CHENEY, Wash. — The 101st Homecoming in Eastern Washington University history is here and three teams will be in Cheney to add to the week of events. After winning their first Big Sky game of the season, football returns to Roos field to host UC Davis on Saturday. Volleyball is on a three-match winning streak and hosts two at Reese Court this weekend. Soccer has a road match against Idaho State on Thursday, before it's homecoming against Weber State on Sunday for Senior Day. Women's golf concludes its fall schedule with a two-day tournament in Portland. Cross-Country finishes its regular season with a short road trip to Idaho.
Football - vs. No. 6 UC Davis (Saturday, October 19 at 4 p.m.) - Get Tickets
Eastern is back at home this week for another ranked conference matchup against No. 6 UC Davis on Saturday at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast on SWX and streamed live on ESPN+. Listen to the game live on 700 ESPN and the Varsity App with voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen.
EWU is 1-1 in the Big Sky and 2-4 overall after its upset win on Saturday over No. 18/20 Sacramento State. UC Davis is 3-0 in conference and 6-1 overall this season, earning the No. 6 spot in both AFCA FCS Coaches' and Stats Perform polls.
On the road this past week, the Eagles knocked off the ranked Hornets, 35-28, to end a four-game losing streak. Eastern trailed by seven at the half (21-14), but scored 21 unanswered points to jump ahead of Sac. St. Following a 4-yard touchdown reception by
Tuna Altahir from
Kekoa Visperas, EWU recovered an onside kick, for the second week in a row. On the next drive,
Jared Taylor raced outside for a 14-yard score and Eastern had the lead, 28-21. Taylor followed up on the next drive with 5 carries for 51 yards, ending in a 23-yard touchdown run for a 35-21 advantage. The Eagles held off a late rally by the Hornets and won the game. They rushed for 286 yards in the game, getting 102 from Altahir and 98 from Taylor. The win also gave head coach
Aaron Best 50 career victories for his tenure at Eastern.
This season, Eastern is tied for least turnovers lost in the FCS, with only two through six games. The offense has been working for Eastern the past two games as the team ranks third in the Big Sky with 33.0 points per game and fourth with 434.2 yards per game.
Visperas continues to lead the conference in completion percentage with a 73.4 mark. Efton Chism III caught 7 passes for 67 yards against Sac. St. and he is second in the Big Sky with 580 this season, while leading with 7 receiving touchdowns. His 9.0 receptions per game is the top figure in the FCS.
Volleyball - vs Idaho State (Thursday, October 1th at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time), vs Weber State (Saturday, October 19th at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time)
Eastern Volleyball is riding high after a strong weekend, including a decisive sweep over Montana and a thrilling five-set victory against Montana State. This week, they face a crucial home challenge, starting with Idaho State on Thursday, Oct. 17, at 4 p.m., followed by a match against Weber State on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 11 a.m., for their homecoming and alumni match. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Mckenna Collins earned her first Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors, tallying 32 digs (4.00 digs per set) and nine assists over the weekend. Bri Gunderson also shone, racking up 30 kills and 18 blocks, with an impressive hitting percentage of .414. In the comeback win against Montana State, she posted 20 kills, 12 blocks, and hit .531.
Historically, Eastern has a competitive edge against Idaho State, holding an 11-13 record overall, with their last victory coming in September 2023. However, they lost to the Bengals in four sets earlier this season. Against Weber State, Eastern is 11-14 overall, having swept their last encounter in October last year. However, they've struggled recently, going 1-9 in their last ten matchups against the Wildcats.
Soccer - at Idaho State (Thursday, October 17th at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time), vs. Weber State (Sunday, October 20th at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time) SENIOR DAY | ESPN+
Eastern Washington soccer (6-5-4, 1-1-3) will finish their three match conference road slate in Pocatello and take on Idaho State (2-6-5, 1-2-1) Thursday, October 17th at 1 pm, before coming back home for Senior Day against Weber State (2-9-5, 1-2-1) Sunday, October 20th at 1 pm. Both matches will be streaming on ESPN +
It will be the 28th overall meeting between the Eagles and the Bengals. Eastern is 13-13-1 all-time against Idaho State. Last season, EWU had their seven match winning streak over Idaho State snapped with a 3-2 defeat in Pocatello. Eastern is 4-8-1 all-time on the road against Idaho State. The Eagles are 2-1 under head coach Missy Strasburg against the Bengals.
It will be the 28th overall meeting between the Eagles and the Wildcats. Eastern is 12-15 all-time against Weber State, and is 6-6 all-time at home against the Wildcats. Last season, EWU defeated WSU 2-1 in Ogden. Eastern is 7-3 in their last 10 match ups against Weber State.
Over the weekend, Eastern fell to Northern Arizona 1-0 under the lights in their first Big Sky conference match of the season. A 13th minute goal from the Lumberjacks would be the difference maker, as EWU struggled to breakthrough and gain the equalizer. It was the first time the Eagles were shut out in the first and second half this season.Kamryn Willoughby recorded 4 saves in the match, and has eclipsed over 200 saves for her career. Ryanne Ampi recorded season and career high four shots, and three shots on goal.
As they have all year, Eastern would respond well after the tough loss to the Lumberjacks. The Eagles would get a 1-1 tie to the first place Montana Grizzlies, and tied the Griz for the third straight match. EWU would strike early in the 23rd minute with a goal from Charity Freeman for her third of her career. Grace Terrill would earn her sixth career assist. In the 70th minute, the Grizzlies would tie the match 1-1, but the Eagles would fight until the end, and earn the draw against the first place team in the Big Sky conference. 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.
The Eagles are currently tied for fourth in the Big Sky conference with six points. Eastern is one of three teams in the conference with at least six wins and a winning percentage over .500%. EWU is ranked first in the conference in corners (83), Penalty kicks (5-6), second in goals (20), scoring average (1.733), shots (215), GW goals (6), assists (20), and points (72)
Chloe Pattison leads the conference in goals scored (9), shots (41), shots on goal (23), and points (21). Delani Walker is tied for first in GW goals (2), and is tied for fifth in shots on goal (16). Riley Arribas is tied for second in assists (4), and Kendall Moore is tied for fourth in goals scored (4) and points (11).
The Eagles will congratulate seven seniors for senior day on Sunday, October 20th at 1 pm when they play Weber State. Lyric Baker, Grace Terrill, Katrina Kupp, Gillian Martin, Isabelle Herting, Charity Freeman, and Elisabeth Cole.
Golf - Portland State Fall Invite(Oct. 14-15, All Day, Portland, Ore.)
Eastern Washington will compete for the final time in 2024, traveling to Portland, Ore. for two days at the Portland State Fall Invite. The competition will be held at the Columbia Edgewater Country Club, with 36 holes on today and 18 tomorrow. Eastern will compete against Portland State, Eastern Washington, Idaho, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Weber State, Seattle, Utah Valley, Southern Utah.
Eastern is currently in first, shooting +13 into the second round this afternoon. Gabriella Ilardi opened with a 71 in round 1 and is tied for the individual lead. Berkley Ledesma is tied for 10th at +3 with a 74 in round one.
The Eagles posted a strong finish to the Tri-State Invite last week at The Creek at Qualchan in Spokane. EWU finished second out of four teams competing with a score of 596. Kami Twining earned third on the individual leaderboard, shooting 147, opening with a 72 in round one. Brooke Mahler had a 149 score to place eighth. Ilardi and Ledesma shot 150 to be part of a ninth-place finish.
Cross Country - at LC State (Saturday, October, 19 at 9:45 a.m.)
The men's and women's cross-country team will hit the road, heading to LC State for the LC State Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 9:45 a.m.
Last time out, the men finished 22nd at the Gan Creek Classic. Top finishers for the Eagles included Evan Peters and Noah Hasselblad. On the women's side, Cassidy Walchak-Sloan and Jenni Bissell finished back-to-back in 66th and 67th place.
This meet is the final opportunity to fine-tune their performance before the Big Sky Championship on Friday, Nov. 1. Best of luck to both teams!
Basketball - EagleMadNest (Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m.) - Free Admission
Kicking off Basketball season as the men's, women's and wheelchair teams host the second-annual Eagle MadNest at Reese on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The event will showcase all three teams in the lead up to the new seasons. Eagle MadNest will feature team introductions, games, giveaways, skills competition, 3-point contest and concluding with the dunk contest. EWU cheer and dance teams will both perform during the night.
Fans also have the opportunity to get pre-event autographs with players from all three teams on the mezzanine of Reese.
Season and single game tickets for the 2024 football season are now available. Ticket packages can be purchased online at goeags.com/tickets via your Paciolan account, over the phone at 509-359-6059, or by emailing tickets@ewu.edu.
Volleyball season and single-game tickets are now available, with nine home matches to watch! To purchase, go to www.goeags.com, or call the Eastern Washington University Ticket office at (509) 359-6059.
Season tickets for men's and women's basketball are now on sale. Reserve your seats at Reese Court for the 2024-25 seasons by clicking on the link here, emailing tickets@ewu.edu or calling the ticket office at 509-359-6059.
Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.
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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