CHENEY, Wash. – The Eastern Washington University soccer team defeated Sacramento State in double overtime, 2-1 today (Nov. 8) in the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Sacramento State saw the lead in the first half, but the Eagles fought their way back on top to secure victory and a ticket to the championship match.

A pair of freshman helped the Eagles advance, as Madison Kem tied the game in the 61st minute following a corner kick and Maddie Morgan scored the game-winning goal in the 101st minute, also off a corner kick and an assist from Sariah Keister.

"We played extremely well today in the biggest game of the year for us. Our players kept possession of the ball well and except for one small lapse in the first half, we defended sharply. To come back from a goal down and miss some chance late and still find a way to win showed a lot of determination from our team," said head coach Chad Bodnar. "We are excited to be back in the final on Sunday and are looking forward to another very tough game."

The Eagles flew into the match testing Sac State's goalkeeper Aaliyah Fesili with a shot by senior Brooke Dunbar in the fifth minute and another by junior Sariah Keister in the 18th minute. Both shots were headed towards the bottom center of the goal but Fesili stepped in front and came up with the saves.  

With the ball mostly in the attacking third for the Eagles, they outshot the Hornets 6-1 in the first half but could not find the back of the net. The goal for Sacramento State came right before the halftime whistle in the 41st minute when the Hornets caught the Eagles on a counterattack. Sac State junior Shay Valenzano slotted a through ball to junior Erika Munoz who calmly collected the ball and skipped it over the leg of EWU goalkeeper Kelsee Winston.

As the first-half whistle blew, the score remained 1-0 in Sacramento State's favor.

With the second-half underway, the Hornets tested Winston with a shot in the 50th and 57th minute but Winston was able to reach out and prevent the shots from going in.  

The Eagles responded in the 61st minute as they put pressure on the Hornets and found an equalizing goal from a corner kick. With the corner kick service from sophomore Mya Elder-Hammond, the ball dropped to the feet of freshman Madison Kem who ran up and bounced it passed four defenders into the back of the net.

EWU continued to test Fesili as sophomore Janae Lee, who came off the bench for the Eagles, cracked a shot at the goal in the 72nd minute but she could not find the net.

Eastern found themselves two more opportunities to score which came in the 81st and 83rd minute but EWU could not finish their chances for the go-ahead goal as the match remained tied 1-1 after the first 90 minutes.

In the first overtime period, the Eagles traded shots with the Hornets each shooting one shot as the score remained tied at 1-1.

As the second overtime period began, the Eagles found themselves the golden goal following a corner kick set piece in the opening two minutes. The service came from Mya Elder-Hammond as she found the foot of Sariah Keister who took one touch and shot at the goal. The ball got deflected and landed at the feet of Maddie Morgan who beamed it into the net for the golden goal to send Eastern Washington to the program's third Big Sky Championship match.

Win Loss Record

EWU's record advances to 11-7-2 overall as their all-time series record versus the Hornets moves to 9-12-3 and 4-3-1 for head coach Chad Bodnar. Eastern is now 1-1-0 against SAC in the Big Sky Tournament and 3-0 in their last three semifinal appearances.  

The win also snapped Sacramento State's 16-match unbeaten streak and a three-match losing streak overall to the Hornets.

Top Performances

Madison Kem and Maddie Morgan each scored one goal and Mya Elder-Hammond and Sariah Keister each had one assist. Brooke Dunbar and Saige Lyons each took two shots during the match and Kelsee Winston had two saves.

Key Stats

Eastern outshot Sacramento State 19-4, landing nine shots on target versus three for Sac State. The Eagles had nine different players who took at least one shot and had seven corner kicks to Sac State's six.

What's Next

The Eagles advance to the championship match of the Big Sky Conference Tournament as they look to face the winner of Northern Colorado versus Montana on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 11 a.m. Pacific time at Jackson Stadium in Greeley, Colo.

Fans can catch the championship match on Eleven Sports and also for free on Pluto TV Ch. 531 and WatchBigSky.com. Live stats will be available HERE. For more information visit the championship central page HERE.