CHENEY, Wash. – Following a very competitive preseason, the Eastern Washington University soccer team opens Big Sky Conference play this week with two matches on the road. The Eagles are first welcomed to Davis Field by Idaho State in Pocatello, Idaho this Friday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. Pacific time, followed by another match on Sunday, Sept. 26 at the Wildcat Soccer Field in Ogden, Utah to face Weber State at 12 p.m. PT.
The Eagles, who closed the non-conference schedule with two shutouts, look to build upon their success in conference play with several veteran players and a few exciting young talents.
HOW TO WATCH
The first match-up versus Idaho State will be available on
ESPN+ and fans can catch the
LIVE STATS HERE.
The second match-up against Weber State will also be available on
ESPN+ and fans can catch the
LIVE STATS HERE.
For more information on how to watch on ESPN+ click
HERE.
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES
After a tough non-conference schedule, the Eagles hold an overall record of 2-6 and are ranked fifth in the Big Sky Conference behind Idaho (6-1-1), Montana (4-4), Weber State (3-5) and Northern Colorado (2-6-2).
Sariah Keister leads the team in goals with two, which both occurred in EWU's 5-0 shutout at home versus CSU Bakersfield.
Brooke Flores leads the team in assists with two, one against CSU Bakersfield and another against St. Thomas, both of which occurred at home.
As a team, Eastern Washington has had five different players score at least one goal and four different players with at least one assist. Captain goalkeeper
Kelsee Winston has recorded 57 saves and two shutouts and has started seven out of eight matches recording 622 minutes of play.
The Eagle squad returns from a 3-0 deficit on the road against Texas Tech last Sunday. Prior to the match, the Eagles faced St. Thomas at home in which freshman
Gillian Martin scored the game-winning goal to secure a 1-0 shutout victory.
KNOWING YOUR OPPONENT – Idaho State
The Idaho State Bengals have yet to find victory in the preseason as they hold an 0-9-1 overall record, with their last match ending in a 1-0 deficit against CSU Bakersfield. They are coached by Debs Brereton who enters her third season at the helm of the Bengal program.
ISU has scored a total of three goals with 33 against, with all three goals credited to freshman forward Deborah Pond.
SERIES HISTORY – Idaho State
The Eagles have an all-time series record of 11-12-1 against the Bengals with a five-match winning streak dated back to 2015. In the last four matches, EWU has scored a total of 18 goals with only three against.
Their last time out was during the 2019 regular season when Eastern defeated Idaho State 3-0 in Pocatello, Idaho.
KNOWING YOUR OPPONENT – Weber State
The Weber State Wildcats are coach by Craig Sanders who enters his first year at the helm after being the assistant coach for the program. His squad currently holds a 3-5 overall record and is returning to the pitch following a 1-0 loss at Oklahoma State last week. Last spring, the Wildcats went 4-3-3 overall with a 3-2-2 Big Sky Conference record.
As a team, the Wildcats have scored a total of five goals with 10 against, with four different goal scorers as freshman Morgan Furmaniak leads with two goals and one assist. They host Idaho before welcoming Eastern Washington to the Wildcat Soccer Field.
SERIES HISTORY – Weber State
The Eagles have an all-time series record of 10-14-0 against Weber State with an 8-3-0 record in their last 11 outings. Their last time out was during the 2019 campaign when Eastern found victory at home in a tight 1-0 battle.
Furthermore, the Eagles have a three-match away winning streak versus the Wildcats.
WHAT'S NEXT
After this weekend, EWU gears up to host Southern Utah on Friday, Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. PT at the EWU Soccer Field. Following the match, the Eagles host Northern Arizona on Oct. 3 at 1 p.m. PT.
Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+ and followed via live stats on EWUStats.com.
Additionally, admission to EWU home matches are free to attend and open to full capacity.
