BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A close battle for the Eastern Washington University soccer team ended with a 3-2 victory over CSU Bakersfield today (Sept. 6). With the win today, the Eagles advance to 2-2-1 while CSU Bakersfield falls to 2-3.

"I'm proud of our group for battling through and finding a way to win today on the road. It was a very warm night and we showed a lot of resilience after we fell behind, 2-1, in the second half. We put together some good stretches of play and scored some good goals," said head coach Chad Bodnar. "Taylor Matheny had an outstanding game, she served in some dangerous set pieces and we also threatened well in front of the goal. It was a very gritty performance and one we can be proud of."

The Eagles scored first in the 27th minute behind the foot of Mya Elder-Hammond, but fell behind 2-1 with 35 minutes to go in the second half before goals from Sariah Keister and Brooke Flores gave EWU the win.

Eastern felt the pressure right away as Kelsee Winston faced a shot in the seventh minute that was headed for the bottom right corner, but she reached out and saved the ball from touching the back of the net.

Elder-Hammond opened the scoring for the Eagles in the 27th minute of the match when she received the ball from Taylor Matheny and found the back of the net for her first collegiate goal. The Eagles fought to keep the momentum on their side, but CSU Bakersfield managed to tie the game before going into halftime. The goal came for the Roadrunners when forward Eszter Toth slung the ball in the back of the net in the 39th minute from an assist by Domenica Rodriguez.

As the halftime whistle blew, the score remained 1-1.

Returning from halftime, CSU Bakersfield pulled ahead 2-1 when Jordan Martinez scored in the 55th minute. The Eagles responded when junior Sariah Keister scored a goal in the 67th minute to record her third goal of the season.

The winning goal for the Eagles came in the 72nd minute when Elder-Hammond assisted freshman Brooke Flores inside the box to secure the victory in today's match for her first collegiate score.

The Roadrunners had chances to score in the 83rd and 84th minute but the shots each sailed wide left and the score remained 3-2.   

Win Loss Records

The Eagles advance to 2-2-1 as the Roadrunners fall to 2-3. This is the second-straight season that Eastern Washington has defeated CSUB as the series now moves to 5-2-2 all-time in EWU's favor.

Top Performances

Mya Elder-Hammond led the way with three points, tallying her first career goal in addition to an assist. Sariah Keister and Brooke Flores also scored, while Taylor Matheny had an assist.

Key Stats

Eastern had six shots compared to CSU Bakersfield's nine, but they both recorded three on target. The Eagles took six corner kicks to CSUB's two.

What's Next

Eastern Washington concludes its California road trip this Sunday when they take on CSUN in Northridge, Calif., at 1 p.m.