CHENEY, Wash.—The Eastern Washington University soccer team heads into Big Sky Conference play this week as they take on Sacramento State (Sept. 21) and Portland State (Sept. 23) at the EWU Soccer Field.
The Eagles ended their non-conference play with an overall record of 4-3-2 with wins over CSU Bakersfield, Grambling State, Colorado State and South Dakota State.
Last Time Out
Eastern took on the Utah State Aggies (Sept. 14) to a 2-0 shutout. The Aggies got the Eagles on the board in the 21st minute with an own goal, followed by junior
Brooke Dunbar's two-touch goal off of the defender in the 67th minute of play, marking her second goal of the season. EWU outshot USU 16-8 with nine shots on goal and six corner kicks.
The Eagles then returned home for their last non-conference match of the 2018 schedule when they took on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits to a 0-0 shutout in double overtime. Despite the scoreless game, EWU's goalie
Kelsee Winston recorded 110 minutes in the net for the Eagles and had five saves on the match. Eastern took 17 total shots on the game with seven shots on goal and nine corner kicks. EWU outshot the Jackrabbits 17-13.
Getting to Know the Eagles
EWU is in second place in the Big Sky Conference standings as they are 4-3-2, following Northern Arizona who is 4-3-1 on the year. Eastern remains in first with total number of shots with 143, averaging 15.89 shots per game.
Eastern is tied for seventh place overall in assists with four along with Portland State, followed by Montana and Southern Utah who each have two.
The Eagles lead the conference in corner kicks with 67 on the season.
Allison Raniere,
Bailee Nelson,
Mya Elder-Hammond and
Alexis Stephenson all lead the Eagles with one assist each on the year.
Brooke Dunbar leads EWU with two goals on the season followed by Raniere,
Jenny Chavez,
Devan Talley,
Emma Vanderhyden and
Brittany Delridge each have one.
A few Eastern players are ranked within the top ten in shots taken per game in the Big Sky. These Eagles include, Raniere who is tied for third with 19, followed by Vanderhyden and
Saige Lyons in sixth with 16 each and Stephenson who is in 10th with 15 on the year.
EWU leads the Big Sky Conference in shots taken with 143, as well as in shutouts with four on the year.
Kelsee Winston was selected as Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week this week after recording 200 minutes in the net for the Eagles in the last two matches as well as nine total saves.
Knowing Your Opponent: Sacramento State
Sacramento State is led by head coach Randy Dedini, who is in his 12th season as head coach for the Hornets.
The Hornets are currently ranked eighth in the Big Sky following their non-conference overall record of 1-6-2, with their only win over Nevada 3-2 (Sept. 7).
Friday's match marks the first conference game for both the Eagles and the Hornets on the 2018 season. The last time EWU played the Hornets the match resulted in a 0-0 draw in double overtime here in Cheney on Sept. 22, 2017.
Chad Bodnar's overall record with Sacramento State is 3-1-1.
The Hornets have recorded 84 shots on the year as well as 11 goals scored.
Sacramento State returns junior goalkeeper Kaylyn Evans who has an overall record of 1-3-1 on the year with 19 total saves.
The Hornets also return senior midfielder Caitlin Prothe who was selected as All-Big Sky First Team in 2017 as she totaled 11 points on last season with five total goals.
Knowing Your Opponent: Portland State
Portland State is led by head coach Katie Burton, who is entering her second season as head coach of the Vikings.
Portland State is currently ranked sixth in the Big Sky after finishing their non-conference schedule with an overall record of 2-5, with victories over Texas Southern 2-0 and University of Pacific 2-1.
Sunday's match against PSU will be the Eagles second conference match of the year. Last time EWU played PSU the game resulted in a home victory for the Eagles 2-1 on Nov. 3, 2017. Last season the Eagles defeated the Hornets twice. Their last victory against them was during the Big Sky Conference semifinals giving EWU the entry into the championship game.
Chad Bodnar's overall record with the PSU Vikings is 3-1-1.
The Vikings return senior midfielder Krystal de Ramos who leads PSU in points on the year with four as well as in goals with two. De Ramos has taken four total shots on the year, all four of them being shots on goal.
PSU also returns sophomore Rilee Castilla who is tied in total shots taken for the team with seven, five of them being on goal. Castilla has recorded two total points and one goal on the year.
Up Next:
After their two home matches this weekend the Eagles head out for their first Big Sky back-to-back road trip at Montana (Sept. 28) and Northern Colorado (Sept. 30).
For live tweeting during the games and more information on the soccer team, follow @EWUSoccer on Twitter.
