CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington shined on Senior Day, rolling past UIC with a 4-1 victory.
Chloe Pattison led the way with two goals, while
Delani Walker and
Dakota Harris each added one.
Charity Freeman set up three of the goals with assists, while
Noelle Raczykowski contributed two, and Pattison and Harris chipped in one apiece. In goal,
Kamryn Willoughby was outstanding, recording seven saves.
"It was just a much grittier performance today," said head coach
Missy Strasburg. "When we're threatening in a high press, we create chances like we did today. But it also comes down to having an aggressive mindset that carries into how we keep the ball, how we attack, and how we build."
The Eagles came out firing, earning a corner kick in the opening minutes, but it was UIC who struck first, capitalizing on a misplayed pass to take a 1-0 lead. The response from Eastern was immediate—just eight minutes later, Pattison buried a cross from Freeman to even the match at 1-1.
Before halftime, Eastern grabbed control. In the 42nd minute, Raczykowski sent in a perfect corner that Harris headed home to put the Eagles up 2-1. Both sides finished the half with six shots, but Eastern held the edge in corners, 4-3.
"UIC came out looking a little different than we anticipated, so we had to adjust," Strasburg said. "But it came down to our response—there was no pouting, no bad body language. It was about re-attacking, re-engaging, and trusting the process. We had been creating chances, and we knew it would come."
The second half began with both defenses holding strong, but Pattison broke through again, stretching out to slot home her second goal of the day. Seven minutes later, Walker joined the scoring sheet, finishing off a feed from Pattison and Freeman to seal the 4-1 win.
With the victory, Eastern Washington improves to 2-1-2 on the season.
The Eagles return to action on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 4:30 p.m. against St. Thomas, before facing Air Force on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 12 p.m.
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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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