USAF ACADEMY, CO. – Eastern Washington battled Air Force to a 2-2 draw on Sunday afternoon, scoring twice while putting three of its eight shots on goal.
Delaney Deckett and
Katelyn Pettigrew each found the back of the net for the Eagles, while
Mia Miconi recorded an assist. Deckett finished with one goal on one shot, while Pettigrew provided the late equalizer off the bench. In goal,
Payton Hyde played all 90 minutes and recorded five saves.
"Really proud of our women today," head coach
Missy Strasburg said. "Playing at Air Force, at over 7,000 feet in elevation and against a team that is the current favorite to win the Mountain West, is an extremely difficult task. We knew it would take a combination of quality play alongside enormous grit and resilience."
Eastern carried a 1-0 advantage into halftime after Deckett broke the scoreless tie in the 29th minute. After Air Force controlled much of the early pressure, the Eagles generated their first dangerous opportunity in the 17th minute when
Noelle Raczykowski had a shot blocked, leading to an Eastern corner. Hyde kept the Falcons off the board with a save on Maddy Walsh in the 24th minute.
Eastern capitalized shortly after, as Miconi found Deckett, who buried a right-footed strike into the top-left corner in the 29th minute to give the Eagles the 1-0 advantage. The Eagles' defense held firm through the remainder of the half, while
Deanna Montero produced one final opportunity with a shot just off target in the 45th minute.
Eastern continued to battle in the second half, with Hyde making a pair of saves in quick succession in the 54th minute to preserve the Eagles' lead. Miconi responded with Eastern's first shot on goal of the half in the 56th minute, while Raczykowski and
Riley Roesch each generated chances in the 65th. Hyde continued to stand tall as Air Force increased the pressure, adding saves in the 60th and 74th minutes.
Air Force eventually found the equalizer in the 81st minute when Ashley Yenawine scored into the top-right corner to make it 1-1. The Falcons then took the lead in the 85th minute on a goal from Chase Borntreger, which stood following a VAR review.
Eastern wasted little time responding. Just 25 seconds after falling behind, Pettigrew found the bottom-left corner for the equalizer, bringing the Eagles level at 2-2 in the 85th minute. The goal came in Pettigrew's first collegiate minutes and provided a memorable response after Eastern surrendered a lead for the first time this season.
"We got a great goal to go up by
Delaney Deckett, and for the first time this year, conceded that lead," Strasburg said. "To see this team battle back and fight for a late equalizer from Katie Pettigrew in her first-ever college minutes was a signature moment for this team, one that will remind us going forward that in tough moments we can rise and do hard things."
Eastern continued to push for the go-ahead goal and earned a corner in the 90th minute, but neither side could break the deadlock before the final whistle.
Up Next
Eastern Washington takes on Oregon State at home on Friday, Sept. 25 at 3:30 p.m., at the EWU Soccer Field.
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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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