OGDEN, Utah. – It was another exciting Big Sky Conference derby as the Eastern Washington University women's soccer team battled Weber State to a 2-1 deficit at the Wildcat Soccer Field on Sunday (Sept. 26) in Ogden, Utah. The Eagles carried the momentum in the first half after leading 1-0, but two late goals in the second half lifted the Wildcats to victory. Eastern Washington returns to Cheney 1-1 in Big Sky Conference play.

"It goes without saying that we are dissatisfied with the result today. As a collective team and individual players we have to be more accountable to playing to our best standard, especially in these late second half moments. We played beautifully in the first half, communicating well, solving defensive overloads on the fly, and executing the details our game plan on attack, ultimately scoring another class goal off Brooke Flores' strike from the top of the box," said head coach Missy Strasburg. "It's never about playing hard with this group. They almost always demonstrate great work rate. But we do have to work smarter and with more focus late in games when fatigue plays a major factor. The impact of this loss will be a good test of our resiliency, and we will work hard on the process this week to respond with a better result next Friday."

Marissa Mills, the junior left-back, got on the shot column first after receiving several passes to get forward as she would attack the Wildcat defense and beam one just inches past the left post. Mills would continue to take her chances as she fired one more shot before the Eagles broke the deadlock in the 21^st minute.

It was a brilliantly weighted pass by Sariah Keister who found Brooke Flores outside the 18-yard box following a failed clearance by the Wildcats' backline. Flores only needed one touch and some tricky footwork to collect the pass and find the back of the net in a powerful top bins finish.

Thrown straight in between the goal posts, EWU captain goalkeeper Kelsee Winston provided another assured first half performance. Her distribution, penalty box presence and shot stopping ability already provides some insurance for the Eagle backline, as it would show tonight after collecting one save in the first half and three in the second.

After the break, EWU impressed with lengthy spells of possession but it was WSU who would have everyone on their heels after a breakaway one versus one opportunity in which Winston saved the shot form the close-range effort.

In the 68^th minute, Winston would come to the rescue again after denying a goal scoring opportunity from a shot six yards out. However, with pressure mounting, Weber State would equalize the match in the 74th minute following a header from a Wildcat set piece.

Less than 10 minutes later in the 82nd minute, Weber State had the final say with a goal that sailed just over Winston's gloves which turned the score 2-1 in WSU's favor, and they would hang on in the final moments of the match for the win.

Win-Loss Records

Eastern Washington moves to 3-7 overall and 1-1 in Big Sky Conference play while Weber State improves to 5-5 overall with an undefeated 2-0 conference record.

The all-time series record moves to 10-15-0 against WSU with an 8-4-0 record in their last 12 outings.

Top Performers

Brooke Flores scored the lone goal for the Eagles from 25 yards out as Sariah Keister collected the assist.

EWU goalkeeper Kelsee Winston collected five major saves during 90 minutes of play.

Inside the Box Score

Eastern Washington took eight total shots with three landing on frame opposed to the WSU's 14 shots in which six landed on target.  

The Eagles forced the Wildcats to make two saves versus EWU's five, and both squads each took four corner kicks.

What's Next

Following the Big Sky Conference opening matches, the Eagles return home to host Southern Utah on Friday, Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. Pacific time at the EWU Soccer Field in Cheney, Wash.

After the match, the Eagles host Northern Arizona on Sunday, Oct. 3 at 1 p.m. Pacific time at the EWU Soccer Field.