CHENEY, Wash. – In its first Big Sky Conference home match of the season, the Eastern Washington University women's soccer team welcomed Southern Utah to the EWU Soccer Field today (Oct. 1) and solidified a 2-0 shutout victory. In their last three home matches, the Eagles have been a perfect 3-0 and have not conceded a single goal, with Madison Kem holding the glory today after scoring both goals, one of which in penalty fashion.

"We are really happy with how we played for a good portion of the game today. As matches ebb and flow with regards to momentum, which most do, we can still continue to work on holding a high standard of quality and mentally resetting quickly when it's needed. Ultimately, winning is hard, especially in conference play," said head coach Missy Strasburg. "Southern Utah is extremely well coached and played with a lot of passion and intentionality today, so creating good chances with Gillian Martin and Sariah Keister, which resulted in two great goals from Madison Kem, and coupled with the clean sheet defensively, this was definitely a good and important team win."

It was center-back Mya Elder-Hammond who climbed on the shot column first after taking a shot in the first minute, as well as Gillian Martin, who let one fly just minutes before EWU found the back of the net.

Madison Kem, the Renton, Wash., native, scored in the 13^th minute from the penalty spot, as she slotted it calmly into the corner of the net after Martin drew the foul. Kem, one of the many back bones of the Eagle squad, records her fourth goal scored from a penalty kick in her time as an Eagle.

The Eagles shot five more times, with four on target, outshooting SUU 9-6 before the halftime whistle blew.

Despite a brilliantly placed penalty kick that found the back the of the net, it was more of a defensive effort which provided the Eagles with their third shutout of the season.

As the second half began, EWU would award SUU with a penalty kick of its own in the 47^th minute, however, EWU goalkeeper Kelsee Winston read it perfectly and dove the correct way to block the shot. As the Eagles rallied following the blocked penalty shot, they would turn their attention towards the other end of the field to find their second goal in the 52^nd minute.

To no surprise, it was Sariah Keister who set up the play following a strategic diagonal run to find the ball in space from Elder-Hammond. As Keister drove at the Thunderbird defense, her pace was unmatched as she found Kem on the far side who lunged to poke the ball into the net. With her second goal of the match, Kem combines for seven total goals in her career at the program.

As the momentum shifted back and forth, SUU would find space to sling a few shots on target, but it was Winston and her ability in the box who saved each shot, hardening any doubt in the match.

With time winding down, EWU stood up strong to keep out the Thunderbirds and solidify a 2-0 home shutout.

WIN-LOSS RECORDS: After today's win, EWU reaches 2-1-0 in conference play and holds a three-match home winning streak. The Eagles also improve to 4-7-0 overall while SUU falls to 1-10-0 and 0-3-1 and 0-3-0 in league play.

The Eagles continue their unbeaten run against Southern Utah, reaching five-straight matches without losing. Furthermore, the Eagles have scored a total of 11 goals in their last four fixtures versus the Thunderbirds without conceding a single one.

Additionally, the Eagles improve to 7-2-1 against SUU all-time.

TOP PERFORMANCES: Madison Kem scored two goals from three shots taken, adding to her total of seven career goals with four of them mounting from the penalty spot.

Sariah Keister converted on an assist to Kem, which marks her first assist on the season. Gillian Martin took two shots, both on target, and drew the foul which caused EWU to score from the penalty spot.

Goalkeeper Kelsee Winston secured eight saves, one of which was from a penalty kick taken by SUU. Winston continues to add to her all-time leading record of 21 shutouts in her career, the most in EWU history.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: Eastern Washington took 11 shots, landing eight on target versus Southern Utah's 13 shots in which eight also landed on frame.

The Eagles forced the Thunderbirds to make six saves versus EWU's eight, and Eastern also took one corner kick while SUU took three.

UP NEXT: Eastern Washington is back at the EWU Soccer Field to host Northern Arizona this Sunday, Oct. 3 at 1 p.m. Pacific time in Cheney, Wash. Admission to EWU home matches are free to attend and open to full capacity. 

Fans can catch the match live on ESPN+ or follow via the LIVE STATS HERE.

For more information on how to watch on ESPN+ click HERE.