CHENEY, Wash. — With September about to end, Eastern Washington athletics is about to get into the heart of its schedules with conference matchups on the way. Football is back at home for its first Big Sky game, hosting No. 9 Montana on Saturday. Soccer has a pair of games to open its conference slate. Volleyball plays its second game at Reese Court on Saturday. Golf is set to finish its first tournament today. Cross-Country has an early start on Friday for its third meet of the season.
Football - vs Montana (Saturday, September 28, 5 p.m.) - Get Tickets
It's back to Roos field for the Eagles this week as they prepare for their first Big Sky contest of the season. Eastern hosts Montana on Saturday, with kickoff scheduled for 5 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Scripps Sports T.V., with SWX picking up the feed in Spokane. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN+. Listen to every play live on 700 ESPN and the Varsity App with voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen.
The Grizzlies enter the game with a 3-1 record and are ranked No. 8 in the Stats Perform FCS Poll and No. 9 in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll. Montana reached the FCS National Championship game last season, before losing to South Dakota State.
EWU faced Nevada in Reno, Nev. this past Saturday, falling to the Wolfpack 49-26. Nevada jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Eagles cut the advantage down with a
Soren McKee field goal in the second quarter. The Wolfpack scored late in the second to extend the lead to 18 points. In the third quarter, Nevada scored two touchdowns on 10 and 12 play drives to break the game open. Eastern scored twice in the fourth quarter, but the Wolfpack had built a large enough lead.
Jared Taylor rushed for a career-best 73 yards, while
Malik Dotson also had a career-high 67 yards, adding one touchdown.
Efton Chism III caught 11 passes for 85 yards against Nevada, giving him three career games, and second this season, with 10-plus receptions. Chism is on top of the Big Sky leaderboard with 39 receptions, 406 receiving yards and 4 touchdown catches. He is averaging 9.8 receptions per game.
The Eagle secondary continues to be effective, as sophomore safety Derek Ganter Jr. is tied for third in the conference with 29.0 tackles, including 20 solo. Redshirt-junior cornerback DaJean Wells leads the Big Sky with 7 pass breakups, while redshirt-junior safety Kentrell Williams Jr. is tied for second with 2 interceptions.
Soccer - vs. Portland St. (Friday, September 27 at 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time), vs. Sacramento St. (Sunday, September 29 at 1 p.m. Pacific Time) - Free Admission
EWU soccer (5-4-1) will open up Big Sky conference play at home this week, after finishing non-conference play 5-4-1. EWU will continue their extended home stand this week, and will host Portland State (2-5-1) Friday, September 27 at 3:30 pm, and Sacramento State (2-4-3) Sunday, September 29th at 1pm. Both matches will be streaming on ESPN+.
The Eagles have already matched their highest win total under head coach Missy Strasbrug (5), and are off to their best 10-match start since 2017 when they started 6-4 and finished 16-6-1, winning both the regular and tournament Big Sky Championships.
"Everybody has a blank slate. At this point it doesn't matter what anyone else did, us included, and the non-conference schedule, treating it like a true development phase is important, and I think we have all done that in preparation for these next eight games that matter the most," Strasburg said.
Eastern is 10-12-4 all-time in Big Sky openers, and are 7-5-2 at home. This is the fifth time the Eagles will open up Big Sky play against Portland State, and are 1-3-0 in those matches. Last year, the Eagles fell in their conference opener on the road to Idaho State 3-2, and then tied in their conference home opener 1-1 to Montana.
This will be the 31st overall meeting against the Vikings. The Eagles are 14-13-3 overall against PSU, and are 10-3-2 at home. Under Strasburg, EWU is 1-1-1 against PSU, and fell in last year's matchup 5-2 on the road. Last time the two teams played at home, the Eagles tied the Vikings 1-1 in 2022.
On Sunday, the Eagles will face off against the Hornets for the 30th all-time meeting between the two schools. The Eagles are 9-15-15 all-time against the Hornets, and are 4-6-1 at home. Under Strasburg, EWU has never beaten the Hornets and are 0-3–0. Last year, the Eagles fell at Sacramento State 1-0. The Eagles last defeated the Hornets in 2019 with 2-1 double overtime victory in the Semifinals of the Big Sky Tournament . EWU last defeated the Hornets at home in 2015 when they won 3-1.
Over the weekend, the Eagles finished non-conference play at home, and a 2-2 split between Mountain West schools. On Thursday, Eastern recorded their third shutout win of the season in a 1-0 victory over UNLV. On Sunday, Eastern Washington battled, but fell to a quality Boise State team 2-1 in their final match before Big Sky play. In the 18th minute Chloe Pattison would sink a penalty kick goal in the back of the net for her eighth goal of the season.
The Eagles are one of three teams in the Big Sky with a winning percentage over .500 (5-4-1) (.550). Eastern also leads the conference in goals scored (19), total points (49), scoring average (1.900), PK'S (4-4), and corners (60). EWU has not trailed at the half in all 10 matches, and have yet to be shutout this season.
Chloe Pattison leads the Big Sky in goals scored (8), and total points (17), and is third in shots (24) and shots on goal (12). Delani Walker is tied for first with three assists, and GW goals (2). Walker is the only player in the Big Sky Conference with at least three goals and three assists on the season, and is tied for the conference lead with two GW goals.
Volleyball - at Idaho State (Thursday, September 26, 16 p.m.), vs. Sacramento State (Saturday, September 28, 11:00 a.m.) - Get Tickets
Eastern Volleyball (4-5) are coming off a competitive weekend at the Gonzaga Invitational, including a win over in-state-rival Gonzaga Saturday night to close out non-conference play. This week, they will open Big Sky conference play on the road Thursday, September 26 against Idaho State at 6 p.m., before hosting Sacramento State Saturday, September 28 at 11 a.m. in their second home match of the season.
Bri Gunderson and Quincy Moran earned all-tournament honors at the Gonzaga Invitational. Gunderson recorded 20 kills, 14 blocks, and 20 total points over the weekend, while Moran recorded 22 kills and 23.5 total points in the two matches, with a .314% attacking percentage in the win against Gonzaga.
Eastern is 20-22 all-time in Big Sky openers, and will open up conference play against Idaho State for the fifth time. EWU is 44-39 all-time against the Bengals, and 20-21 overall in Pocatello.
Eastern is 18-41 all-time against Sacramento State, and 12-15 overall in Cheney against the Hornets
Coming off of a great win over Gonzaga, and winning three of their last four, Eastern will look to start Big Sky play strong.
Golf - Eagle Invitational (Sept. 22-23, Circling Raven Golf Course - Worley, Idaho)
Eastern Washington will complete its first tournament of the 2024-25 season today, hosting the Eagle Invitational. The tournament began yesterday at Circling Raven Golf Course. EWU is 10 with a +19 score after the first round. Sophomore Gabriella Ilardi is tied for 17th on the individual leaderboard with a +2 in the opening 18 holes. Junior Brooke Mahler is tied for 32nd at +4 and senior Kami Twining is tied for 36 at +5.
Cross-Country - at Gans Creek Invite (Friday), at Whitman Invite (Saturday)
After a week off, the Eagles men's and women's cross-country teams are back in action this week. Eastern will split its time at the Gans Creek Invite on Friday, Sept. 27 in Columbia, Mo., and at the Whitman Invite on Saturday, Sept. 28 in Walla Walla, Wash. The men will start at 6 am, while the women will start at 6:45 am at the Gans Creek Invite this Friday.
Two weeks ago, the Eastern Washington cross country teams each notched fifth place finishes at the Cougar classic. The men finished with a score of 134, while the women finished with a score of 152.
For the first time in his career, Noah Hasselblad was named the Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week by the Big Sky Conference last week. This accolade was also the first for his team this season.
Hasselblad had a standout performance at the Cougar Classic over the weekend, finishing ninth individually with an 8k time of 24:09.8. Notably, he was the top Big Sky athlete to cross the finish line in a competitive field of 14 teams, helping his team secure a fifth-place overall finish.
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.
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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