home for the first of seven straight home games. On their last road trip, EWU traveled to New York and came out 1-1 on the week, improving their record to 3-3-0. The team lost to Hofstra 4-0 on Aug. 31 but defeated Cornell 3-1 on Sept. 3.
Against Hofstra, Eastern was able to outshoot their opponent 16-10, but was not able to notch in a goal in the 90-minute contest. Ten different athletes took shots during the game, with five of them being on goal. Leading the Eagles in shots was junior Alexis Stephenson, who had three and one on goal.
In their 3-1 win over Cornell, Eastern Washington was able to score right away with senior forward Chloe Williams scoring within two minutes of the contest. Junior Allison Raniere was the other student-athlete to score for EWU, as the third goal was an own goal scored following a corner kick from senior Aimie Inthoulay.
Williams Looks to Become New Big Sky Leader in Career Points
Senior forward Chloe Williams could break the Big Sky record in career points this Friday with either a goal or an assist, as she needs just one more point to become the new leader. With her goal against Cornell, Williams is currently tied with Amanda Ellsworth from Idaho State (2011-14) for the Big Sky record in career points with 87. It also marked 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.
Big Sky Leaders
So far this season, the Eagles have also been able to outshoot every opponent they have faced. This has put them in first place in the Big Sky with 108 shots so far this season, with an average of 18 per game. The team also leads the conference in corner kicks with 45, averaging 7.5 per game.
All-Time Series
Eastern Washington and Gonzaga have a long history, dating back to 1998. Currently Gonzaga leads the overall series 16-3-1. Last year against the Bulldogs, the game was called a no-contest in the 61st minute due to lightning when the Eagles were up 2-1. The last time Eastern Washington defeated Gonzaga was back in 2002 with a 2-1 victory.
The history with California State Northridge also dates back to 1998 with CSUN leading the series 1-2-1. Last time the two played each other was on Sept. 10, 2003 when the contest ended in a 0-0 tie after double overtime.
Knowing Your Opponent: Gonzaga
The Eagles will look to give Gonzaga its first loss as they sit 4-0-1 entering the game, the best start to a season in program history. The Bulldogs kicked off the season with a 9-0 win over Mount Royal, and followed it by wins against South Dakota (4-0) and Omaha (2-0).
Gonzaga's lone tie came against Southern Methodist University with the game ending 1-1 after double overtime.
GU has only had one away game so far this year which was in Portland, Ore., against Portland State, winning 2-1. The Bulldogs will be coming off a 4-0 win against Hawai'i on Sept. 3.
Gonzaga has four Zags ranked third in the West Coast Conference for most points in the league with Callie Best, Madeline Gotta, India Jencks and Sophia Viviano who all have six points after five games.
Knowing Your Opponent: California State Northridge
CSUN has had more games ended in ties than anything else as they sit at 2-0-4 so far this season. The most notable ties have been against No. 24 Long Beach State on Aug. 18, which ended at 1-1 after double overtime and against No. 16 Colorado on Sept. 2, which ended in a scoreless tie after double overtime.
The Matadors have had wins against Houston (2-0) on Aug. 24 and Utah Valley (2-1) on Aug. 27. The other ties come against Pacific (1-1) and Fresno State (1-1).
The team will be competing against Washington State before taking on EWU on Sept. 8.
Leading CSUN in points is junior Marissa Favela who has three goals and two assist, totaling eight points. Redshirt senior Cynthia Sanchez leads the team in shots with 21.
Up Next:
After these two contests, the Eagles will continue their home stand with five more games at the EWU Soccer Field. The next games will be on Sept. 15 against Nevada at 3:30 p.m. and Fairleigh Dickinson on Sept. 17 at 1 p.m.
Conference play will open up on Sept. 22 against Sacramento State with a start time of 3 p.m. in Cheney.
For live tweeting during the games and more information on the soccer team, follow @EWUSoccer on Twitter.
