POCATELLO, Idaho. — Eastern Washington soccer (7-5-4, 2-1-3) came to play, as they secured their second Big Sky conference win on the road over the Idaho State Bengals (2-7-5, 1-3-1).
Chloe Pattison recorded her 10th goal of the season, and became the third Eagle ever to record 10 goals in a single season. Pattison leads the Big Sky with 10 goals on the season, and currently ranks seventh in the country in goals scored.
It was the 28th overall meeting between the Eagles and the Bengals. Eastern is now 14-13-1 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 now 5-8-1 all-time on the road against Idaho State, and moved to 2-1 under head coach Missy Strasburg against the Bengals.
With the win, the Eagles now have nine points in conference play, and currently sit second before three conference matches tomorrow. Eastern has seven wins on the season for the most wins in a season since 2019.
Match Summary:
The Eagle offense would start quick with shots from Delani Walker and Chloe Pattison in the second minute of the match. The Bengals were unable to get much going on the offensive end in the early minutes with two offside penalties in the first ten minutes. Eastern recorded six shots in the first 15 minutes, but would be unable to break through early.
"Starting this game aggressively, with high pressure, energetic movement off the ball and grit, was a huge area of focus for the group coming into today's match. We were very happy with the initial start and the focused intention of our forward and wide players to take their own shots. It took us longer to put goals away than we planned, but so happy with how they stayed the course," head coach
Missy Strasburg said.
Both offenses would be turned down by three offside calls a piece in the early part of the half. The Bengals would send a cross into the box in the 21st minute, and seem to have a great look, but would be called for a foul. The Bengals would fail to record a shot in the first 25 minutes. Terrill would give a great pass to Walker in the 25th minute, and Walker would only be able to get a touch on it past the goalkeeper. A Bengal defender however would be close by, and clear the shot in front of the goal to keep it a 0-0 tie.
The Bengals would record their first shot of the match in the 32nd minute. Eastern would continue to be aggressive on the offensive end, and would finally break through with a pass from Moore to Walker in the midfield. Walker would then make a great turn and find Bella Bunnage above the box, who would sink it to the back of the net to take 1-0 lead in the 41st minute.
Idaho State would record three shots after the restart in the 41st minute, but all of them would be saved by Willoughby, to help secure the 1-0 Eagle lead at the end of the half. Bunnage would record her second career goal, with Walker recording her eighth career assist, and Moore recording her fifth. Eastern recorded 13 shots in the first half tying a season high in shots in the first half.The Bengals would record nine fouls in the first half, and only four shots, with three of them coming in the 41st minute.
The start of the second half would see the Bengals looking for an opportunity to tie the match. A shot from the top of the box would be saved from a leaping Willoughby to sneak over the crossbar and keep the 1-0 lead. Idaho state would continue to press in the second half. On a breakaway in the 61st minute, the Bengals would again get in the box and record a shot, but Willoughby would get a piece of it for her fifth save of the match.
"What can we say about Kam that we haven't said already this year. She has been exceptional for us, has grown increasingly confident owning her box on crosses and corners, and blessed us again today with some trademark huge saves. Those were no doubt game-winning saves in the second half today. So stoked to see her and the back line record their fifth shutout of the year," Strasburg said.
Despite Idaho State getting some good looks in the second half, the Eagles would record a couple of their own. In the 61st minute, Charity Freeman would battle all the way into the box and deliver the shot, but it was saved by the Bengal goalkeeper. Chloe Pattison however would secure the rebound and record her 10th goal of the season.
The Bengals would record three shots in the last 20 minutes, and would fail to record a goal. The Eagles would record their seventh win of the season, and record their fifth shutout of the season.
Eagle Record Watch:
- Chloe Pattison moved to fourth all-time in goals scored (10) in a single season, fifth all-time in single season points (23), and eighth in shots on goal (16).
- Kamryn Willoughby moved to fifth all-time in Eagle career shutouts (8).
- Delani Walker moved to eighth all-time in Eagle career assists (8)
- Eastern has scored 28 goals this season, and is tied for sixth most in a single season.
Inside the box score:
- Chloe Pattison recorded her 10th goal of the season, and recorded five shots, and has recorded 3+ shots in eight matches this season Pattison recorded at least one shot in all 16 matches this season.
- Charity Freeman appeared in her 25th career game as an Eagle, and recorded her fourth career assist and two shots. Freeman has recorded a shot in 14 of 16 matches this season.
- Bella Bunnage recorded her second career goal
- Kendall Moore recorded her 20th career start, and recorded two shots with an assist. Moore has recorded 2+ shots in six matches this season, and recorded her fourth assists of the season, and the fifth of her career.
- Riley Arribas recorded season highs with three shots and three shots on goal. Arribas has recorded at least one shot in seven straight matches.
- Becca Gaido leads the team in minutes played (1419) , playing a full 90 minutes in the last 1 matches (only has missed 13 minutes this season). Gaido recorded two shots and one shot on goal for the second time this season.
- Iris Mattern played a full 90 minutes for the ninth time this season. Mattern has played 65+ minutes in all 16 matches this season.
- Delani Walker recorded four shots, three shots on goal, and an assist. Walker has recorded at least two shots in 13 matches this season, and has recorded at least one shot in 15 of the 16 matches this season. Walker now has seven career assists.
- Gillian Martin recorded a season high with three shots and three shots on goal
- Kamryn Willoughby recorded six saves, her fourth shutout of the season, and recorded the eighth shutout of her career.
- Four Eagle players recorded three or more shots (Martin, Arribas, Walker, and Pattison)
- Eastern now has nine matches with at least 14 shots, and 12 matches with at least six shots on goal this season.
The Eagles are looking for their first Big Sky conference tournament appearance since 2019. Eastern will be back home for senior day Sunday, October 20th at 1 pm to host Weber State (2-9-5, 1-2-1) in their last home match of the season. The match will be streaming on ESPN+.
"Our job is far from done, and this group has much bigger ambitions than just qualifying for the Big Sky Tournament. I love that. Today was a must-win game for us and the team responded beautifully. We are very confident in how we are playing and what our potential is. Continuing to focus on just the moment in front of us, our attention is fully on a great performance for this Sunday at home for senior day," 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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