CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington had a tough battle against the Air Force, drawing 2-2. The Falcons struck first but
Kendall Moore stuck back in the second half, while
Noelle Raczykowski got in on the fun with a goal of her own. The Falcons found the equalizer to draw 2-2.
"We had some tactical things we wanted out of the day," said head coach
Missy Strasburg. "We really wanted to expose them high and wide against their back three, and we had a lot of success early on. But more than anything, we challenged our group on work rate and those individual battles in transition."
The Eagles came out strong, holding much of the early possession while both sides created good chances. Air Force broke through in the 31st minute with a ball slipped past
Kamryn Willoughby to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.
EWU stormed out of the break, and just five minutes in
Kendall Moore leveled the score with a clean strike from outside the 18, tucking it inside the right post. Minutes later,
Noelle Raczykowski scored her first career goal from nearly the same spot, blasting home the go-ahead goal for the Eagles.
Air Force responded in the 74th minute with a quick restart that found the back of the net, securing the 2-2 draw.
"Kendall's return was huge—scoring from the top of the 18 in her first game back shows exactly why she's so special," Strasburg said. "She's dangerous with both feet, explosive on the ball, and to see her make that impact after six weeks out couldn't make me happier."
"Noelle's first career goal was massive, putting us ahead from almost the same spot Kendall scored from," Strasburg added. "She's been incredible—impactful in multiple positions, dangerous on set pieces, and always creating chances. When she's in rhythm and strikes like that, it shows one of her biggest strengths."
The Eagles return to action Thursday, Sept. 11, at 9 p.m. PST at Hawaii.
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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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