Eagles season comes to a close against Vandals

Eastern Washington women's soccer played its final match of the 2022 season on Sunday against Idaho. After the score was even at halftime, the Vandals scored in the second half to get the 2-1 win over the Eagles.

"First, a lot of credit to Idaho today. Both teams came into today's match incredibly motivated, with a lot to compete for beyond just a win," head coach Missy Strasburg said. "Ultimately, they did a better job executing match-winning moments than we did this afternoon. With that said, I am really proud of this team. We had commitment to each other and our response all year long in the moments where the run-of-play, score, and calls weren't going our way. There are a lot of positives for us to take away from this year and the group has pushed the needle forward from where we were a year ago. We are incredibly grateful to our seniors who have led by example and whose impact will be missed. At this point, all we can do is look forward to getting back to work this spring and continue to improve, both individually and collectively, and get ready to ready to compete for a championship in 2023."

The scoreboard did not stay at zero for long, as Idaho would score on in the fourth minute. Savannah Foster would score off a pass from Alyssa Peters for the 1-0 lead.

Undeterred, Eastern responded four minutes later. Elisabeth Cole scored her first career goal in the eighth minute, set up by a pass from Maddie Morgan.

In the 20th minute, Cole had an opportunity for her second career goal, but her shot was saved by Idaho.

The Eagles went into halftime against the Vandals tied at one. Eastern had five shots in the half, while Idaho recorded 11.

Idaho found the back of the net in the 55th minute as Jayden Hanks slipped her shot past Kamryn Willoughby. The Vandals now had a 2-1 lead over Eastern.

As the second half progressed, Idaho continued to press its advantage, recording 14 shots. They were limited to only one additional shot on goal that was saved by Kiara Matson. The Eagles tried to create more scoring chances and recorded four shots in the half. Idaho was able to hold on to its lead and win the match.

Eastern Washington finishes the season with a 5-8-5 overall record, going 2-3-3 in Big Sky matches to finish seventh in the conference. Weber State's 2-0 win over Montana today moved the Wildcats into the fifth seed and the Grizzlies are the sixth seed. The top six teams on the conference table qualify for the Big Sky Tournament.

Key Statistics

Eastern finished with nine total shots and put three on goal.

Elisabeth Cole led the team with three total shots and two on net.

Maddie Morgan recorded her team-leading fourth assist on Sunday. She finishes the season with 14 points to lead the team. Morgan is also the team goal leader with five.

Kamryn Willoughby recorded four saves in the match.

Riley Arribas, Madison Kem, Mya Elder-Hammond and Morgan all played 90 minutes against the Vandals.

Idaho earned 14 corner kicks, with Eastern getting three.

The Vandals were called for 17 fouls, including 14 in the second half. The Eagles were called for only five in the match.