CHENEY, Wash. — The effort was there for Eastern Washington women's soccer, but the team came up just short against San Diego State on Sunday. The Aztecs won a 2-0 result against the Eagles at EWU Soccer Field. Eastern's record now sits at 1-4 this season. 

"With the five or six priorities we had coming in, we executed about 75-80 percent of them, especially defensively," head coach Missy Strasburg said. "We talked all week about standards and those are immovable. When the standard is set, your best is your best. We were really happy with how we defended them up the field. We wanted to press them straight away and I don't think they crossed midfield until 18 to 19 minutes into the game. It took a while for them to break us down and go long. To me, that was a great indicator of how organized we were defensively. We were a little loose staying tight on the back post. They punished us for that and they are a team heavily committed to the back post. That was one section we weren't consistent with today."

In the first half, the Eagles' defense was effective in limiting scoring opportunities, with SDSU recording its first shot in the 35th minute. Maddie Morgan had a great scoring chance in the 30th minute but the shot was saved by the Aztecs. 

It was not until the 42nd when SDSU broke the tie, moving the ball inside the box to go up 1-0. The Aztecs remained ahead into halftime. 

Eastern had two quick shots to start the second half from Morgan and Chloe Pattison. 

SDSU extended its lead with a score in the 58th minute and now had a 2-0 advantage over the Eagles. 

Charity Freeman raced down the field, in the 66th minute, firing a shot but again saved by the Aztecs. EWU pressed for seven shots in the second half to try and equalize, but were unable to convert. 

"We created some good chances and we were inches away a couple of times there in-behind them. There were a couple of really good shots that were ricocheted or blocked," Strasburg added. "We will find those goals and we know we have players that can score. Taking advantage of the mistakes that other teams make is something we need to improve on." 

Eagle Notes

• Eastern had 10 players record shots in the game. Maddie Morgan had two total shots, with both going on goal.
• The Eagles had an 11 to nine advantage in shots. San Diego St. held a five to four edge in shots on goal. 
• Kamryn Willoughby made three saves in the game.
• EWU drew six corner kicks, while the Aztecs had two. 

Up Next
Eastern Washington has a one-game road trip on Thursday (Sept. 7) against Boise State, with kick off at 6 p.m. Pacific Time.
 

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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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