Eastern Washington soccer was on the road today and faced off against the Washington State Cougars in Pullman, Wash., falling short, 1-3 in the match. This was the second matchup of the season for the Eagles against a Pac-12 team and the team's overall record was brought to 0-2-2

"We were incredibly pleased and proud of our starting energy and focus today," head coach Missy Strasburg said. "In that first half, the team did an incredible job executing the game plan, keeping things simple on both sides of the ball and moving through the first half with a high level of attention to detail, moment by moment. We had one error in the box that led to their first goal, but responded calmly and confidently to stay the course and continue to create chances. Going in to the second half, our intent was to stay with the same game plan; but coming out of the break, we struggled to find the same discipline and simplicity we played with in the first. We expected the emotional surge the Cougs came out with. But as we got a little loose in our shape and responsibilities, they took full advantage of their moments with their athleticism and mentality."

At the beginning of that match, Kamryn Willoughby and her defense were off to a good start, holding down the goal. Within the first five minutes, Willoughby had a good save, laying out for the ball. Soon after, Mya Elder-Hammond backed up Willoughby by blocking an almost goal for the Cougars, to keep the Eagles alive.

In the 10^th minute, WSU scored the first goal of the game off a corner kick and putting them up 1-0. Grayson Lynch set up on the corner, puts the ball up for grabs assisting Sydney Studer to score the goal.

Shortly after, the Eagles received a penalty kick opportunity. Madison Kem earned the shot and was able to punch it in on the lower left of the goal in the 22^nd minute. Nadia Cooper of WSU was unable to get there fast enough to prevent the goal and Kem was able to tie the match 1-1.

Strasburg talked about the key to creating the opportunity. "Gillian Martin did a great job wide and was able to earn the PK. It was great to see Madison Kem step up with confidence and tuck that one away after her saved attempt against OSU."

For Washington State, they created several scoring opportunities with a total of 28 shots in the game. During the first half, the Cougars created scoring chances, but it wasn't until the second half that they put more goals on the board. In the 46^th minute, Mykiaa Minniss set up Margie Detrizio to get the second goal for the Cougars. Detrizio got right back to the goal again, getting a breakaway to score the third goal for the Cougars in the 67^th minute. The 3-1 win gave Washington St.1-1-1 record this season.

"Big picture-wise, we have a ton of positives to take away from today and will keep working to put out a complete performance when we return home, this Thursday, against a very talented Denver side," Strasburg said.

End of Game Stats:

• Eagles ended with seven total shots, while the Cougars ended with 28. WSU put eight on net and Eastern had two.
• Maddie Morgan recorded two shots, while Madison Kem and Chloe Pattison each had a shot on goal.
• Kamryn Willoughby made five total saves against WSU.
• Eagles ended with 10 fouls and the Cougars had 15.
• The Eagles now fall to 0-8 against the Cougars in program history.
• WSU was called for offsides five times.

Up Next:
Starting off September, Eastern Washington will be hosting the Denver Pioneers on Thursday September 1^st at 4 p.m. Pacific Time. After the Pioneers, the Eagles will be traveling down to Las Vegas, Nev. to face off against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Sunday September 4^th, at 1 p.m. Pacific Time.