CHICAGO, Illinois – Eastern Washington continued its unbeaten start with a 1-0 shutout win over UIC on Thursday, improving to 3-0 on the season.
Ella Hyde scored the game-winner, while
Payton Hyde made seven saves to secure her third consecutive clean sheet.
"Tonight was another very physical match that challenged our quality in moments, but we were so proud of our team and our adaptability," head coach
Missy Strasburg said. "We needed to make some tactical changes early in the first half and these women did an incredible job executing on the fly. That in and of itself has been a notable and successful growth area for this team."
Despite being outshot 15-13, Eastern created several early opportunities.
Mia Miconi and
Mira Scarsella generated chances in the opening half, while
Riley Roesch tested the UIC goalkeeper with a shot from distance.
Payton Hyde kept the game scoreless with a key one-on-one save in the 37th minute, sending the teams into halftime tied 0-0.
Eastern broke through shortly after halftime. Miconi's run down the sideline earned the Eagles a corner in the 47th minute. The ensuing ball into the box was mishandled by the UIC goalkeeper, allowing
Ella Hyde to finish and give Eastern a 1-0 lead.
"Ella is one of the toughest players on this team," Strasburg said. "There is absolutely no quit in her, so not surprising she finishes a great goal again tonight, fighting to get into the right place at the right time."
UIC increased the pressure following the goal, but Eastern's back line held firm. Roesch played a key role in the Eagles' defensive effort from the midfield while also helping Eastern work through UIC's pressure.
"Riley was exceptional at holding center mid for us tonight," Strasburg said. "The timing and toughness of her tackles when tight in ball pressure has been so important for us defensively. But she really showed her attacking quality tonight, spinning and cutting her way out of some real pressure moments in possession. Only three games into her career here, we continue to see her confidence grow, and her impact with it."
The Flames pushed for an equalizer in the final minutes, but
Payton Hyde and the Eastern defense closed the door to preserve the Eagles' third straight shutout.
"Three clean sheets in her first three career starts," Strasburg said of Hyde. "She's showing increasingly great command and confidence in goal, and the team and especially the back four did an excellent job tonight in front of her."
The road victory came against a UIC team that entered the season as the defending Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champion.
"To get the win, on the road, two time zones away, against a defending conference champion, just awesome," Strasburg said.
Eastern concludes its Illinois road trip against Western Illinois on Sunday in Macomb, Illinois. The Eagles return home Aug. 30 to face Cal State Bakersfield.
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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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