CHENEY, Wash. — Moving into October, Eastern Washington athletics has five teams in action this week, with two at home and three on the road. Soccer looks to stay undefeated in Big Sky play as they host Idaho on Sunday. Volleyball travels south to play the Vandals in the team's only match this week. Golf plays its second tournament today and tomorrow, while preparing for a home tournament next week. Cross Country prepares for its second-to-last regular season meet. Men's tennis begins its fall schedule with a tournament in Pocatello.
Soccer - vs. Idaho (Sunday, October 6th at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time)
Eastern Washington soccer (6-4-2, 1-0-1) is set to host the Idaho Vandals (8-3-1, 2-0-0) in a match up of two of the top teams in the Big Sky conference. After the first week of conference play, the Vandals sit atop of the standings with six total points, with the Eagles right behind them in second with four total points.
It will be the 32nd overall meeting between the two teams. The Eagles are 13-17-1 all-time against the Vandals, and are 9-6-0 overall at home. Eastern is 4-6 in their last 10 matchups against Idaho, and has failed to earn a win against the Vandals under head coach Missy Strasburg (0-3). The Eagles have fallen 1-2 in each of the last three match ups to the Vandals.
Eastern gets a well deserved week of rest after opening Big Sky conference play this weekend. Over the weekend, the Eagles recorded a 1-1 tie in their conference opener to Portland State, and then recorded a 3-0 shutout win over Sacramento State for their first conference win of the season.
In the first match, Kendall Moore recorded the lone goal for the Eagles with a penalty kick in the 76th minute after a handball was called on the Vikings in the box. Moore recorded her third goal of the season, second penalty kick goal, and the fifth penalty kick goal for the Eagles this season. The Eagles currently rank first in the nation in Penalty kicks (5-5).
In Eastern's win over Sacramento State, Isabelle Herting was the star of the show, recording a quick goal in the second minute, and then another one in the 18th minute. Herting recorded two goals, six shots, with four of them on goal over the weekend, and would help the Eagles cruise to a 3-0 shutout win over Sacramento State for the first Big Sky win of the season. Herting became the second Eagle this season to record two goals in a match, and the ninth player in the Big Sky this season.
The Eagles are currently second in the Big Sky conference with 4 points total, and are one of three teams to have at least six total wins in the conference. Eastern also leads the conference in goals scored (23), total points (61), scoring average (1.917), PK'S (5-5), and corners (66). EWU has not trailed at the half in all 12 matches, and have yet to be shutout this season.
Chloe Pattison leads the Big Sky in goals scored (8), and total points (18), shots (34), shots on goal (19). Riley Arribas and Delani Walker are tied for second with three assists. 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.
Golf - at Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational (Sept. 30-Oct 1, All Day, Tacoma Country and Golf Club), Tri-State Invitational (Oct. 6-7, All Day, The Creek at Qualchan in Spokane, Wash.)
The Eagles are back on the course this week for three-straight weeks of competition. The team begins with the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational, beginning today (Sept. 30) and going through tomorrow (Oct. 1). Eastern is +1 currently and tied for 5th on the leaderboard as a team. Freshman Berkley Ledesma is playing well, currently -2 and in a six-way tie for second on the individual leaderboard.
This coming Sunday (Oct. 6), EWU hosts the Tri-State Invitational at the Creek of Qualchan course here in Spokane. It will be the second home tournament of the fall and concluded on Monday (Oct. 7). During the first tournament of the fall, the Eagles placed 10th at the Eagle Invite, playing at the Circling Raven Golf Course in Worley, Idaho. Gabriella Ilardi placed 22nd with a +4 score and Brooke Mahler was 29th at +6.
Volleyball - at Idaho (Friday, Oct. 4, 6:00 p.m.)
The Eagles (4-8, 0-2) are looking to bounce back after a tough weekend, where they lost to both Idaho State and Sacramento State in four sets. They'll face Idaho (1-12, 0-2) on Friday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m., aiming to extend their seven-game win streak against the Vandals.
Key players to watch include Bri Gunderson and Kalista Lukovich, who combined for 47 kills last weekend, showcasing their offensive firepower. Additionally, Kate Hatch has been impressive, with six double-doubles this season, making her a crucial player to keep an eye on.
Cross-Country - at Whitman Classic (Saturday, Oct. 5, 10:00 a.m.)
This week, the Eagles are set to compete at the Whitman Open in Walla Walla, Wash., on Saturday, Oct. 5, starting at 10 a.m. Excitingly, the women's team is ranked 12th in the West Region according to the USTFCCCA Polls—only the second time in EWU history they've achieved this ranking, the first being in 2015.
After a challenging outing at the Gans Creek Classic, the women's cross-country teams demonstrated resilience. The women finished 13th overall, with Cassidy Walchak-Sloan leading the charge at 66th place, clocking in at 21:19.3, closely followed by Jenni Bissell in 67th at 21:19.78.
Men's Tennis - at Idaho State Invite (Friday, October 4th- Sunday, October 6th)
Eastern Washington Men's Tennis will kick off its first of three fall tournaments this weekend in Pocatello, Idaho and play in the Idaho State Invite. The Eagles bring back six returners from last year's team, (Tyler Waddock, Brady Thomas, Caden Kammerer, Drew Dillon, Tyler Dalos, and Arshjot Bhatti). Eastern will also welcome a newcomer to the squad this year, Jess Weaver, a transfer from Whitworth University.
The Eagles will also play in the Peak Tournament, October 25th-27th in Missoula, Montana, and then will finish the fall season off in the Gonzaga Invite, November 8th-10th in Spokane, Washington.
Football - Bye
Eastern Washington has its bye week following five-straight games. The team returns to the field on Saturday, Oct. 12 to play No. 17 Sacramento State on the road. Senior receiver Efton Chism III passed 3000 career receiving yards against Montana on Saturday, with 8 catches for 107 yards. He currently sits at 3054 for his career, moving him into 6th on the all-time list, passing Tony Brooks. Chism also matched his career-best with 3 touchdown catches to pass Aaron Boyce for 6th all-time in program history. EWU is 1-4 and 0-1 this season after a 52-49 loss to the Griz this past weekend.
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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