Eagles Blank Bengals for First Big Sky victory

CHENEY – Eastern Washington women's soccer earned its first Big Sky win of the season Sunday, defeating Idaho State 2–0 at the EWU Sports & Recreation Soccer Field. The Eagles controlled the match from the opening whistle, according to an EWU media release, fueled by defensive intensity and timely goals from Delani Walker and Chloe Pattison.

"It really started with the defending energy right out of the gate," said head coach Missy Strasburg. "When we look at something like the foul count, which seems a little absurd, we know we're doing something right. It means our pressure's on time, we're aggressive, and we're on our front foot. From the first five, 10 minutes, we knew we were in a great spot, and we trained for that."

Eastern broke through in the 33rd minute when Walker converted from the penalty spot to give the Eagles the early advantage. In the second half, Pattison delivered a strike from well beyond the 18-yard box in the 66th minute, doubling the lead and securing her first goal in conference play.

"Chloe struggled a little bit to score in the last couple of games, and she's a goal scorer. So, yeah, big goal, really big goal, and definitely the fashion of that goal — she absolutely got a hold of that. It was such a really great 90-minute performance for her," said Strasburg.

Eastern's back line and goalkeeper Kamryn Willoughby shut the door on Idaho State, limiting the Bengals to just three shots on frame. Willoughby collected three saves to record the clean sheet, while EWU finished with 10 total shots and five on goal.

The win moves Eastern to 5-4-3 overall and 1-1 in Big Sky play heading into a crucial home matchup Thursday. 

"It's Montana. It goes without introduction. Our hope is that people can get out here to see that. We've historically had success against them, and to get them at home is pretty special. We're not looking weeks down the road, just one game at a time — and this is a big one," said Strasburg. 

The Eagles will stay in Cheney to take on their conference rivals in Montana on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 3 p.m. 

BOX SCORE: 

EWU: 1-1: 2 

IDST: 0-0: 0