MISSOULA, Mont. — Eastern Washington soccer (6-5-4, 1-1-3) visited the Montana Grizzlies (9-2-3, 3-0-2). The Eagles struck early in the 23rd minute, but the Grizzlies would tie the match in the 70th minute as the match would end in a 1-1 tie.
It was the 30th overall meeting between the Eagles and the Grizzlies. Coming into the match, Montana was first in the Big Sky conference with nine points, and was 8-0-0 at home this season. The Eagles were in fourth place in the Big Sky conference with five points. With the tie, Eastern moves to 8-17-5 all-time against the Grizzlies, and 3-6-4 all-time in Missoula. It was the third straight tie between the two teams, as the last two match ups between the two teams have ended in a 1-1 and 0-0 tie.
Both teams recorded 15 shots, with the Eagles outpacing the Grizzlies in shots on goal (8-4), and in corner kicks (8-4). Three Eagles recorded three shots (Arribas, Terrill, and Pattison), and are now 4-2-4 when they score first. Eastern has yet to lose back-to-back matches this season, and are 3-0-2 when coming off of a loss.
"The response today, following Thursday's result, was massive. The players and team leadership did an excellent job getting together to talk as a team between games and recommitting themselves to our competitive standard," head coach Missy Strasburg said. "That mindset difference was the key today, in particular to that exceptional first half. When we combine our quality of play with a gritty aggressive mindset, our team has proven how special we can be. We need to carry this same drive into next Thursday."
Match Summary:
In the first half, the Eagles would record a couple of quick corner kicks and keep possession in the early minutes. In the 10th minute Riley Arribas would get a great look outside the box, but would hit just off the crossbar. A minute later Grace Terrill would get a great look in the box for her first shot of the match, but again would be saved by Montana.
After 20 minutes of play, the Eagles were in control with six shots and two of them on goal. Montana would fail to record a shot until the 21st minute of the half. In the 23rd minute, the Eagles would take the 1-0 lead with a goal from Charity Freeman for her third career goal. Grace Terrill had a terrific run and shot, but was deflected by a Griz defender. Freeman was at the right place at the right time, and was able to put a touch on it to help take the early lead.
"Our back line and goalkeeping have been so strong all year, today being no different. We've had great offensive production and contribution from both Riley Arribas and Ryanne Ampi, but playing higher up the field has also allowed us to also get defending pressure on the ball higher when in transition," Strasburg said. "Iris Mattern and Becca Gaido have done a great job behind them, consistently cleaning up longer dangerous balls, and today, the group collectively really prevented Montana from getting clean looks. And the team as a whole really answered the challenge of properly defending corners and free kicks."
Montana would get a couple of looks after the slow start, but was unable to record a shot on goal. In the 38th minute off of a corner kick, Bella Bunnage in the scrambled up box almost increased the lead to two, but was unable to push it to the back of the net. At the half, Eastern out shot Montana 10-7, as the Grizzlies were unable to record a shot on goal.
The start of the second half, the script was flipped as Montana would control the early possession. In the 64th minute, Montana looked to have their best look in the box off a cross, but was blocked by an Eagle defender to keep the 1-0 lead. In the 70th minute, the Grizzlies would go on run on the right side and record the equalizer to tie the match 1-1.
In the last 15 minutes, the Eagles would be on the attacking end, and record a pair of shots and a corner, but still would be unable to break through for their second goal and take the lead. The 81st minute would see a pass into the box from Freeman to Pattison, but the Montana goalkeeper would just secure before a touch to possibly take the lead again.
With three minutes remaining, Pattison would get a look in the box, but was unable to get enough power on the touch to record the go-ahead goal. A foul would be called in the 88th minute to give Montana a free kick opportunity. The Grizzlies would get a shot off, but were unable to put it on target. The last minute would see one last run from the Grizzlies, but were unable to get the shot off as the match would end in a draw.
"Vibes are definitely high coming off the match today. Again, our women are disappointed to not pull out what has been a very deserved win, but it's an appropriate level of disappointment. They have great perspective and when zooming out, know this was still a positive and important result at a very tough place to play. We left the stadium confident in our ability to get more wins as we close out conference play, with the goal to return to Missoula for the conference tournament. We will work like crazy to get back here, to a pitch where we feel great about how we've played, but even hungry for more," Strasburg said.
Inside the box score:
- Charity Freeman started in her 10th career match, and recorded her second goal of the season, and her third of her Eagle career. Freeman has recorded a shot in 13 of 15 matches this season.
- Grace Terrill appeared in her 75th career match, and recorded her first assist of the season, and sixth of her career. Terrill is now tied for 13th all-time in matches played for the Eagles.
- Chloe Pattison recorded three shots, and has recorded 3+ shots in seven matches this season Pattison recorded at least one shot in all 15 matches this season.
- Kendall Moore recorded two shots, and has recorded 2+ shots in five matches this season
- Riley Arribas recorded one shot, and Arribas started in her 45th career match, and recorded season and career highs with three shots and two shots on goal. Arribas has recorded at least one shot in six straight matches, and played a full 90 minutes for the fourth time in five matches
- Becca Gaido started in her 25th career match, and leads the team in minutes played (1329) , playing a full 90 minutes in the last 12 matches (only has missed 13 minutes this season).
- Iris Mattern played a full 90 minutes for the eighth time this season. Mattern has played 65+ minutes in all 15 matches this season, and is second on the team in minutes played (1266).
- Delani Walker started in her 25th career match and recorded two shots and has recorded at least two shots in 12 matches this season, and has recorded at least one shot in 14 of the 15 matches this season.
- Ryanne Ampi appeared in her 35th career match
- Gillian Martin appeared in her 65th career match
- The Eagles recorded 15 shots and eight shots on goal. Easter now has eight matches with at least 14 shots, and 11 matches with at least 6 shots on goal this season.
Eastern will be back on the road Thursday, October 17th at 1pm to Pocatello, Idaho and take on Idaho State (2-5-5, 1-1-1). The match will be streaming on ESPN+.
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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