CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington football and volleyball will be at home this week, with big time opponents coming to Cheney. Volleyball will make a quick road trip up to Spokane on Saturday for two games. Soccer, Cross-Country and Golf compete on the road as their fall schedule continues.
Football — Get tickets (Saturday vs. Southeastern Louisiana; 1 p.m.)
It's finally here — the first home game of the season! It's the Red Zone Tailgate Kickoff presented by MultiCare on Saturday as the Eagles host Southeastern Louisiana for a 1 p.m. kick. Wear red to the game as we RED OUT Roos Field. The first 5,000 fans through the gates will also receive EWU thunderstix courtesy of Eide Bailly.
More promotional information here.
The Eagles got as close as you can to an upset over Mountain West Conference foe Fresno State last Saturday, falling in overtime, 34-31. The Eagle defense was stalwart all game and the offense came alive, particularly in the second half, scoring 28 of their 31 points after the break. Eastern narrowly outgained the high-powered Bulldogs, 366-364, earning 22 first downs.
Kekoa Visperas had 223 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT. Running back
Justice Jackson led the ground game with 80 yards, including a tremendous 33-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter.
As expected, the schedule doesn't get easier for Eastern as they now host FCS-ranked #19 Southeastern Louisiana of the Southland Conference. The Lions are also 0-2 on the season but made it to the second round of the FCS Playoffs last year. Both of their losses are to FBS programs in the SEC's Mississippi State and Sun Belt's South Alabama.
The Eagles' strong performance in their first two games (at FCS #2 North Dakota State in Minneapolis and at FBS Fresno State) has been noticed; Eastern received 9 votes in the latest FCS Stats Perform Top 25 poll, released on Monday.
Volleyball — Get Tickets (Thursday vs. Gonzaga; 6 p.m.)
Eastern Washington has three games on the schedule this week, beginning with a home matchup against Gonzaga on Thursday (Sept. 14) at 6 p.m. The Eagles will then meet the Zags again on Saturday (Sept. 16) at 6 p.m. in Spokane. Prior to the night game, Eastern will play San Diego State in Spokane at 11 a.m.
This past weekend, the Eagles played in the Portland Tournament, getting two wins on the road. Eastern defeated Cal State Northridge on Friday (Sept. 8) in five sets.
Sage Brustad carried the effort with 17 kills, 13 digs and four aces.
Kalista Lukovich also had a double-double with 14 kills and 12 digs. Eastern is 4-5 on the season following a 2-1 tournament record.
Against the host Pilots, Eastern earned another five-set win, rallying from a 2-1 deficit in the game.
Kate Hatch racked up 23 assists and 19 digs for her fourth double-double of the season.
Overall this season, Brustad is second in the Big Sky with 3.74 kills per set and leads with 0.63 aces per set.
Soccer
Eastern returns to the road this week, heading to the southwest for a pair of games. The Eagles begin the week against UC Davis on Thursday, then playing Nevada on Sunday (Sept. 16).
EWU is 1-6 on the season following two difficult matchups this past week. The team played Boise State on the road, falling short, 4-3. The Eagles rallied from a three-goal deficit, but couldn't complete the comeback.
Maddie Morgan scored twice for Eastern and had six total shots.
Returning to EWU Soccer Field, Eastern hosted Saint Mary's College on Sunday, dropping a 6-3 result. Morgan posted a hat trick in the game, accounting for the entirety of the team's scoring.
Morgan now has 10 goals this season to lead the Big Sky. The senior also leads the conference in shots (25) and shots on goal (18). She moved into second on the program's all-time scoring list with 25 career goals.
Cross-Country
Eagle cross country returns to competition for their second meet of the season, traveling to Missoula to run in the Montana Invitational on Friday, Sept. 15. The races offer a preview of the 2023 Big Sky Championship course, set to be hosted by the University of Montana on Oct. 27. Races on Friday begin at 8:30 a.m. PT / 9:30 a.m. MT.
Eastern hopes to build on a strong start to the year, when they finished 2nd on the women's side and 3rd on the men's in the 2023 Clash of the Inland Northwest, hosted in Cheney on Sept. 1.
Golf
The Eagles are currently competing in the Golfweek Fall Challenge, playing round two on Monday (Sept. 11) and the final round on Tuesday (Sept. 12). Eastern is currently in 16th place, with Kami Twining recording a 75 in the second round and Meghan Singh finished with a 74. Twining is tied for 40th on the individual leaderboard.
Tickets for the 2023 EWU Football season are now available! Visit goeags.com/tickets or call the EWU Athletics Ticket Office at 509-359-6059 to secure yours today.
New for the 2023-24 season, the EWU Women's Sports Pass gives fans access to over 30 Eagle Athletics events, including volleyball, soccer and women's basketball for only $5 per game! Learn more and get yours today at goeags.com/tickets or call 509-359-6056.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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