RENO, Nev. — The resilience of Eastern Washington women's soccer was on display again Sunday afternoon in the team's final non-conference game of the season. Eastern fell to Nevada, 3-2, but was able to score two unanswered goals against in the second half. The Eagles enter Big Sky play with a 1-8 record on the season.
"I'm proud of our fight and toughness today. We will consider this an extended prelude to conference play," head coach
Missy Strasburg said. "We've learned a lot as a team over these first four weeks, especially in our need to be more focused and intentional in the first 15 minutes of these more recent matches. We have shown we can respond and claw our way back into games, but definitely need to play with that same intensity and aggressiveness to start matches. This is an amazing group of women that have shown that they can compete with our country's very best and have continued to fight through an incredibly challenging non-conference schedule."
Nevada scored the first goal of the game, finding space at the top of the box and firing a shot over Kiara Matson's hands.
The Wolfpack extended their lead to 3-0 with goals in the 17th and 38th minutes. Eastern went into halftime trailing by three scores.
Fifteen minutes into the second half, the score remained the same. Maddie Morgan provided the spark for the Eagles, drawing a foul in the box and setting up for a penalty kick. Morgan converted the opportunity in the 62nd minute and Eastern was on the board, 3-1.
The Eagles pushed the tempo and worked for another scoring opportunity. It was in the 69th minute that the opportunity arrived, as Morgan passed the ball down the field to Chloe Pattison. The sophomore found Corina Froehle in the box and she connected for the goal. The Nevada lead was down to 3-2.
Froehle put another shot on goal in the 74th minute but it was saved by the Wolfpack. Nevada would keep its one-goal lead until the end of the game.
"We gained a lot of confidence in our second half performance today, led by
Gillian Martin's grit at the back and we are excited to turn the page to next week," Strasburg added. "The road to the Big Sky Championship starts this Thursday, with every team back at zeros, and where every match matters."
Eagle Notes
- Maddie Morgan scored her 11th goal of the season and 26th of her EWU career. The senior also added her second assist of the season and now has 24 points through nine games.
- Corina Froehle scored her second career goal and first this season. She set a career-high with two shots on goal and matched her career-high with three total shots.
- Chloe Pattison recorded her second assist of the season, adding two shots with one on goal.
- Kiara Matson made three saves in the second half and finished with four total in the game.
- The teams combined for 29 fouls, with the Eagles committing 14 and the Wolfpack 15.
Up Next
Eastern Washington begins its conference schedule against Idaho State on Thursday, September 21 in Pocatello.
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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