CHENEY, Wash. – Eastern Washington earned its second straight win to open the season, defeating Bucknell 1-0 behind a late goal from
Mia Miconi and another standout performance in goal from
Payton Hyde.
The Eagles recorded 11 shots in the match, while Bucknell finished with 21. Despite consistent pressure from the Bison, Eastern's defense held strong to secure its second consecutive shutout.
Bucknell came out aggressive, pressing the Eagles early and creating an immediate scoring opportunity with a shot that struck the crossbar. Eastern cleared the danger, but the Bison continued to apply pressure. P. Hyde answered with a diving save to keep the match scoreless.
Hyde finished the afternoon with nine saves in just her second collegiate start, providing a steady presence in goal throughout the match.
"Her reactionary shot stopping is fantastic," head coach
Missy Strasburg said. "To see Payton in all of her glory in those reaction saves was pretty special. And to do it with a calm and poise, she does not look like somebody who's on her second career start with us. She just stood in there with a massive amount of confidence today."
Eastern began to find its rhythm over the final 20 minutes of the first half, recording four shots and earning its first corner kick of the match. P. Hyde added two key saves down the stretch to send the teams into halftime tied at 0-0.
The Eagles opened the second half on the front foot, putting early pressure on the Bison.
Riley Roesch picked up her first yellow card of the season, but Eastern's back line handled the ensuing pressure and cleared the ball out of danger.
With 30 minutes remaining, Bucknell found another gear offensively and spent extended time in the attacking third, creating multiple chances on goal. P. Hyde continued to stand tall in net, while Eastern's back line contributed several key blocks to keep the Bison off the scoreboard.
Captain
Iris Mattern helped anchor the Eagles defensively, making several key tackles and organizing the back line throughout the match.
"Iris has always done an exceptional job being the general of that back line group," Strasburg said. "Her performance today was stellar. To go to ground two or three times, give us super clean slide tackles, stop shots, block some things and then pop up and keep possession, we're seeing her at her very best right now."
The breakthrough finally came in the 81st minute when Miconi unleashed a strike from 16 yards out to give Eastern the 1-0 advantage. The unassisted goal was Miconi's second in as many games to begin her Eagle career.
"She's so dangerous," Strasburg said. "We know every time she's on the ball, she's dangerous, even from the wide space. Any time she's inside that box, we keep telling her, 'Just put your laces on it and let it rip.' And she clearly does. She's off to a great start."
Bucknell made one final push for the equalizer, but P. Hyde delivered back-to-back saves in the closing minutes to preserve the shutout and seal the 1-0 victory.
Eastern will now hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Illinois for a pair of matches. The Eagles face UIC on Thursday in Chicago before heading to Macomb to take on Western Illinois on Sunday.
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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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