FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Eastern Washington soccer (6-5-3, 1-1-2) fell for the first time in Big Sky conference play to Northern Arizona (2-5-4, 2-1-0) 1-0. It was the first road match since September 15th for the Eagles, as they now sit fourth in the Big Sky standings with 5 points.
It was the first night game for Eastern in the season, as they were shut out for the first time this season. EWU held the shots and shots on goal advantage (19-9 and 8-5), but were unable to break through.
It was the 28th overall meeting between the Eagles and Lumberjacks. The Eagles are now 9-17-2 all-time against the Lumberjacks, and are 3-9-1 on the road.
Match Summary:
In the first half, in the third minute of the match, the Eagles would record their first corner, but would be unable to get a clean look in the box. The first ten minutes would see only a few set pieces on the offensive end, as both offenses would struggle to catch fire.
In the 13th minute the Lumberjacks took the early 1-0 lead off a set piece for their first goal of the match. In the 20th minute Eastern recorded a free kick just outside the box. Kendall Moore would cross it to the box, but would fail to convert to Grace Terrill on the right side. The 22nd minute would see the sixth penalty kick attempt of the season for the Eagles after Ryanne Ampi would force a foul in the box. The Eagles however would fail to convert, and miss their first penalty kick of the season.
EWU would fail to record a goal in the closing minutes of the first, and would trail at the half for the first time this season. Eastern actually owned the shot differential (8-7), but failed to get many clean looks, recording fewer shots on goals than the Lumberjacks (5-4).
In the first seven minutes of the second half, the Eagles would start quickly recording three shots. In the 59th minute Delani Walker would make a run on the right side and force a yellow card just outside the box, but the free kick would be saved.
In the first 30 minutes of the second half, the Eagles would surpass their first half shots with nine, but still would be looking for the equalizer and trail 1-0. In the final 20 minutes of the match, the Eagles would record four shots, but still were unable to break through and get the ball to the back of the net and would fall 1-0.
"Flagstaff is always a tough place to play. Aside from the elevation, they do an incredible job here drawing a big crowd under the lights and creating a hostile environment for visiting teams. I was proud of how our team managed that tonight. To be honest, we played some of our best overall football tonight, for the full 90 minutes. Outside of their goal off the corner and our missed PK, there are very few things we would have liked differently tonight," head coach Missy Strasburg said. "The team did so much right, yet these are the nights where we are reminded of how tight the difference between winning and losing is. If we continue to play like this, and continue to be committed to sacrificing and growing forward together, we are confident there are more wins ahead."
Inside the box score:
- Chloe Pattison recorded a shot, and has recorded at least one shot in all 14 matches this season.
- Kendall Moore recorded four shots, and recorded two shots on goal for the second straight match. Moore played a full 90 minutes for the third time this season, and appeared in her 30th career match
- Riley Arribas recorded one shot, and has recorded at least one shot in five straight matches.
- Becca Gaido leads the team in minutes played (12399) , playing a full 90 minutes in the last 11 matches (only has missed 13 minutes this season). Gaido appeared in her 35th career match.
- Iris Mattern played a full 90 minutes for the seventh time this season. Mattern recorded her second career shot, and has played 65+ minutes in all 14 matches this season.
- Delani Walker recorded two shots and has recorded at least two shots in 11 matches this season, and has recorded at least one shot in 13 of the 14 matches this season. Walker appeared in her 45th career match
- Kamryn Willoughby recorded 4 saves in the match, and has eclipsed over 200 saves for her career (201).
- Ryanne Ampi recorded season and career high four shots, and three shots on goal.
- Lyric Baker recorded a shot for ninth of her career.
- Grace Terrill recorded her 55th career start
- The Eagles were shut out for the first time this season in the first and second half, and trailed at half for the first time this season.
Eastern will continue their three match conference road stretch when they travel to Missoula to take on first place Montana (9-2-2, 3-0-0) Sunday, October 13th at 12 pm. The match will be streaming on ESPN+.
"Despite being our first loss in conference play, our team has bounced back beautifully from each of the previous four losses so far this season. Our team is filled with strong, resilient women and they take pride in pushing back with fire and determination. We will reset and be ready to respond again this Sunday at Montana," Strasburg said.
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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