CHENEY, Wash. — A new month and Eastern Washington athletics's season have just begun. Football hosts its second-straight game at Roos Field looking to start the season 2-0 after a season-opening win last Thursday. After two weeks away to start the season, soccer is back in Cheney for two matches. Volleyball takes a short road trip on Friday to prepare for the home opener next Monday.
Football - vs. Drake (Saturday, September 7 at 4 p.m. Pacific Time) - Get Tickets
Eastern enjoys its second home game this week, hosting Drake on Saturday, with kickoff at 4 p.m. The game will be aired live on SWX and streamed live on ESPN+. Follow the every play live on 700 ESPN and the Varsity App with the voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen.
EWU is 1-0 this season after a 42-27 win over Monmouth in the season opener last Thursday. Eastern jumped out to a 14-0 lead before the Hawks responded with two touchdowns. The Eagles then scored 28 unanswered points to take control in the game. The offense was well balanced, netting 278 rushing yards and 282 passing yards. In the game, Eastern held onto the ball for 37 minutes.
Senior wide receiver Efton Chism III set a career-high with 173 receiving yards on 12 catches, scoring three touchdowns along the way. Chism's performance earned him his first Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week.
Kekoa Visperas had a career game as well, slinging five touchdown passes and completing 89.3 percent of his passes - the second-best percentage for a single game in program history.
Soccer - vs. UC Davis (Thursday, September 5 at 4 p.m. Pacific Time), vs. Hawaii (Sunday, September 8 at 1 p.m. Pacific Time) - Free Admission
After their four game road trip to open the season, the Eastern Washington women's soccer team (2-1-1) will finally be home this week. Eastern will host the UC Davis Aggies (3-2-0) this Thursday, September 5th at EWU at 4 pm in their home opener. Eastern will then host the University of Hawaii (2-4-0) this Sunday, September 8th at 1 pm. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Eastern will face off against the Aggies for the fifth match up of all-time between the two schools. The Eagles are 1-3 all-time against the Aggies, and met last year in a 3-0 Aggies shutout win. UC Davis played this Sunday and fell 0-2 at home to #10 Santa Clara.
Eastern will host Hawaii for their first road match of the season. In their last match, Hawaii came away with a 4-1 victory over North Dakota State, and snapped a four match losing streak. The Eagles are 2-2 all-time against Hawaii. The two teams last faced off a decade ago in 2014 when Hawaii pulled out the 3-1 victory over the Eagles. Eastern looks to change their fortune as they are 11-22-3 all-time against Big West Conference teams.
With last week's tie to Southern Utah, Eastern is now 2-1-1 and is off to their best start since the 2018 season. The Eagles have already matched last season's win total, and have already exceeded their wins on the road (2) in the past two seasons combined. Eastern will host five of their next six non-conference matches at EWU soccer field before starting Big Sky Conference play next month
After the weekend matches, the Eagles lead the Big Sky conference in scoring average (1.750), corners (28), PK's (2-2), and sit second in goals scored (7), and goals allowed (2).
Volleyball - at WSU (Friday, September 6 at 7 p.m. Pacific Time)
The Eagles are off to a 1-2 start this season, with a win against Cal State Bakersfield and losses to Utah Valley and UMKC. Despite this rocky beginning, standout performances by Kalista Lukovich and
Bri Gunderson have shone through. Lukovich delivered back-to-back double-doubles, amassing 38 kills and a .239 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, Gunderson contributed significantly with 13 blocks, including six against UMKC.
As the Eagles prepare to face WSU on Friday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m. in Pullman, they'll look to build on these individual successes. Lukovich's offensive skills and Gunderson's defensive prowess will be key as EWU aims to improve their record and gain momentum for the rest of the season.
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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